Topu Barman

Topu Barman (born 20 December 1994) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Bangladesh Premier League club Bashundhara Kings, which he captains and the Bangladesh national team.
Early career
Topu Barman was scouted in 2006 by Canary Wharf Group's talent search programme. After initial trails, he spent two years at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) under the supervision of local coaches Golam Sarwar Tipu and Rezaul Haq Jamal. In 2008, Topu along with a few U16 national team players, attend a three week training session at the David Beckham Academy in London. Topu who was initially selected for training by English coach Anthony Ferguson and England-born Bangladeshi footballer Anwar Uddin, was granted Tk 10,000 scholarship by the Canary Wharf Group, after completing its programme.
In 2009, he joined Wari Club in the Dhaka Senior Division League. In 2011, he joined Mohammedan SC in top-tier, the Bangladesh Premier League, which was also the country's sole professional league at the time.
Club career
In 2014, Topu won the Super Cup with Mohammedan, defeating Sheikh Russel KC 4-2 on penalties. He won the 2016 Bangladesh Premier League with Abahani Limited Dhaka as undefeated champions. In 2017, he was one of the highest paid local players after joining the newly promoted Saif SC.
In 2019, Topu joined Bashundhara Kings. He made his debut for Kings during a 2019 Federation Cup match against Chittagong Abahani, on 27 December 2019. His first goal for the club came against Police FC in the same competition, on 1 January 2020. The tournament was his first title triumph with Kings.
Before the start of the 2020 Federation Cup, Topu was named as the new club captain following the departure of Daniel Colindres. Topu played twice during the tournament as Kings lifted the trophy for the second year running. He helped Kings keep a solid defense as they won the 2021 Bangladesh Premier League with 4 league games remaining. He ended the league season with a first-half brace against his former club and title rival, Abahani Limited Dhaka. He scored an own goal 28 minutes into the match and then made amends with a headed goal into the Abahani net 10 minutes later.
Interest from abroad
After the 2021 SAFF Championship Topu has had offers from NorthEast United FC who currently play in the Indian Super League, the topflight of Indian football and he also has attracted interest from an unknown club from the Qatari Second Division also known as the Qatar Stars League
International career
On 24 October 2014, at the age of 19 years, 11 months, and 5 days, Topu made his debut for Bangladesh national team in a friendly match against Sri Lanka. He entered the field as a substitute for defender Yeasin Khan in the 63rd minute of the match which ended as 1-1.
On 28 December 2015, he scored his first goal in international football against Bhutan. Topu was named in the squad for the SAFF Championship: 2018 and had an impressive tournament even though hosts Bangladesh were not able to reach the knockout stages once more. He scored against both Bhutan and Pakistan during the group-stages. Topu also scored a crucial goal against Afghanistan during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification round helping Bangladesh reach the final stage of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification round
On 1 October 2021, Topu kicked off the 2021 SAFF Championship with a calmly converted penalty against Sri Lanka earning the team a 1-0 victory and a winning start to the tournament. He also played the full 90 minutes against Nepal in the final group match of the competition for both sides where Bangladesh needed a win to reach the finals, the match concluded as 1-1, after a controversial late penalty call from the referee which ended Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the finals once again.
On 13 November 2021, during the second matchday of the 2021 Four Nations Football Tournament, Topu scored an 86th-minute penalty to give Bangladesh a memorable win against Maldives for the first time in 18 years. However,during the last group match against Sri Lanka with Bangladesh only needing a draw, Topu missed a first half penalty and after conceding late into the game Bangladesh suffered a 2-1 defeat, denying the country a place in an international tournament final again.
Career statistics
International apps
International goals
Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.
Personal life
Topu is dating Swarnali Krishna, a medical student, since 2015.
From religious views, Topu is a follower of Hindu religion.
Honours
Mohammedan SC
Super Cup: 2013
Abahani Limited Dhaka
Bangladesh Premier League: 2016
Federation Cup: 2016, 2018
Bashundhara Kings
Bangladesh Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
Federation Cup: 2020–21
Independence Cup: 2022–23
References
External links
1994 births
Living people
Footballers from Dhaka
Bangladeshi men's footballers
Bangladesh men's international footballers
Bangladesh men's youth international footballers
Sheikh Russel KC players
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players
Abahani Limited Dhaka players
Bashundhara Kings players
Saif Sporting Club players
Bangladesh Premier League footballers
Men's association football defenders
Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games
Footballers at the 2018 Asian Games
Asian Games competitors for Bangladesh
South Asian Games bronze medalists for Bangladesh
South Asian Games medalists in football
People from Narayanganj District
Bangladeshi Hindus
Sportspeople from Dhaka Division