Monika Chakma (; ; born 15 September 2003) is a women's professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. She is a member of the

Bangladesh women's national football team The Bangladesh women's national football team is the women's national association football team of Bangladesh controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation under the supervision of the women's football committee. It is a member of the Asian ...

. Chakma gained recognition in 2019 when she scored a goal against

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

during the

Bangamata U-19 Women's International Gold Cup The Bangamata U-19 Women's International Gold Cup is an international football tournament organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) as a tribute to Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father o ...

. She is also known by the nickname "Magical Chakma".

Early life and education

Monika Chakma was born on September 15, 2003, in Sumontpara, Lakshmichhari, located in the

Khagrachari district Khagrachhari District (), officially Khagrachhari Hill District, is a district in the Chittagong Division of Southeastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Etymology The zila headquarters is located on the bank of ...

of the

Chattogram Division Chittagong Division (), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population according to th ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. She is the youngest of five daughters of Bindu Kumar Chakma and Robi Mala Chakma. Her elder sister is Anika Chakma. She is currently a undergraduate student of

American International University-Bangladesh American International University-Bangladesh commonly known by its acronym AIUB, is a private research university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This university was established in 1994. It offers several degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate ...

Domestic career

Monika Chakma first competed in the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Football Tournament in 2010, held at Marachengi Government Primary School in Lakshmichhari. In 2012, she relocated to

Chattogram Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

, where

Rangamati Rangamati () is a town and the administrative headquarters of Rangamati District in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The town is located at 22°37'60N 92°12'0E and has an elevation of above sea level. Demographics According to th ...

Maghachari facilitated her admission to Rangamati Maghachari Government Primary School. Representing her school in the 2013 Bangamata Football Tournament, she achieved runner-up status at the national level.

International career

Chakma was first selected for the Bangladesh Under-14 team, where she contributed three goals and helped secure the Fair Play trophy for a third-place finish in the 2012 AFC Tournament in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. She later represented Bangladesh in the Asian Under-14 Championship in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and competed in the

, where she scored a goal against

in the semi-finals. This goal led to Bangladesh being featured in

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

's "Fans' Favorite" page, and FIFA recognized her skill with the title "Magical Chakma." Monika completed her

Higher Secondary Certificate Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), Higher Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Education Certificate (HSEC) or Intermediate Examination is a secondary education qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It is equivalent to the f ...

(HSC) in Humanities from Monica Ghagra College, following her studies at Rangamati Ghagra High School. She joined the police force in January 2018 while continuing her education in computer in a polytechnic institute.

Career statistics

International

:''Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Monika Chakma goal.''

References