Shahajuddin Tipu

Shahajuddin Tipu (শাহাজউদ্দিন টিপু; born 13 August 1978) is a retired Bangladeshi professional footballer who represented the in the Bangladesh national team from 1997 to 2005.

Club career
Tipu began his career with Eskaton Sabuj Sangha Club in the Dhaka First Division League in 1994. He was made the club captain the following year, as Eskaton were relegated to the Second Division, nonetheless, Tipu attracted the attention of Premier Division club Brothers Union, joining them in 1996.

Tipu represented Abahani Limited Dhaka during the 1996–97 Bangabandhu Cup and managed to score the first goal of the tournament against Malaysia Red. He was also part of the Abahani squad which lifted the 2000 National League title. He also won the 2001–02 edition of the tournament with Mohammedan SC. However, his stints at major clubs such as Abahani and Mohammedan were cut-short due to club bindings.

In 2005, Tipu returned to Abahani and cemented his status as a super-sub during his final stint at the club. During a 2009 AFC President's Cup group-stage game against Sri Lanka Army, Tipu came on as a 72nd-minute substitute and scored the winner within a minute with his first touch. He also managed to win consecutive B.League titles before transferring to Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in 2009.

International career
Tipu began his international career in 1996, representing Bangladesh U16 at the 1996 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers held in Nagoya, Japan. Under coach Otto Pfister, the team defeated Malaysia U16 3–0 before losing 2–0 to hosts Japan U16, which eventually denied them qualification to the main round.

In the same year, Otto Pfister included Tipu in the Bangladesh U19 team which defeated Maldives 8–0 in aggregate to qualify for the 1996 AFC Youth Championship. During the second-leg of the qualifiers, Tipu scored a hat-trick as Bangladesh thrashed Maldives U19 5–0. Nonetheless, he was less impressive in the main tournament held in Seoul, South Korea, as Bangladesh finished bottom of their group.

The following year, Otto Pfister handed Tipu his Bangladesh national team debut at the 1997 SAFF Gold Cup. Tipu most memorable international match came during the 1999 South Asian Games semi-final against India. Tipu who came on as a second-half substitute scored the games only goal from a long-range shot ensuring Bangladesh's place in the final. In the final Bangladesh won gold by defeated hosts Nepal 1–0.

After a four-year absence from the national team, Tipu was recalled by Andrés Cruciani for the 2005 SAFF Gold Cup. During the tournament, he made his final international appearance in a 1–1 draw with India in group-stages.

Personal life
In 2016, it was reported that Tipu was in search of financial help to treat his wife who had been suffering from Anemia related illness.

In 2020, Tipu auctioned the jersey he wore during the 1999 South Asian Games semi-final against India to raise money for people suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Honours
Abahani Limited Dhaka
 * Bangladesh Premier League: 2007, 2008–09
 * National League: 2000
 * Federation Cup: 1997
 * Independence Day Tournament (Rajshahi): 2005
 * Victory Day Club Cup: 2008

Mohammedan SC
 * National League: 2001–02

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
 * National League: 2003
 * Federation Cup: 2003

Bangladesh
 * South Asian Games Gold medal: 1999