A chance Instagram message has helped set Bangladesh football on an unlikely path toward international relevance, with twin brothers Ronan and Declan Sullivan emerging as the unexpected faces of a footballing awakening in the South Asian nation of nearly 180 million people.
The twins, students at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, capped a remarkable journey on April 3 when Bangladesh's Under-20 side beat India on penalties to win the Under-20 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in Malé, Maldives, following a scoreless final watched online by millions. Ronan sealed the title with a panenka penalty, a move his twin brother says came as no surprise.
"He didn't even need to say it. I knew he was gonna do that the whole time," Declan said. "I knew that if he got the last pen to win it, he was gonna do that. That's just the him thing to do."
Ronan himself admitted the outcome felt almost unbelievable. "I wouldn't have believed you if you told me it [would have] went like that," he said.
The brothers, who grew up in Philadelphia with strong Irish family names, had never set foot in Bangladesh before trying out for the national Under-20 squad. Their connection to the country comes through their maternal ancestry, and their path to representing Bangladesh began nearly two years ago through direct messages with the "Save Bangladesh Football" fan page on Instagram, which turned out to be linked to the national federation. That contact eventually connected them with federation vice-president Fahad Karim.
Securing Bangladeshi passports proved complicated since their mother did not hold one, but after months of paperwork the twins made the long journey from New York through Delhi to Dhaka in March. They joined a training camp of more than 30 players, including other players of Bangladeshi origin, and had to earn their place despite language barriers and no guarantees of selection.
"When you're foreign, it's harder to get the ball at first because you don't speak the language and maybe the guys weren't super thrilled that we're there. But once you get the ball a couple times and show what you can do, it helps out," Ronan explained.
After their triumph, the twins returned to a jubilant reception in Dhaka, complete with flowers and public adoration. "We met a bunch of people, and everyone was so happy and so grateful that we brought the trophy back to the country," Declan said, contrasting the reception with the relative anonymity of youth soccer in the United States.
The Sullivans' success has coincided with the appointment of former USMNT captain Thomas Dooley as head coach of Bangladesh's senior national team, a role he took up seven weeks after the Under-20 triumph. Dooley, who built his coaching career largely in Southeast Asia, described Bangladesh as a country passionate about football but lacking a playing culture to match. "We are a country of being fans. We need to change that. We need to be a country of playing football," he said.
Dooley has been fielding a flood of interest from diaspora players hoping to represent Bangladesh, though he stressed the federation must be selective given financial constraints. He pointed to Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury as a key influence on younger squad members, alongside emerging talents such as Fulham academy winger Farhaan Wahid and English fourth-tier midfielder Louie Watson.
The broader ambition, however, is unmistakable. With potential future World Cup expansion looming, Dooley and the Sullivan twins alike see a pathway—however distant—to the sport's biggest stage. "I think the country would explode if we qualify for a World Cup," Ronan said, while Dooley acknowledged the emotional scenes that greeted the senior team's departure for a friendly in June: "I thought we are going to the World Cup."
For now, Bangladesh's next major test comes at the senior SAFF Championship on home soil in November, a tournament the country has won only once, back in 2003.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.