Asmir Begović

Asmir Begović
Personal information
Full name	Asmir Begović
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Portsmouth
	‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 September 2006

Asmir Begović (born June 20, 1987 in Trebinje, Bosnia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Canadian footballer of Bosniak descent currently playing for Portsmouth reserves. He plays in the goalkeeper position.

Football career

Begović signed a youth contract with Portsmouth in 2003 and spent time on loan at La Louviere in Belgium in 2005. Asmir has all the attributes, and has been touted by Portsmouth goalkeeping coach David Coles as being capable of becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

He signed on loan for Macclesfield Town in the 2006-2007 season, making his Football League debut in the 1-1 draw at Stockport County on Saturday, 25 November as an 80th-minute substitute, after injury to first choice goalkeeper Jonny Brain. His loan spell was cut short, however, as he sustained a knee injury after making just three appearances.

Begović went on to make appearances for Canada in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he was regarded as one of the key players on the team. Begović made several crucial saves for his team in a 3-0 loss to Chile. This led many people in Canada to gain great respect for him.

Late in the third round robin match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Begović came out of his crease to play a long ball from a Congo defender. The ball took a high bounce off of the wet pitch, forcing him to use his hands to prevent it from going over his head. He was shown a straight red card, and midfielder Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault was forced to play in net, as Canada had used up its three substitutes.

He now plays for AFC Bournemouth in League One of the English Football League.

Outside Of Football

Asmir Begović has recently appeared in a Adidas "Impossible is Nothing" commercial. In the commercial, like the others in the series, Begović draws himself, the drawing moving through a series of motions. Begović states "When I was young, it wasn't safe to play soccer outside because of the war. I had to learn to play inside, bouncing around on my bed. This taught me goalkeeping in a very unorthodox way. Impossible is only what you let it be..."

External links

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