Shahajuddin Tipu (Bengali: শাহাজউদ্দিন টিপু; born 13 August 1978) is a retired Bangladeshi professional footballer who represented the in the Bangladesh national team from 1997 to 2005.
Tipu represented Abahani Limited Dhaka during the 1996–97 Bangabandhu Cup and managed to score the first goal of the tournament against Malaysia Red.[1] He was also part of the Abahani squad which lifted the 2000 National League title.[2] 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.[1]
In 2005, Tipu returned to Abahani and cemented his status as a super-sub during his final stint at the club.[3][4] 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.[5][6] He also managed to win consecutive B.League titles before transferring to Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in 2009.[1]
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.[1]
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.[7][8] 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.[9]
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.[10]
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.[11][12]