Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu

Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu (জুলফিকার মাহমুদ মিন্টু; born 9 December 1977) is a Bangladeshi professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Sheikh Russel KC.

Club career
Mintu began his career playing in the Pioneer Football League and Dhaka Third Division League with Badda Jagarani Sangsad. He initially joined the club through the recommendation of former Fifa referee, Monirul Islam. In 1990, he was signed by Dhaka League outfit Shadharon Bima CSC and made his top-tier debut with them.

In 1994, he joined Abahani Limited Dhaka. Mintu played a pivotal role for Abahani during the club's triumphant 1994 Charms Cup campaign in India, scoring in a 2–0 victory over Kolkata Mohammedan in the final.

International career
Mintu's international career began with taking part in the 1992 AFC U-16 Championship in Saudi Arabia. He later played for the senior national team between 1998 and 2001. He was a member of the 1999 South Asian Games gold medal-winning squad. He scored against both India and Maldives during the 2000 Invitational Football Tournament in Maldives.

Coaching career
In 2012, Mintu obtained both AFC C Diploma and AFC B Diploma on the recommendation of Iranian coach Ardeshir Pournemat Vodehi. In the same year, Mintu worked as an assistant coach at Abahani under Ardeshir. He was the head coach of Saif Sporting Club in 2021.

In March 2022, Mintu was appointed as the head coach of Sheikh Russel KC following the departure of Saiful Bari Titu. He guided the previously relegation-threatened team to a top-half league finish.

In June 2023, Mintu was appointed head coach of the Bangladesh U23 national team for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers. In August 2023, Mintu obtained the AFC Pro-Diploma.

Personal life
Mintu was a student of Dhaka University. Unlike many others who decided to marginalise education, Mintu diligently finished his master's degree, while playing domestic football in the Dhaka League. After retiring due to a serious injury in 2006, he went for further education taking the FIFA licence for coaching.

Managerial statistics
P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goal scored GA – Goals against %W – Percentage of matches won

Honours
Abahani Limited Dhaka
 * Dhaka Premier Division League: 1994, 1995
 * DMFA Cup: 1994
 * Charms Cup: 1994
 * Federation Cup: 1999

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
 * Dhaka Premier Division League: 2000
 * Federation Cup: 2001

Bangladesh
 * South Asian Games Gold medal: 1999

Individual
 * Dhaka University Blue: 1999