After earning a surprising call to the Bangladesh national football team, the non-resident Bangladeshi Rahbar Wahed Khan said he is eager to make it to the playing XI of Bangladesh.

The 25-year-old forward lives in Toronto, Canada. He represents a semi-professional side North Toronto Nitros. Along with Rahbar, 18-year-old midfielder Tahmid Islam, who lives in France, has also been called up by the Bangladesh coach Jamie Day.

Rahbar will join the national team in Kyrgyzstan in the coming weeks ahead of a tri-national football event.

“It’s a proud moment for me and my family,” Rahbar said through a video message from Toronto on Wednesday. “I’m so excited, and eagerly waiting to join the team. It's the very first time that I got a call to the Bangladesh national team. Everyone in my family and all of our relatives are so happy.”

Rahbar was a bright footballer during his school days, his father recalled while talking to the media. Rahbar was contacted first by Bangladesh coach Jamie who was convinced after watching his video clips.

“When Rahbar was in class seven in school, I went to watch a match that he played. Before the match, he asked my opinion about how many goals he would score. I told him four, and to my utter surprise, he scored four goals in that match,” Rahbar’s father, Akram Ali Khan, told the media.

Besides studying, Rahbar used to work in Canada, but right after getting a national team call, he resigned from his post, his father said.

“Rahbar has always been so focused on being a great footballer,” his father said. “He got calls from two big clubs of the Bangladesh Premier League, but he refused. He wants to play in a club in Europe. We hope his dreams will come true one day.”

The Bangladesh coach is also excited to have talents like Rahbar in the Bangladesh team. In a recent interview, he backed the decision of relying on the non-resident Bangladeshi players, or those in the diaspora community who are eligible to play for the country, alongside the local players.

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The prime example is Jamal Bhuiyan, now established as the captain of the Bangladesh team, who grew up in Denmark, while Tariq Raihan Kazi joined the Bangladesh team from Finland.

“It’s a win-win situation for the players and the team,” Jamie told the media. “They grew up getting better practising facilities, and they have been playing against tougher opponents that made them better footballers than the local players. So if we give them chances to play for Bangladesh, it will eventually help us to do well at the international level.”

According to Englishman Day, if a mixed team with local and non-resident players helps Bangladesh to do better, it’s good to go that way. He also acknowledged that giving priority to the non-resident players might damage the morale of the local players who have been trying to get a national team call for a long time.

“It’s true that some might get upset as they are not getting a national team call. But if we get some non-resident players and they do well for the team, it’s better for all. I think it’s better to form a team with the local players, and at the same time, if we can form a team with the local and non-resident players, it’s good too,” Day added.

If the non-resident players come up and prove their mettle in Kyrgyzstan, they might have places in the Bangladesh team for the next edition of the SAFF Football Championship.

Bangladesh football team will travel to Bishkek on August 28, and will take on Palestine on September 5 and Kyrgyzstan on September 7. After that, they will take on Kyrgyzstan U-23 on September 9 before ending up the tour.

Bangladesh squad for Kyrgyzstan tour:

Goalkeepers: Anisur Rahman Zico, Sahidul Alam Sohel, Mitul Marma; Defenders: Bishwanath Ghosh, Topu Barman, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Rahmat Mia, Riyadul Hasan Rafi, Yeasin Arafat, Razaul Karim, Mehedi Hasan, Mohammad Atikuzzaman; Midfielders: Jamal Bhuyan, Masuk Miah Joni, Sohel Rana, Saad Uddin, Rakib Hossain, Nayb Md Tahmid Islam; Forwards: Biplo Ahamed, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Mohammad Ibrahim, Matin Miah, Rahbar Wahed Khan.