Atif Qureshi Bashir (born 3 April 1985) is an ex-professional football player, whose career came to an end due to extensive knee injuries over the past three years. His latest club football was with
Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys ...
and at international level for the
Pakistan national team.
Club career
Early career
Born to a
German-Turkish mother and
British-Pakistani
British Pakistanis ( ur, (Bratānia men maqīm pākstānī); also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in ...
father, Bashir is a
defender who is equally comfortable playing at right-back, in the centre of defence, Bashir spent seven years as a youth at professional clubs such as
Hertha Berlin
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charlo ...
and
Cardiff City.
Welsh football
After leaving Cardiff City, Bashir signed for
Afan Lido in 2004 and played 11 games scoring 1 goal for the club. After one season with Lido, he went to
Maesteg Park A.F.C. in 2005 and spent one season playing 32 games and scoring two goals. He then went to
Cardiff Grange Quins in 2007, making eight appearances in the Welsh Premier League, scoring one goal. He had a short spell at the Welsh Premier League team
Haverfordwest County A.F.C. and then moved to
Barry Town, where he impressed and became a fans' favourite, also becoming Barry's first international player, making headlines and appearing 45 times and scoring five goals for the club. He later on made a move to
Bridgend Town in 2010 but in the same year he returned to Barry Town.
English trials
In July 2010, Bashir had a trial with English
Conference National side
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
. He impressed the fans in a
pre-season friendly match against
Dunstable Town, but he was surprisingly not offered a contract by Luton Town manager
Richard Money
Richard Money (born 13 October 1955) is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of National League club Hartlepool United. Before this, he managed Cambridge United, overseeing the side's return to the Football Leag ...
.
In August 2010, he had a trial with another English
Conference National side,
Histon
Histon is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is immediately north of Cambridge – and is separated from the city – by the A14 road which runs east–west. In ...
, playing in a pre-season friendly match against
Dagenham & Redbridge. A transfer to Histon looked set to happen, but Histon manager
John Beck resigned shortly after Bashir's trial, so he returned to Barry Town for the start of the
2010–11 season.
In October 2010, and then again in November 2010, Bashir undertook trial spells with
Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
outfit
AFC Telford United
AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, they ...
.
Bashir undertook a trial spell with
Conference National side
Newport County in July 2011, featuring in a pre-season friendly match against
Mangotsfield United.
University of Glamorgan Football
In September 2011, Bashir was awarded a full university football scholarship and has since been involved in all games in the BUCS premier league representing his University at the highest level in England and wales.
Barry Town
Bashir stills plays for Barry town football club, still being a fans favourite to this day. During the 2012–13 season, whilst playing against his former team
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...
, he sustained an injury which put him out for the rest of the season and possibly the rest of the 2013–14 season.
At the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Bashir returned to game action for Barry Town. After a few games with the club, he departed from the club and joined local rivals,
Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys ...
.
International career
Akhtar Mohiuddin
Akhtar Mohiuddin (Urdu: ) (born 1 March 1956 in Chaman, Pakistan), is a Pakistani professional football coach and former player who was most recently the head coach of PMC Athletico. Mohiuddin was also the head coach of the Pakistan footbal ...
has stated that "...born to a British-Pakistani father and a Turkish German mother, Atif could have theoretically played for Germany,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, or any of the
British Home Nations, as well as Pakistan whom he eventually chose. He made his debut for Pakistan in the
2008 SAFF Championship
The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008.
Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008.
Venues
Squads
Group stage
Group A
----
----
...
against the host Maldives, followed by matches against India and Nepal".
In 2008, Bashir was called up to represent
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. Although initially part of the
2008 AFC Challenge Cup
The 2008 AFC Challenge Cup football tournament was organised by AFC and was hosted by India.The tournament was played from 30 July – 13 August 2008. India won the final against Tajikistan. India was also the winner of the fair play award an ...
squad, he could not join the team because his Pakistani passport had not been issued. A few months later, Bashir made his International Debut for
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in the
2008 SAFF Championship
The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008.
Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008.
Venues
Squads
Group stage
Group A
----
----
...
against the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, before facing
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
in the first round.
In October 2010, he was also included as one of three overage players in an under-23
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
squad for the
2010 Asian Games in China, where Pakistan faced
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, Maldives and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
in November 2010.
In March 2011, Bashir represented Pakistan in their unsuccessful
2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying campaign, appearing at the heart of the defence alongside
Zesh Rehman
Zeshan Rehman ( ur, ; born 14 October 1983) is an English-born Pakistani former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently U18 coach and acting assistant coach at Portsmouth FC.
He was the first British Asian to start ...
in defeats to
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. However, he helped Pakistan to victory in their final match, scoring the second goal in a 2–0 win over
Chinese Taipei at the
MBPJ Stadium
The Petaling Jaya Stadium, also known as the MBPJ Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Kelana Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The stadium was opened in 1996 and has a capacity of 25,000. It was built in time for the 199 ...
with a long-range strike that saw Pakistan finish third in Group B.
He continued to cement his place as a regular in the Pakistan national side, featuring in both legs of the
2014 World Cup qualifiers against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
in June and July 2011.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashir, Atif
1985 births
Living people
Pakistani footballers
Association football midfielders
Pakistan international footballers
Barry Town United F.C. players
Haverfordwest County A.F.C. players
Afan Lido F.C. players
Bridgend Town A.F.C. players
Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games
Footballers from Berlin
British Asian footballers
Maesteg Park A.F.C. players
Asian Games competitors for Pakistan
Dinas Powys F.C. players
Cardiff Grange Harlequins A.F.C. players