Nabib Newaj Jibon

Nabib Newaj Jibon (Bengali: নাবিব নেওয়াজ জীবন; born 17 August 1990) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bangladesh Premier League club Abahani Limited Dhaka and the Bangladesh national team.

Nabib Newaj Jibon

Jibon with Abahani Limited Dhaka in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Nabib Newaj Jibon
Date of birth	(1990-08-17) 17 August 1990 (age 33)
Place of birth	Bogura, Bangladesh
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)^[1]
Position(s)	Striker, Attacking Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Abahani Limited Dhaka
Number	10
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2013	Uttar Baridhara	33	(16)
2013–2015	Team BJMC	27	(5)
2015	→ Mohammedan SC (loan)	0	(0)
2016–	Abahani Limited Dhaka	95	(37)
International career^‡
2016–2019	Bangladesh U23 (OA)	8	(3)
2015–	Bangladesh	32	(5)
Medal record Representing  Bangladesh South Asian Games 2016 2019
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 July 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022

Club career

Early career

Jibon's career started in 2006, when he played the JFA Cup U-16 tournament, his impressive performance during the competition earned him a place in the three month long Bangladesh U-17 national camp. However, he could not make it to the final squad. In 2007, he made his Pioneer League debut with Noakhali Football Academy and finished the season as top scorer with 11 goals. The following year he played in the second division with Ashulia based, Gazir Char Club, but his time their did not go well as the club didn’t have enough players to compete for promotion. Jibon then roamed all over the country to display his skills at different district leagues, including Khulna, and also in Chittagong, with Chittagong Mohammedan SC in 2009.^[2]

In 2010, Jibon made his First Division debut with Uttar Baridhara Club. In 2012 the Bangladesh Championship League was introduced, as the country's professional second tier league, and after finishing runners up in the league in 2013, Uttar Baridhara was promoted to the Bangladesh Premier League. Jibon was an integral part of the team, scoring 12 goals in just 13 matches.^[3] He attracted the interest of many topflight clubs after that season and ended up joining Team BJMC. On 25 June 2014, he scored his first Premier League goal coming in a 2–2 with Mohammedan SC.^[4] During his second year he managed to get 4 goals and 10 assists out of 18 matches. He also spent time on loan at Mohammedan SC in 2015, for the 2015 Sheikh Kamal International Cup, the same year he made his Bangladesh national team debut.^[5]

Abahani Limited Dhaka

On 1 January 2017, Jibon got his big move to Dhaka giants Abahani Limited Dhaka, under coach György Kottán. He won the league title during his second year at the club. His first two seasons at the club, Jibon managed to get limited game time, with foreign strikers occupying the forward line. However, after the appointment of Mário Lemos, during the 2018–19 season, Jibon was converted into a false nine, behind striking duo- Sunday Chizoba and Kervens Belfort. He thrived while playing in the new position, scoring 16 goals and attaining 6 assists during the league season.^[6] His best performance that season came against Rahmatganj MFS, when he managed to score a hattrick.^[7] The 2019 AFC Cup saw Abahani become the first Bangladeshi club to reach the knockouts of the competition. Jibon scored twice during the group stages, and his goals against Minerva Punjab also earned him AFC recognition.^[8] During the knockout match against North Korean side April 25 SC, Jibon also found the net as Abahani won the game 4–3.^[9]

International career

On 13 October 2015, Jibon made his senior debut against Kyrgyzstan during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. On 8 January 2018, he scored his first international goal against Sri Lanka during the 2016 Bangabandhu Cup.

Personal life

Jibon was born in Shibganj Upazila of Bogra District. His grandfather, Aftab Hossain Mondal, was a footballer who played for both Mohun Bagan and Kalighat Milan Sangha FC in the Calcutta Football League during the British regime. His uncle Shahinur Kabir Shimul represented the Bangladesh national football team during the 1986 Asian Games.^[10] In 2021, Jibon was stranded in India after undergoing surgery on his right knee during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was able to return to Bangladesh with the help of India national football team player Pritam Kotal and his wife, Sonel Paul.^[11][12]

Career statistics

Club

As of 27 October 2023^[13]

