Anisur Rahman

Growing up in the mid-1980s, football in Bangladesh was never merely a sport. It was emotion, identity, and everyday life stitched into dusty neighbourhood fields and crowded tea stalls.

Being an avid Brazil fan, Bangladesh national team goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico has been enjoying every match of the Selecao, along with the other key FIFA World Cup fixtures. Zico recently spoke to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about Brazil's progress at the World Cup, the evolving role of goalkeepers, and his own professional future. Below are excerpts:

Players from both sides were allowed to watch selected World Cup matches on mobile phones, with the global tournament serving as inspiration.

Everything became a reason to celebrate — a stray dog crossing the screen, broadcast buffering, even coach Lionel Scaloni shouting instructions.

“Brazil and Argentina fans in Bangladesh and around the world often treat a draw like a defeat. They simply can’t accept it,” said Masud Parvez Kaiser, former Bangladesh national football team coach and an avid Brazil supporter.

Former national forward-turned-coach Alfaz Ahmed believes Brazil’s opening match serves as the spark for that nationwide excitement, even though this Selecao side is less familiar to supporters than the squads of recent editions.

A visit to the 16th-century Basilica of Bom Jesus was among the highlights of the trip.

Bangladesh may have missed out on a third successive SAFF Women's Championship title after a 3-1 defeat to India in the final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao on Friday night, but coach Peter Butler insisted the scoreline failed to reflect the true nature of the contest.