Does every story begin with a bang? Not quite. Some stories begin in silence. Shy smiles in the corner of an eye, quiet training sessions at the edge of the pitch, and a burning fire within. Just like Rituparna Chakma’s story.
Today, her left foot speaks. It does not roar, but it declares something undeniable: she cannot be stopped. The two goals she scored against Myanmar were not just goals. They were fresh pages in the history of Bangladesh football, written in ink filled with courage, artistry and promise.
Her first goal took a deflection off a Myanmar defender, but when the ball came back to her, Ritu did not pass it to anyone. With a calm head and pinpoint placement, she slotted it into the net. The goalkeeper did not even come close. And that second goal? It felt as though a screenwriter had penned it in advance. A cut in from the left was followed by a shot so precise that the ball soared over the keeper’s head and nestled in the net. In that moment, not just the Bangladesh dugout, but the whole of football seemed to stand still.
For the first time ever, the Bangladesh women’s team has qualified for the final round of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The idea that an entire nation’s footballing hopes have been carried forward by the touch of one young woman’s foot may sound simple. But the achievement is anything but.
Who could forget those moments from the 2024 SAFF Championship either? When she scored in the final against Nepal to secure back-to-back titles, many said, “After Sabina, it’s Rituparna’s time to shine.” But the spotlight had already found her much earlier. Perhaps we just took time to realise it.
Yet, the most powerful story we often do not tell is the one that rages inside her. The inner battle. To survive the chaos, to honour the coach’s trust, to maintain rhythm even when the team breaks apart. These are the things that set Rituparna apart. Why does coach Peter Butler place so much faith in her? The answer may not lie in tactics, but in the heart. He knows that when a game teeters on the edge, you need someone who holds an explosion inside but shows only calm on the outside.
From her stint in the Bhutan league to the tour of Jordan, and now the Myanmar mission, Rituparna has been a guiding star. She does not just score goals, she writes stories. Her shadow now stretches across every chapter of Bangladesh women’s football.
Bangladesh’s upcoming appearance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is not just another tournament. It is the horizon of a nation’s dreams. And those dreams began with the footsteps of a girl from the hills.
Today, Rituparna is not just a footballer to us. She is a silent explosion, someone who lets her actions speak. Success may have no sound, but her feet ring with the music of triumph.
This Bangladesh women’s team will not stop. They will go forward. But wherever they go, history will remember that at the start of the journey was a quiet, unassuming, fiercely gifted young woman whose name is Rituparna Chakma.