Club	Season	League			Cup^[a]		Other^[b]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Uttar Baridhara Club	2012	Bangladesh Championship League	11	4	—		—		—		11	4
	2013	Bangladesh Championship League	12	13	—		—		—		12	13
Team BJMC	2013–14	Bangladesh Premier League	9	1	0	0	0	0	—		9	1
	2014–15	Bangladesh Premier League	18	4	2	0	—		—		20	4
	Team BJMC total		27	5	2	9	0	0	0	0	27	5
Abahani Limited Dhaka	2016	Bangladesh Premier League	13	5	5	0	0	0	5^[c]	0	23	5
	2017–18	Bangladesh Premier League	21	4	5	2	3	1	6^[c]	0	35	7
	2018–19	Bangladesh Premier League	24	16	4	0	0	0	8^[c]	3	36	19
	2019–20	Bangladesh Premier League	6	2	3	2	—		2^[c]	0	11	4
	2020–21	Bangladesh Premier League	1	0	4	0	—		—		5	0
	2021–22	Bangladesh Premier League	17	5	4	2	5	2	1^[c]	0	27	9
	2022–23	Bangladesh Premier League	13	5	3	0	3	0	—		19	5
	2023–24	Bangladesh Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
	Abahani Limited Dhaka total		95	37	28	6	12	4	22	3	157	50
Career total			145	59	30	6	12	4	22	3	209	72

Notes

1. Appearance(s) in Bangladesh Federation Cup
2. Appearance(s) in Bangladesh Independence Cup
3. Appearance(s) in AFC Cup

International

As of 9 March 2022^[1]

Bangladesh National Team
Year	Apps	Goals
2015	5	0
2016	8	2
2017	0	0
2018	5	0
2019	9	2
2020	3	1
2022	2	0
Total	32	5

International goals

Olympic Team

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 February 2016	SAI Centre, Paltan Bazaar	Bhutan U23	1–1	1–1	2016 South Asian Games
2.	11 February 2016	SAI Centre, Paltan Bazaar	Nepal U23	2–1	2–1	2016 South Asian Games
3.	15 February 2016	Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Sarusajai	Maldives U23	1–0	2(5)-(4)2	2016 South Asian Games

National Team

Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 January 2016	Shamsul Huda Stadium, Jessore	Sri Lanka	3–1	4–2	2016 Bangabandhu Cup
2.	18 March 2016	Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	1–1	1–6	Friendly
3.	29 September 2019	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka	Bhutan	1–0	4–1
4.				2–0
5.	13 November 2020		Nepal	1–0	2–0

Honours

Abahani Limited Dhaka

• Bangladesh Premier League: 2016, 2017–18
• Federation Cup: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
• Independence Cup: 2021

Bangladesh U23

• South Asian Games bronze medal: 2016, 2019

References

1. "Nabib Newaj Jibon". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
2. Hoque, Shishir (27 September 2019). "A fascinating story of a footballer who went from rags to riches". Dhaka Tribune.
3. "ফুটবল খেলেই ভালো আছি, কোনো আফসোস নেই: জীবন". Jugantor.
4. Hoque, Shishir (26 June 2014). "Wahed rescues a point for Mohammedan". Dhaka Tribune.
5. "'চুরি করে ফুটবল খেলতাম'". Prothomalo (in Bengali).
6. "বিদেশিদের ভিড়ে উজ্জ্বল জীবন". Samakal (in Bengali).
7. "Jibon hat-trick inspires five-star Abahani". Dhaka Tribune. February 3, 2019.
8. "Jibon's flick gets AFC recognition". New Age.
9. "Dhaka Abahani beat N Korea's April 25 SC in AFC Cup". Prothomalo.
10. "নাবিব নেওয়াজের অনুপ্রেরণা মোহনবাগানে খেলা তার দাদা". Jago News 24 (in Bengali). 15 November 2020.
11. "কলকাতার 'দিদি'র কাছে ঋণী বাংলাদেশের নাবিব". Prothomalo. April 27, 2021.
12. "ভারতের মেয়ের বাংলাদেশের জার্সিপ্রেম". Prothomalo (in Bengali). April 17, 2022.
13. "Bangladesh – N. Newaj Jibon – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". Retrieved 19 December 2015.