Asmir Begović (born June 20, 1987) is a Bosnian footballer who plays for Portsmouth as a goalkeeper. He also holds dual Canadian citizenship.

[edit] Club career

Begović signed a youth contract with Portsmouth in 2003 and spent time on loan at La Louviere in Belgium in 2005.

He signed on loan for Macclesfield Town in the 2006–07 season, making his Football League debut in the 1–1 draw at Stockport County on November 25 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.^[1]

In August 2007, Begović was loaned to Bournemouth in League One in a deal lasting until January 2008.^[2] He was recalled back from Bournemouth on October 11, 2007.

On December 8, 2007, Begović was named in Portsmouth's 16-man matchday squad for the first time in a Premier League game in a match against Aston Villa as a substitute.

In March 2008, he signed for Yeovil Town on loan for a month with Portsmouth having the right to recall him back when they so desired. On March 29, Begović made his debut for Yeovil, keeping a clean sheet against Bristol Rovers.^[3] He was subsequently recalled after making two appearances. In August 2008, he rejoined Yeovil on loan, this time for three months.^[4] He made 14 league appearances, keeping three clean sheets in a struggling Yeovil side.

Begović made his Portsmouth debut against Sunderland in their 3–1 win on May 18, 2009.^[5] He joined Championship team Ipswich Town on loan until January 16, 2010 in October.^[6] On November 23 Begovic was recalled to Portsmouth due to David James being injured, ending his Ipswich Town loan after having played six matches.^[7]

[edit] International career

[edit] Youth level

Begović appeared for Canada in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made several crucial saves for his team in a 3-0 loss to Chile. Late in the third round robin match of the tournament, Begović came out of his area to play a long ball from a Congo defender. The ball took a high bounce off 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 goal, as Canada had used up its three substitutes.^[8]

[edit] Senior

On August 14, 2007, 20-year-old Begović received his first call-up to the senior Canadian squad for the friendly match with Iceland, but didn't see any action on the pitch.^[9]

In November 2008, he accepted another call for Canada's 2010 World Cup qualifier versus Jamaica, but again didn't get any playing time as Lars Hirschfeld was the preferred option in goal. Begović missed the 2009 Gold Cup for Canada due to Portsmouth wanting him to spend the whole pre-season with the team. In late June 2009, he spoke with Bosnian head coach Miroslav Blažević about the possibility of making his debut for the Bosnian national football team. Quotes in the Bosnian media seemed to indicate Begović's intent to play for the country of his birth,^[10] however on July 12, 2009 on Full-Time: Vancouver's Soccer Show on the TEAM 1040 radio in Canada he indicated his desire to continue with the Canadian national team.^[11] He suggested that comments he had made to Bosnia's head coach had been misinterpreted due to poor translation. In the same interview, Begović also said, “I’ve played for Canada for a long time. There’s no decision, I don’t want to switch… but there is a state of uncertainty with Canada soccer (next coach, etc). Get things in place and I’m happy to stay with Canada, that’s where I see my future… I’ve been approached by Bosnia. There were talks… but I have no intention on playing for Bosnia.”

However, less than two months later, Begović changed his mind and on August 21, 2009 accepted a call up for two Bosnian 2010 World Cup qualifiers: away at Armenia on September 5, 2009, and four days later versus Turkey at home in Zenica. During the pre-match preparations, Begović gave an interview to the Bosnian web portal, stating among other things: "I was born in Trebinje, B&H is my homeland and I wouldn't be disappointed even if I don't get a chance to play right away".^[12] He did not play in either match. However, his debut for the national team finally came in the next qualifier against Estonia. He came on to replace Kenan Hasagić in the 92nd minute of the match, in which Bosnia won the match with a final score of 2–0.^[13]

[edit] Personal life

His father, Amer Begović, was a goalkeeper for FK Leotar from Trebinje and NK Iskra from Bugojno. His mother's name is Ajnija. Asmir was born in Trebinje, Yugoslavia later to become part of what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Begović family fled war-torn Bosnia for Germany when Asmir was 4 years old, where he began to play organized football. When he was 10, his family moved to Edmonton, Canada.^[14] In 2004 they moved back to Germany to follow Asmir's youth football development.^{[citation needed]}

Begović is married to an English woman and together they have a daughter, (born in August 2009) [1].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Asmir Begović FIFA competition record
• Asmir Begović career stats at Soccerbase
• Profile Canadian Soccer Association