FootballPakistan.Com (FPDC) staffers Ali Ahsan and M. Shahnawaz caught up with Danish-Pakistani striker Hassan Bashir from Danish 2nd Division side Hellerup IK (HIK) for a brief interview.
The 24-year old striker has opted to play for Pakistan in international football and talks about his career history in the tough Danish lower leagues. A proven goalscorer, Hassan has been instrumental in HIK’s charge to win promotion back to Danish 1st Division as they sit a few points away from the top. He is the kind of player Pakistan seriously lacks in converting chances to goals
Hopefully, he can sort out his eligibility in time to represent Pakistan from mid-2011 onwards.
1) Hello Hassan. Thank you for joining us at FPDC. For most of our followers who may not know of you yet, can you briefly tell about your football career so far from youth till senior level participation incl. clubs and leagues you participated in?
I was born and raised in Denmark and my whole career has been based in Denmark. I have playing football since i was little. In my youth i was not that serious but was always told that I had a great talent but I wasnt working hard enough. My first years in senior I played for top 4 club FC Norsjælland (Danish Superliga). I was playing for the reserves. I scored a lot of goals for them and then i was taken to the First Team but i got only one game in the best league.
They were a club competing in the UEFA Europe League and I was only ninteen and they didnt believe in me so i went a level down and joined Køge BK. I impressed them from the start and became the star in the club within two months. I was the top scorer and top assist maker the first half of the season. Several clubs were following me from the best league in Denmark but i ran into an injury unfortunately. I was almost out for a year with groin injury.
After that i moved from Køge to FC Fyn. I moved because i was started studying in nearby in a city called Odense far away from Copenhagen where I was living. I played there for a year. They are also in Danish 1st Division. Then I got my studies transfered to Copenhagen again and now im playing for HIK in Danish 2nd Division but i hope thats only temporary. The finance crisis made very difficult to find a club at higher level. Currently, I am the topscorer for HIK in 2010-11 season.
2) Who are your idols, inspirational moments, and dreams in football?
Im a big Juventus fan and Alessandro Del Piero is the King. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also my inspiration. When I was little my dream was to play for Juventus. But now im realistic and wanna make a living out of it. If the groin injury had not have occured at that time I would have definitely being playing in a bigger club; maybe not Juventus though. :)
3) How close are you with Yousuf and Yaqoob Butt in real life?
I went to school with both guys and i played against them several times. They are nice guys.
4) What made you decide to show interest in representing Pakistan in international football? What can you bring to the national team in terms of ability, experience, and ambition?
I have always want to play for Pakistan but because of the strict laws for citizenship in Denmark, I didnt go for it but now I have decided to represent my country and that would be a great honour. I have always being scoring goals, I’m fast and have a good technique. Inshallah my goal is to win some games for Pakistan.
5) We know that Denmark has some very strict nationality laws in that Danish government does not allow multiple citizenships. So in that effect, you will have to forfeit your Danish nationality to get a Pakistani passport and play for Pakistan. Many Pakistani footballers from Norway and Denmark have shown understandable reluctance in wanting to play for Pakistan because of such a rule. So how will that affect your legal status in Denmark (and rest of Europe) when you take up Pakistani citizenship to play for us?
Actually my lawyers are on that case and they will check every possible solutions for me now and in the future, so I am not giving it that big a thought for now. I just want to play football.
6) Will you encourage your fellow Danish-Pakistani talent to switch allegiance as well?
Actually in Denmark not many Pakistanis play football so I think it is limited how many I can encourage. But in the end its up to people themselves what they want to do.
7) How has your family treated your football career? Its a common stereotype for Pakistani parents to frown upon their kids taking up sports as more than just a hobby.
My family have always supported me. They always told me to go for it and for that I am very thankful. I am from a big family, seven brothers and one sister so they have always taken care of me and supported me.
Thank you for you time Hassan. Hope your transitioning to Pakistani football eligibility takes place smoothly and we see you in action soon!
[Please visit Hassan Bashir’s facebook fan page for more info about his football career]