Eleta Kingsley can still remember the moment he wore jersey of Bangladesh national football team. That memory can not be forgotten. And even now, the veteran striker says it’s more than enough for him to feel fulfilled.
“I’m a very happy man that I’m a Bangladeshi,” Eleta said in a conversation this week. “There is no regret. The day I took that decision to become a Bangladesh man, I felt fulfilled.”
Whether he earns another cap or not, Eleta says his name is written in the country’s football history.
“Even if I had played just one minute for the national team, my name is there,” he said. “Nobody can remove it from that jersey. Never again in this life.”
No pressure on the coaches
At this stage of his career, Eleta says he understands how team selections work. And he isn’t pushing for any special treatment.
“Why will I communicate with the national team coaches?” he said. “I don’t have any reason to do that. They do their selection. They choose based on your current performance. This is football.”
He added, “You as a coach won’t just take a player because he is a striker. You take a player because he is okay to play. If I am not okay, there is no reason to pick me.”
A message to young players
Kingsley Eleta also spoke about a recent conversation he had with fellow player Hamza at a hotel.
“I met with Hamza and asked him, ‘Do you know me?’ He said no. I said, ‘Sure, you don’t know me.’ Then I asked, ‘Have you heard of Eleta?’ And he said yes, Jamar told him,” Eleta recalled.
His advice to Hamza was simple.
“I told him, ‘Just do your best. Everybody wants to see the best of you,’” Kingsley Eleta said. “He is a very good player. He just needs to do everything possible for the team.”
Inspired to keep going
Kingsley says he still feels he has something left to give. And one player’s example keeps pushing him.
“Look at Cristiano Ronaldo,” Kingsley Eleta said. “A lot of people probably thought he’d be done by now, but he’s still going. Still playing at a high level. So sometimes I think, well, why can’t I? Why can’t I keep pushing a bit more before I stop?”
Right now, he says the plan is simple: stay ready.
“I’m going to fight,” Kingsley Eleta said. “And if things go well, if God helps, I just hope I won’t let anyone down.”
Message to fans
Eleta also had a few words for Bangladesh football supporters.
“I promise I’m going to work hard,” he said. “If I get another chance, okay. If I don’t, that’s life. But from now on, I’m going to work out.”
Whether or not another call-up comes, Kingsley Eleta says he will always look back at his national team experience with pride.
