The Maldivian skipper Aymeeth Liza first saw Sabina Khatun in the SAFF Championship held in Pakistan in 2014.

It was then she found latent talent hidden in Sabina, the goal-machine of the country’s women’s football.

As time elapsed, friendship developed between the two foreign female footballers. Their friendship was further deepened when Sabina went to Maldives to play for the police team in the Maldivian domestic football competition.

Currently Sabina is captaining for Bangladesh team while Liza is leading Maldives team in the ongoing sixth edition of SAFF Women’s Championship. The two friends have become opponents each other in the field and they are going to face each other today Wednesday.

Talking to BSS today (Tuesday), Liza said: “We were teammates at one time… We used to play together in the police team of Maldives. She (Sabina) was my teammate. Actually Sabina is a great forward. Her speedy movement can beat opponent’s goalkeeper at any time.”

Sabina Khatun is a well-known name in Maldives domestic football. She represented in the island nation’s league four times. She played Police team in 2015, Army twice in 2016 and played for the same team in 2021. She scored 23 goals from 41 matches in her international career. Maldives lost to one man Sabina three times in SAFF and FIFA friendly matches.

So, Liza thinks that Sabina is a very formidable player on the field.

The Maldivian Captain said: “I know her (Sabina) personally. Once we were teammates in the police team. She is a very dangerous forward. I have a personal friendship with Sabina. She is a good player. Her performance on the field can be an example for other players,” Liza concluded.