Home ›› 25 Dec 2021 ›› Sport
Shahada Akter Ripa has two sides to herself. One on the pitch, one off it.
On the pitch, with the ball, she marauds her oppositions with her silky dribbles and swift runs and is as bold as it gets. But in front of the mic, she is rather shy, oddly similar to Lionel Messi, whom she is named after in her hometown Cox’s Bazar.
She got the name after a trial for the Cox’s Bazar team for the Bangamata Primary School Football tournament, where she dribbled like the mercurial Argentine and got the name, despite not knowing who he was.
“I was giving a trial for the Bangamata Primary School tournament for Cox’s Bazar, and I played very well. I did not have much strength then, I dribbled past everyone but missed a penalty! (laughs) So, watching my game, everyone said that I played like Messi. I did not even know him back then. But then I saw the 2014 World Cup final and finally got to know who Messi was,” she told The Business Post.
Ripa’s footballing journey started in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar, where she played with boys and didn’t even know a women’s national team existed.
“Since I was a kid, I played with boys. I didn’t even know there was a women’s national team. One day, my brother told me there was a footballer named Sabina (Bangladesh national team footballer Sabina Khatun), who scored a lot of goals. I was left wondering if there were girls in the national team! My brother then told me there was a women’s national team,” the 16-year-old said.
After knowing about the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan, she gave a trial and unsurprisingly, was chosen.
“My teacher and a cousin of mine told me to get admitted to BKSP. I had no clue about what BKSP was. They explained it to me, and then in December 2016, I gave a trial there and was picked,” she said.
Everywhere Ripa went, so did a flurry of goals and awards for her. She was the best player in the 2017 Bangladesh Youth Games, where she scored 14 goals and was also the player of the tournament in the JFA Cup later that year.
“In 2017, I went to India to play in the Subrata Cup, where I scored in the first match and then later, we became champions. I played the youth games in 2017, where I scored 14 goals. I was also the best player of the JFA Cup that year and then was picked up for the national team. And I played my first match in the red-and-green jersey in 2018 for the national U-15 team,” the right-winger said.
And the latest awards she brought home was the best player and the best goal-scorer award in the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship. Ripa never thought of winning these awards, especially after not being picked for the first game of the tournament.
“I never thought that this would happen. I was not in the best XI. I did not play the first match (against Nepal). I played the second match (against Bhutan), and then played against Sri Lanka and in the final,” she said.
She bagged two goals against Bhutan and three against Sri Lanka. And in the final, in between her marauding runs against the Indian defence, she provided the assist for Anai Mogini’s winning goal with a sublime backhill. And with that performance, she left the crowd chanting her name.
Before the match, Ripa had promised about bringing the trophy home. And after, she was glad that she could.
“I promised that I would make Bangladesh champions. I’m glad that I could keep my words and gift Bangladesh something in our month of victory. I ask for prayers from everyone,” she said.
Ripa hopes to have the most goals for Bangladesh, but her dreams don’t stop there. A follower of USA star Alex Morgan, Ripa hopes to play in Europe.
“I wish to play for the national team and, I want to have the record of most goals for the national team. I follow Alex Morgan, who won the World Cup for USA, and I have the dream of playing in the European leagues,” Ripa spoke of her dreams.
For now, the next step for Ripa is the national team. And after a galore of trophies at the age level, now might be time for her and her teammates to bring the glory for the senior side. And if she can, who knows, maybe Europe will come calling.
