| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammed Rizvi Karim Rumi | ||
| Date of birth | (1968-05-18)18 May 1968 (age 56) | ||
| Place of birth | Kushtia,East Pakistan (present-dayBangladesh) | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Center forward,Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1987 | Sadharan Bima CSC | ||
| 1987–1988 | BRTC SC | ||
| 1988–1991 | Abahani Limited Dhaka | ||
| 1991 | East Bengal | ||
| 1991–1994 | Abahani Limited Dhaka | ||
| 1994–1996 | Muktijoddha Sangsad | ||
| 1996–1998 | Abahani Limited Dhaka | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1988–1994 | Bangladesh | 24 | (6) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 September 1994 | |||
Rizvi Karim Rumi (Bengali:রিজভী করিম রুমি; born 18 May 1968) is a retired Bangladeshifootballer who played either as awinger or as astriker.[1] Rumi captained theBangladesh national football team for a brief period in 1992 and 1993. He spent most of his career withAbahani Limited and also had a brief stint in theCalcutta Football League withEast Bengal.[2]
Rumi started his career in theFirst Division withSadharan Bima CSC, in 1984. In his debut season he scored a hat-trick againstAzad Sporting Club and finished top-scorer in theDMFA Cup with 6 goals. In 1987, he joined another office club, BRTC. In the same year, Rumi finished joint top scorer alongsideRumman Bin Wali Sabbir, in theFederation Cup.[3]
His performances led to him being scouted byDhanmondi giantsAbahani Limited Dhaka, and he signed for the club on 16 August 1988. During the next 3 years, Rumi went onto win the First Division in 1989–90, the Federation Cup in 1988 and, also the 1990Independence Cup where Rumi scored a brace against rivalsMohammedan SC in the final. Rumi also finished the 1990 league season as the league's second top goal scorer.[4]
In 1991, during the BTC Clubs Cup held in Bangladesh, to aid cyclone and flood victims, Rumi scored the winner against India's East Bengal Club in the semi-final (2–1). Abahani then went onto defeat rivals Mohammedan in the final to secure the trophy. Rumi's brilliant performances with the Abahani earned him a chance to move abroad, he signed forEast Bengal Club in theCalcutta Football League. He was one of three players from Bangladesh that signed for the "Red and Gold Brigade", withMonem Munna andSheikh Mohammad Aslam joining him in Kolkata in 1991.[5] He won the league title during his lone year at the club, and returned to Abahani the same year. In 1993 he was named the club's captain.[6]
In 1994, Rumi joined fellow title challengersMuktijoddha Sangsad KC, after the gentleman's agreement between the country's three biggest clubs, Abahani, Mohammedan SC andBrothers Union, to lower the salaries of their star players. Nevertheless, Rumi returned to Abahani after two years and won the Federation Cup in 1997. The subsequent season, after suffering from continuous injuries for the past few years, Rumi retired, as one of the finest forwards Bangladesh ever produced.[7]
In 1989,Abahani's greatest rivals,Mohammedan wanted to sign Rumi. However, their Iranian coachNasser Hejazi who was also the coach of theBangladesh national football team at the time, went against the club's officials, as he did not want to sign the player without Abahani's permission. Rumi, later stated that he did not want to leave as well, as he wanted to play alongside teammateMonem Munna, who was seen as the biggest talent in the country at the time.[8]
Rumi made his debut forBangladesh during the1988 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. He was a member of the Bangladesh Red team which defeated South Korea University in the 1989President's Gold Cup. He is well known for scoring a brace againstIndia in the1991 South Asian Games.[9][10] Rumi was named the national team captain during the1992 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, held in Thailand. His most memorable goal for the country came againstJapan during the1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a game Bangladesh ended up losing 4–1.[4]
He also represented the team during a disappointing1993 South Asian Games, where hosts Bangladesh were knocked out in the group stages. Rumi's last international tournament was theQatar Independence Cup 1994, where the Bangladesh national team was represented byMuktijoddha Sangsad KC.[11]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 October 1989 | Jinnah Sports Stadium,Islamabad,Pakistan |  Sri Lanka | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1989 South Asian Games |
| 2. | 3–0 | |||||
| 3. | 26 December 1991 | Sugathadasa Stadium,Colombo,Sri Lanka |  India | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1991 South Asian Games |
| 4. | 2–1 | |||||
| 5. | 13 April 1993 | Yokohama, Japan | Sri Lanka | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 30 April 1993 | Dubai,United Arab Emirates |  Japan | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | February 1991 | Kerala, India | FC Indian Bank | 4–0 | Sait Nagjee Trophy |
| 2. | |||||
| 3. | Travancore Titanium F.C. | 1–0 | |||
| 4. | 4 June 1991 | Dhaka,Bangladesh | East Bengal Club | 2–1 | BTC Clubs Cup[12] |
After retiring from playing professional football in 1998, Rumi moved to Canada with his wife and son.[13]
Abahani Limited Dhaka
East Bengal Club
Muktijoddha SKC
Bangladesh
