Asmir Begović Interview
Andy Greeves
As England prepare to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in a warm-up match for UEFA Euro 2024, Bosnian international goalkeeper Asmir Begović reflects on his long career in English club football.
Back on 4 May, Asmir Begović took to X (@asmir1) to discuss an "incredible ride" with his 12th club, Queens Park Rangers as "my 19th professional season officially came to an end". While he has had loan spells with La Louvière, Qarabağ FK and AC Milan, all 19 of those seasons came under contract with teams in England.
Born in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina on 20 June 1987, Begović and his family fled his war-torn homeland for Germany in 1991 and then moved to Edmonton, Canada at the age of 10.
Six years later, a successful trial with Portsmouth saw him move across the Atlantic Ocean on his own to begin a career in England that has seen him represent Pompey, Macclesfield Town (loan), Yeovil Town (loan), Ipswich Town, Stoke City, Chelsea, Everton and Queens Park Rangers as well as spending two spells - one loan, one permanent - at AFC Bournemouth.
A former Canada Under-20 international, Begović made his senior international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2-0 win in Armenia on 5 September 2009 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Ahead of the Zmajevi's (The Dragons) match against England at St. James' Park, Newcastle on 3 June, Begović - who has won 63 caps for his country to date - spoke to Andy Greeves about his national team and his long and successful playing career in England.
Hi Asmir. You moved to England to join Portsmouth when you were just 16 years of age. How did that move come about?
I was scouted in Canada. My agent had some connections with clubs in the UK and people thought I had the potential and capacity to play in England. A trial was set up in with Portsmouth in July or August 2003. I came over and did pretty well in the first few days and signed a contract not long after that.
It was a big move for me. I'd done some travelling with the (Canada Under-20) national team but this was obviously moving to another country! I lived in digs, which was a great experience. I lived with an older lady called Janet Hannon for a number of years. She became like my second mum. I got really lucky from that perspective… it made the move easier.
Portsmouth is a massive club. The fans are hugely passionate about the club and football. Between Brighton on one side and Southampton on the other, Portsmouth are the only professional team on quite a large section of the South Coast, which intensifies that strong feeling for Portsmouth FC. People live and breathe Pompey in that part of the world.
Whilst under contract at Portsmouth, what was it like spending loan spells with Macclesfield Town - for whom you made your senior, professional debut against Stockport County on 25 November 2006 - Bournemouth (2007), Yeovil Town (2008) and Ipswich Town (2009)?
They were all different experiences and each served a purpose in terms of my development. There's definitely a value going out and learning your trade. I was fortunate to do that. Some of the loan spells were cut short. I never had the longevity with the loans I might have liked up until the last few loans, where I was able to get an extended run in the team, when I was able to get a feel for the game and really kick on. That was all part of the journey and helped me become the goalkeeper that I did.
How special was it to make your first appearance and Premier League debut for Portsmouth in a 3-1 win over Sunderland on 18 May 2009?
It was incredible and I was so lucky to have my family at the match. We won 3-1 in a match that was on national television and it was our last home match at the end of another season in the Premier League, so the night couldn't have gone any better.
You signed for Stoke City in 2010 and remained there for over five years. How do you look back on your time there?
It was amazing. I am always thankful to the people that gave me the opportunity at Stoke. I had the right managers, the right coaches to enable me to establish myself at the top level. We had a lot of success there and it's a time in my career I look back on fondly.
During your time at Stoke, you famously entered the Guinness World Records with the 'longest goal scored in football' - a 97.5-yard effort against Southampton in November 2013. What did it feel like scoring that goal?!
Haha! It was a special moment. It's probably more special now looking back at it. I didn't know what to do at the time! I don't think you ever prepare yourself for that as a goalkeeper! But yes, it was a unique moment that has got more precious as time has gone on!
You spent two seasons with Chelsea between 2015 and 2017. What was that experience like?
I feel I had the full Chelsea experience, even though I was only there for a couple of years. We went from having a difficult first season (in 2015/16) to an amazing second season (in 2016/17) when we won the Premier League and came close to doing the 'double' but unfortunately lost the FA Cup Final.
Having previously played on loan for AFC Bournemouth in 2007, what was it like returning to the club to sign for them permanently in 2017?
It was the same club but a completely different club. I'd previously been there in League One with them and on my return, they were in the Premier League. The transformation of the club and the journey they had been on was incredible.
Signing for Bournemouth enabled me to be part of a project under a top manager in Eddie Howe. I learned a lot from Eddie and the people around him, so that was a very positive experience. I played a lot of games at Bournemouth and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
Whilst under contract at Bournemouth, you were loaned to Qarabağ FK and AC Milan during the 2019/20 season. What was that campaign like for you?
Qarabag was amazing in that it allowed me to do something completely different, experience a different life, different culture, different football and different people. That was very cool. Milan was another new country, making new friends. We did some amazing things there and AC Milan was obviously a huge club to represent.
After making 113 appearances for AFC Bournemouth between 2017 and 2021, you signed for Everton. How do you look back on your time at Goodison Park?
Everton was another massive club to play for. We had our challenges while I was there but we got through it and I enjoyed myself.
Last season, you were with Queens Park Rangers in the Championship. What was that experience like?
I was able to have another positive experience with Queens Park Rangers, playing 46 matches and captaining the club at one stage. I've been so lucky with all the clubs I've played for - and I know there have been a few! - because they have been positive experiences in the main.
