Aminul Haque (born 5 October 1980) is a former Bangladeshi professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is also a state minister in the ministry of sports and youth. He is regarded as one of the greatest Bangladeshi footballers and has been marked as the "Greatest Goalkeeper to have represented Bangladesh." According to the former coach of the Bangladesh national team, György Kottán, Aminul is one of the best goalkeepers he has ever seen. Aminul's positional sense and ability to read the game made him one of the greatest goalkeepers in South Asian football history. Shebby Singh of ESPN Star suggested that Aminul deserved to play in a better league, even in England, with proper training.
Aminul is a product of MSPCC City Club and began his career in the Dhaka Premier Division League with Mohammedan SC in 1994. He won his first league title with Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in the 1997–98 season. He made his continental debut during the 2001–02 Asian Club Championship with Muktijoddha. With the Freedom Fighters he also won two Federation Cup titles along with the National League. In 2009, he won the first edition of the Super Cup with Mohammedan and was also awarded with the tournament's Best Goalkeeper Award. He spent the majority of his career with Muktijoddha, with his first stint lasting from 1997 to 1998, his second from 2000 to 2007, and his final stint from 2013 to 2014, after which he retired.
Aminul represented the Bangladesh national team from 1998 to 2010. He was capped about 56 times during which he captained his country in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He played an instrumental part when Bangladesh lifted the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He also had notable performances during both the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round and the 2009 SAFF Championship. He captained the Bangladesh U23 to gold at the 2010 South Asian Games.
Early life Born in Bhola, Aminul spent most of his childhood in Dhaka, the son of Mohammad Emran and Manwara Begum. He is the youngest among three brothers. His brother Moinul Haque, who was ten years his senior, also played in the Dhaka Premier Division Football League. While still in fourth grade, Aminul began training with MSPCC City Club under coach Imtiaz. While playing for the junior team of City Club in a local tournament in Alubdi village, Mirpur, Aminul received Tk 150 for his performances. In 1993, he participated in the Pioneer Football League with City Club and managed to keep nine consecutive cleansheets in the first phase of the league.
Club career Mohammedan SC
Following his performance in the Pioneer League, Aminul was offered a move to East End Club in the First Division League of Dhaka. Nonetheless, he was signed by the defending Premier Division League champions, Mohammedan SC, with the help of his brother, Moinul Haque, and Mohammedan defender Imtiaz Sultan Johnny. With veteran keeper Sayeed Hassan Kanan at the club, Aminul spent his time at Mohammedan as the third choice. In 1995, after making a good impression on Mohammedan's Nigerian coach Kadiri Ikhana, Aminul was called up to the national camp for training.
Farashganj SC After his two-year binding at Mohammedan ended, Aminul joined Farashganj SC in the 1996 Premier Division League, for a salary of Tk 1.7 lakh. Under coach Pran Govinda Kundu, Aminul played as first-choice keeper. In his debut season, Farashganj finished sixth in the league and avoided relegation. Aminul came to the limelight with his performance against Fakirerpool Young Men's Club, guiding his team to a 1–0 victory.
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC In 1997, Aminul joined Muktijoddha Sangsad KC where he became both Premier Division League and Mohonagari Cup champions in his lone season. This was Aminul's first title triumph as the first-choice goalkeeper, while Muktijoddha's league triumph that year also marked the end of the previous 17-year dominance by Abahani and Mohammedan. Aminul's defence, led by Mohammed Jewel Rana and Rajani Kanta Barman, only conceded 9 goals from 22 games. He was also part of the team that won India's McDowell's Cup in 1998. His performance that season both Dhaka giants fighting for his signature for the following year.
Abahani Limited Dhaka Aminul joined Abahani Limited Dhaka in 1999. Under coach Pakir Ali, Aminul displayed some the best performances of his career and guided Abahani to the Federation Cup title in his debut season. In the tournament's final he saved two penalties as Abahani defeated his former club Muktijoddha Sangsad 5–3 on penalties. He also won the first edition of the National League in 2000 and departed before the Dhaka Premier League got underway.
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC (II) In 2000, Aminul returned to Muktijoddha Sangsad KC for his second stint at the club. He won his third Premier Division League in 2000 and also won the Federation Cup the following season. He also played in the 2001–02 Asian Club Championship first round. In 2001, he suffered a spinal disc injury that almost ended his career, until the national team head coach at the time, György Kottán, arranged Aminul's operation in Mumbai. Nonetheless, due to the injury, Aminul stayed out of football for the entirety of 2002. Upon his return, he played an instrumental role in club's 2003 National League triumph under coach Shafiqul Islam Manik.
In 2004, Aminul Haque spent the Dhaka Premier Division League season successfully fighting for his position as the first-choice keeper with the club's junior goalkeeper, Titumir Chowdhury. He later represented Muktijoddha during the 2004 and 2005 editions of the AFC Cup. On 6 January 2006, Aminul displayed a man-of-the-match performance against Abahani in the 2005–06 National League during a 1–2 defeat. In April 2006, he was loaned to Brothers Union for the 2006 AFC Cup. His performance against Mahindra United during a 2–2 draw was also praised by Mahindra coach, Derrick Pereira. Following his return from loan, he missed the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League season in 2007 due to an injury. In December 2007, he returned to top-level action, playing for Mohammedan as a guest player in a three-match series against Abahani.
