Asmir Begović

Asmir Begović (born 20 June 1987) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains club Queens Park Rangers.

Begović started his senior career at Portsmouth, signing for them in the summer of 2003.

In 2003, he earned a trial with Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur and his representatives paid for him to fly over to England.

After two days with Portsmouth, coaches David Hurst and Mark O'Connor were suitably impressed and offered Begović a contract before his trial at Tottenham could begin.

Begović signed a youth contract with Portsmouth in the summer of 2003 and due to him not having a European Union passport he spent two years on an education visa which prevented him from featuring in matches which involved money being taken on the gate.

After playing for the youth team he then spent time on loan at La Louvière in Belgium in 2005 where he played twice in the Belgian top flight.

Begović got his UK visa in the summer of 2006 which allowed him to sign on loan for Macclesfield Town in the 2006–07 season, making his Football League debut in a 1–1 draw at Stockport County on 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 represented Canada at youth level playing for them at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

In August 2007, Begović was loaned to AFC Bournemouth in League One in a deal lasting until January 2008.

He was recalled back from Bournemouth on 11 October 2007.

On 8 December 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 29 March Begović made his debut for Yeovil, keeping a clean sheet against Bristol Rovers.

He was subsequently recalled after making two appearances despite Yeovil trying to re-sign him on an emergency loan.

The "Glovers" manager Russell Slade revealed in June 2008 that he wanted to sign Begović on loan again after Steve Mildenhall joined Southend United.

The move was delayed however due to his grandfather passing away.

He rejoined Yeovil on loan, this time for three months in August 2008.

He made 14 league appearances, keeping three clean sheets in a struggling Yeovil side.

After a sequence of loans, he made his Premier League debut in May 2009 and was sold to Stoke City for £3.25 million in February 2010.

In 2009, he decided to change his allegiance and represent his native country, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Begović made his Portsmouth debut against Sunderland in their 3–1 win on 18 May 2009.

Following his Premier League debut for Pompey Begović expressed his delight.

"It was fantastic, to make your first Premier League appearance is something I've looked forward to for a long long time."

On his return to Fratton Park he went on to play 15 first team matches during the 2009–10 season.

He joined Championship team Ipswich Town on loan until 16 January 2010 in October.

On 23 November Begović was recalled to Portsmouth due to David James being injured, ending his Ipswich Town loan after having played six matches.

On 1 February 2010, Begović signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Stoke City for a fee of £3.25 million.

Following the signing manager Tony Pulis revealed that he had been tracking Begović for a while.

In the 2012–13 season, he played every league match and won the club's Player of the Year award.

In November 2013, Begović became the fifth goalkeeper to score a goal in the Premier League, scoring from 97.5 yards (89.15 meters) against Southampton after 13 seconds, also getting the World Record for 'longest goal scored in football'.

He soon established himself as their number one goalkeeper and helped them qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, their first major tournament.

Begović was born in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of Yugoslavia, to a Bosniak family.

His father, Amir, was also a goalkeeper who played for Leotar and Iskra Bugojno whilst his mother, Ajnija, hails from Stolac.

The Begović family fled the Bosnian War to Germany when Asmir was four years old, where he began to play organised football with local youth club FC Kirchhausen in Heilbronn.

When he was 10, his family moved to Edmonton in Canada.

Begović attended the St. Francis Xavier High School where he played for their academy.

He also played Minor League Soccer with the Southwest Sting Soccer Club in Edmonton which earned him a call-up to the Canada under-17 squad.

In July 2015, he joined Premier League champions Chelsea for a fee of £8 million, remaining second-choice until his move to AFC Bournemouth two years later.

After losing his place to Artur Boruc early in 2019, he was loaned to Qarabağ and A.C. Milan before signing for Everton.