Enayetur Rahman Khan (; born 28 February 1951) is a former Bangladeshi footballer who played as a striker. He served as a member of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team, the team which played across India to raise funds during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, and after the war subsided he represented the Bangladesh national football team from 1973 to 1978.
He holds the record of scoring Bangladesh's first ever international goal, coming in a 2–2 draw against Thailand, during the country's inaugural competitive game, in 1973. During his playing days, Enayetur was best known for his long range shots and bad temper. He is considered to be one of the finest strikers to play the domestic football league in Bangladesh, and was seen as the country's best player alongside Kazi Salahuddin in the 1970s. Enayetur scored 90 goals in the Dhaka League during his decade long career.
Club career
Enayetur was born on February 28, 1951, in Kaliganj, Dhaka. He started his football career in 1967, playing for Fakirerpool YMC in the second division. He went onto have a short spell at East Pakistan Government Press, which was later renamed as Bangladesh Government Press after the country's independence. In 1970, Enayetur joined Victoria SC, where he scored 17 goals in his debut year. His career came to a standstill, as he had to return to Kaliganj when the 1971 Liberation War commenced. He was then selected for the Shadhin Bangla Football Team later that year. On 13 February 1972, Enayetur took part in the first football match in the newly independent Bangladesh, representing the Bangladesh XI against President XI. The Bangladesh XI was made of former members of the Shadhin Bangla Football Team, nonetheless, the experienced team ended up losing 2–0. He also played for the Dhaka XI in a 1–0 win over visiting Mohun Bagan.
After the war was over Enayetur joined BIDC, in 1972. During the 1973 league deciding match against Dhaka Wanderers Club, Enyateur struck a brace to make BIDC the first league champions in independent Bangladesh, after the previous season ended unfinished. Early on in the game BIDC had fallen 2 goals behind, Enayetur scored a knuckleball free kick past Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, who was the country's top goalkeeper at the time. He went on to score another goal, and would have had an hattrick if his third goal was not ruled out for offside. He later setup the winner scored by Wazed Gazi, as BIDC won the game 3–2. He spent the subsequent year with WAPDA before returning to BIDC who were then renamed as Bangladesh JMC (BJMC), and spent three more years at the club.
In 1978, Enayetur joined Mohammedan SC. He became the top scorer in the 1978 league with 13 goals, guiding his team to the league title. However, he did not complete his second season at the club as, Enayetur was banned for 5 years after physically attacking referee Dalil Khan during a Dhaka League game against his former club Victoria SC, in 1979. Nonetheless, the ban was later lifted by the Bangladesh Football Federation, within months. Enayetur hung up his boots while playing for Victoria SC, in 1981. Regarding his attack on the referee, Enayetur said "I have done nothing to regret. Something needed to be done on the field that day."
International career
During the start of the Bangladesh Liberation War, in 1971, Enayetur had returned to his hometown in Kaliganj as, the domestic league was postponed amidst the bloodshed. He and his teammates reached Agartala in India, while the war was ongoing. Mohammedan SC player Mohammed Kaikobad took him to Virendra Club in Agartala, where Enayetur played in the Agartala Football League. Bangladesh Sports Association officials from Kolkata came to Agartala to select the players, and Enayetur was nominated along with several others for the newly formed Shadhin Bangla Football Team. The team participated in the first match at Krishnanagar in Nadia, against the Nadia XI. The game ended in a 2–2 draw, and Enayetur was his team's second goalscorer.
Enayetur was a late call up to the Bangladesh national football team squad, when they participated in the 1973 Merdeka Cup in Malaysia. Two years after independence, this was the country's first ever international tournament. On 26 July 1973, Bangladesh took on Thailand, in their first official international match. During the game, Enayetur made history by scoring Bangladesh national team's first ever goal, as the game ended 2–2. Enayetur headed the ball in after meeting a chip from winger Sunil Krishna de Chowdhury. Regarding the goal, Enayetur stated "I feel proud to be the first goal scorer of the nation. Sunil (Sunil Krishna de Chowdhury) of Cox's Bazar contributed a lot to my goal."