Mohammedan SC (II) On 24 May 2008, Aminul joined Mohammedan SC for the 2008–09 B.League, marking the end of his 8-year stint with Muktijoddha Sangsad. Aminul was part of the team that finished undefeated runners-up in the 2009–10 Bangladesh League. On 27 March 2009, Mohammedan defeated Abahani 1–0 in the 2009 Citycell Super Cup final. Aminul was rewarded Tk 1 lakh as and honoured with the tournament's Best Goalkeeper Award.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club In September 2010, Aminul was among the seventeen national team players to join Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club for the 2010–11 Bangladesh League. He won the Premier League title during his first season with the club. He also played an instrumental part in the club's Pokhara Cup triumph in Nepal. He saved three penalties against Ranipokhari Corner Team as Sheikh Jamal won the shoot-out 3–0 to reach the semi-final. He was appointed club captain the following season, as Sheikh Jamal disappointed by finishing sixth place in the league. However, prior to the league, he led the club to the 2011–12 Federation Cup title.
Team BJMC In 2013, Aminul joined office club Team BJMC. He struggled for form with BJMC and went through numerous injury problems as the club finished fourth in the league. On 19 July 2013, Aminul was not included in the squad as BJMC travelled to Bhutan to participate in the 2013 King's Cup. The club's director Arif Khan Joy stated, "Aminul is not in our plans next season, so we are thinking of existing goalkeeper Himel (Mazharul Islam Himel) instead of Aminul."
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC (III) On 27 October 2013, Aminul joined Muktijoddha Sangsad KC for his third stint. Although he initially thought of retiring, the Muktijoddha officials had convinced him to remain playing professionally for one more year. On 7 December 2013, Aminul suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury during the semi-finals of the 2013 Federation Cup against his former club, Team BJMC. He underwent successful surgery on 11 December. He would stay out of action for the entirety of the league season due to the injury and eventually retired following the conclusion of the 2013–14 Bangladesh Premier League.
International career Early years In 1996, Aminul represented the Bangladesh U16 team in the 1996 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers held in Nagoya, Japan. In 1998, he was called up to the national camp by the coach at the time, Otto Pfister. In the same year, he represented the Bangladesh U19 team in the 1998 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers in Sri Lanka.
In the same year, Aminul made his senior international debut by representing Bangladesh during two friendly games against Qatar and Qatar U23 in Doha. After performing well with Abahani Limited Dhaka, national team coach Samir Shaker made Aminul the first-choice keeper for the 1999 SAFF Gold Cup in Goa, India, where Bangladesh finished runners-up. Nonetheless, after breaking his fingers during the Bangabandhu Cup against Malaysia U23 on 31 August 1999, Aminul was left out of the team for the 1999 South Asian Games, during which Bangladesh won their first gold medal. In July 2000, Aminul toured England with the national team, and also featured in a 0–1 defeat to India during a friendly match held in London.
Rise to prominence Aminul was the first-choice goalkeeper during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round under coach György Kottán. His standout performance against Saudi Arabia despite a heavy defeat, earned him a contract offer from Saudi Pro League club AL Hilal. However, the deal fell through reportedly due to the negligence of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
In 2003, Aminul was selected for the national team for the 2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup, held in Dhaka. His inclusion was initially uncertain, as he had missed most of the previous domestic season due to an injury and had recently undergone spinal surgery in Mumbai. Despite these setbacks, Aminul played his most memorable game in the tournament final against the Maldives on 20 January 2003. During the penalty shootout, he saved a crucial shot from Ashraf Luthfy, helping Bangladesh win their first SAFF Championship. Aminul was also named the tournament's Best Goalkeeper. In a later interview, he revealed that he wasn't supposed to play in the final due to severe back pain. However, his determination to help the team win the title led him to play the entire game on painkillers.
Following impressive performances with the national team, Aminul was contacted by English Premier League club Newcastle United for trials. However, according to Aminul, the move did not materialize due to miscommunication between him and the club.
He was an integral part of the team that finished runners-up in the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup in Pakistan. In the same year, he helped Bangladesh defeat Pakistan in the preliminary round of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, keeping cleansheets during both legs as Bangladesh won 1–0 on aggregate.
Captaincy Aminul was first appointed as the national team captain in October 2006, following the international retirement of Arif Khan Joy. He led the team during matches against Uzbekistan and Hong Kong, both of which ended in heavy defeats. He missed the entirety of 2007 due to an injury but returned to the national side for the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, during which the team was captained by Hassan Al-Mamun.
Aminul once again served as captain during the 2008 SAFF Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, following a disappointing SAFF campaign, the BFF removed Aminul from his captaincy, which was then handed over to Motiur Rahman Munna for the 2008 Merdeka Cup and 2008 Myanmar Challenge Cup.