My contract at Queens Park Rangers is up at the moment, so we've got talks planned. We'll see what happens. I feel really good physically and mentally and I just want to keep playing on at the highest level possible…
In the midst of the club career we've discussed, you've won 63 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina to date. What was it like making your senior international debut against Armenia in September 2009?
It was a dream come true. Playing international football is the highest of the high. I represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at a time when we had once-in-a-generation players and we achieved our first qualification for a major tournament - playing at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. With the team we had, perhaps we could have achieved even more but I still look back on everything we did achieve with great pride.
What was it like being named Bosnian Footballer of the Year in 2012?
It was special to be named Bosnian Footballer of the Year but of course, it was about the collective… what we achieved together. But of course, receiving individual recognition like that was really cool.
15 October 2013 is a significant date in Bosnian football history - the day you beat Lithuania 1-0 to secure qualification for your first major tournament - the 2014 FIFA World Cup. That match in Kaunas must be one of the most important of your career?
Yes, it was a magical night. The pinnacle of what we did with the wonderful group of players we had. I look back on those special moments and those once-in-a-generation players and feel lucky to have been a part of it.
At the 2014 World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina lost 2-1 to Argentina and 1-0 to Nigeria and beat Iran 3-1. How do you look back on those Group F matches?
It was an unbelievable experience. And what a way for it to start, taking on Argentina and (Lionel) Messi at the new Maracanã in our first-ever match at a World Cup (on 15 June 2014). We gave it a really good go but we couldn't quite get a positive result. But it's an experience that will always stay with us.
It was fine margins against Argentina and also Nigeria (in Cuiabá on 21 June 2014). It was little details, maybe a bit of luck, that stopped us progressing (to the knockout phase). We lost 1-0 to Nigeria. We just couldn't find that goal we needed. We bowed out of the tournament with a 3-1 win over Iran (in Salvador on 25 June 2014), which was special to win a match at a World Cup for the first time. It's just incredible to think back to that experience 10 years ago, competing against the best teams and the best players in the world.
You mention the 'once-in-a-generation' players you played with for Bosnia and Herzegovina and individuals such as Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić, who were in the squad for the 2014 World Cup, certainly come into that category?
Absolutely. It was awesome being around individuals like that, playing in the same team as them. We had a really talented squad of players, who were playing at the highest level in the best leagues around the world. You always want to play in the same team as good players and we had that. We all came together with a common goal and we were able to do some really cool things. We'll always have that friendship and connection on the back of what we achieved with the national team.
You last played for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a UEFA Nations League match against Poland in September 2020. Have you retired from international football or is the possibility of you representing your country again still there?
The door is always open. The goal going forward is to keep playing football, to enjoy myself and if the decision makers call on me, then I would be there.
To ask a bit about this current Bosnia and Herzegovina team. Having missed out on qualification for UEFA Euro 2024, the obvious target going forward has to be qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Definitely. They appointed a new manager recently in Sergej Barbarez, who is a legend of the game in our country. He gains immediate respect for what he did as a player and he has been able to bring a positive atmosphere and a feel-good factor to the national team. He'll want to get his ideas across and he has a good team around him, so hopefully he will have the time to be successful.
Can you tell us a bit about Bosnia and Herzegovina's main goalkeepers at the moment?
Nikola Vasilj was the main goalkeeper for St. Pauli this season and they obviously won promotion to the Bundesliga (by virtue of winning the 2023/24 2. Bundesliga title). Kenan Pirić was playing out in Cyprus last season (for AEK Larnaca) and he has won some titles during his career. There isn't a wealth of goalkeepers out there at the moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina playing at the top level. Ibrahim Šehić retired earlier this year.
The focus for the federation will be developing young talent and to get as many players, not just goalkeepers, playing at as high a level as possible.
Who do you see as the spine of this current Bosnia and Herzegovina team?
Haris Tabaković was the top goalscorer in the 2. Bundesliga this season and (Ermedin) Demirović had a great season in the Bundesliga with Augsburg and was one of the top scorers in the division. Amar Dedić, who has been out with an injury, is a real up and coming player in the right-back spot. So, there are players that can really carry this Bosnia and Herzegovina team forward, achieve some great things and, I'm sure, do so with great pride.
England face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Newcastle on 3 June prior to travelling to Germany for UEFA Euro 2024. Do you see England as one of the favourites to win the tournament?
Playing in England and seeing first-hand the talent Gareth Southgate has in this England team, then surely, they have to be seen as one of the favourites to win the Euros. You've got the best player in the Premier League in Phil Foden. The division's second top scorer in Cole Palmer. Arguably the best number nine in the world in Harry Kane, one of the best attacking midfielders in the world in Jude Bellingham. The squad is frightening and I haven't even mentioned Bukayo Saka, the boys at the back, a world class goalkeeper in Jordan Pickford. This England squad has everything and surely the expectation has to be there to win it.
England in the past, you might have seen possible areas for improvement, but the one to 11, the squad as a whole now… it's as good as it gets.
Asmir Begović is the founder of AB1 (ab1gk.com) - a company and brand which design, develop and manufacture goalkeeping gloves and other goalkeeping products. He is also the founder of the Asmir Begović Foundation (asmirbegovicfoundation.com) and Asmir Begović Goalkeeper Academy (ab1academy.com)
© Andy Greeves & Soccerphile.com