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Mohammad Abdul Halim is a Bangladeshi former footballer who played as a striker for the Bangladesh national team from 1976 to 1979. He scored three goals during the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, and helped Bangladesh qualify for the main tournament for the first time ever. Halim was the joint–top goal scorer in the 1976 Dhaka League season while playing for PWD SC, however, he did not play for Bangladesh's big teams, spending majority of his club career in the top tier with Rahmatganj MFS.

Early life

In his school years, Halim immersed himself in athletics, taking part in a multitude of high jump and marathon inter-school competitions.

Playing career

Halim's Dhaka career started with Holden XI in 1974. The following year, he played for the Fire Service in the Dhaka Second Division. In 1976, Halim got a chance to play top level of football in Dhaka, the Dhaka League. He joined office team PWD SC and became the joint–top goal scorer in the league with 13 goals alongside Hafizuddin Ahmed of Mohammedan SC. That year, Halim outscored established strikers Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu, Abdul Gaffar and Enayetur Rahman. Halim went onto join fellow league minnows Rahmatganj MFS.

Being the league's joint–top scorer, Halim was called up to the Bangladesh national team and went on to participate in the 1976 King Cup. Halim, who played in the 1977 AFC Youth Championship, was on standby for the 1978 AFC Youth Championship in Dhaka but didn't make the final list. Halim's start with the senior national team was promising. In 1979, Halim scored a brace against Afghanistan in the qualifying round of the Asian Cup in Dhaka, after Bangladesh fell two goals behind in the first half. He helped Bangladesh qualify for the 1980 AFC Asian Cup as he scored during a 3–2 win against Afghanistan during their third qualifying match in Dhaka. However, Halim's international career came to an early end due to a knee injury.

Personal life

Born in Ishwarganj Upazila of the Mymensingh District, Halim has two sons, who were also former football players and played in the Dhaka Third Division Football League. After retiring from playing professional football, Halim joined the coaching profession, but did not stick with it for too long.

In February 2022, Halim informed media that he has been suffering from a heart disease for a long time and his physical condition is gradually deteriorating. Along with that, Halim's previous knee injury from his playing days had still not gone away. He also informed that he is unable to get better treatment due to lack of money.

Halim's elder brother, Abdur Razzak, a footballer who played in the Dhaka League in the 70s, died on 23 October 2023.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	1 March 1979	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Afghanistan	1–2	2–2	1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
2.				2–2
3.	5 March 1979	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Afghanistan	2–1	3–2	1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

References

1. ^ "কি করে ভুলে যাওয়া হলো খ্যাতিমান স্ট্রাইকার হালিমের ঢাকায় অনুষ্ঠিত এশিয়ান কাপ আসরে বাংলাদেশের হয়ে প্রথম গোল করার কীর্তির কথা". Kiron's Sports Desk (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
2. "নিভৃতেই ফুটবলের আবাদ হালিমের". Prothomalo (in Bengali). 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
3. "শুধু ফুটবল খেললে আমার ধারেকাছে কেউ থাকত না". Kalerkantho (in Bengali). 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
4. ^ "অর্থাভাবে ধুঁকছেন সালাউদ্দিন-চুন্নুদের সতীর্থ হালিম". Kalerkantho (in Bengali). February 22, 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023.
5. Mahmud, Dulal (20 April 2021). "ঢাকার মাঠে সবচেয়ে বড় ফুটবল উৎসব". Utp al Shuvro (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 22 November 2023.
6. "সালাউদ্দিন-চুন্নু-হালিমের স্মৃতিতে ৪৪ বছর আগের আফগানবধ". Jago News 24 (in Bengali). Archived from the original on September 3, 2023.
7. Uddin, Burhan (February 25, 2022). "ভালো নেই জাতীয় দলের ফুটবলার ঈশ্বরগঞ্জের হালিম". Gouripur News (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 28 November 2023.
8. "রহমতগঞ্জের সাবেক ফুটবলার রাজ্জাক আর নেই". Jugantor (in Bengali). October 23, 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.

• People from Mymensingh District
• Bangladeshi men's footballers
• Bangladesh men's youth international footballers
• Bangladesh men's international footballers
• Rahmatganj MFS players
• Brothers Union players
• Men's association football forwards
• Sportspeople from Mymensingh Division
• Living people