In 2009, Basit Ali, a footballer from Lyari, witnessed his dream to come true. He was selected for National Football Team of Pakistan and went to Malaysia to compete with Uzbekistan. Basit Ali looks back on his life and explains with joy and pride that how beautiful that moment was when he wore the Jersey of Pakistan National Football Team and got an opportunity to play international football.
“My dream came true. I always wished to play for Pakistan’s team and finally that day arrived when I was in the ground wearing green. That was the moment which cannot slip from my memory”, says Basit.
Basit Ali was born in Lyari, the hub of football, on 10th May, 1994. His father, Mohammad Hasan has been an eminent footballer and played for domestic clubs and department teams for years and served as coach for K-Electric Football Club.
The one who inspired Basit was his father when he was only 7 years old. He kept on going with his father on weekends to learn about stunning game of football.
At the age of 10 years, Basit joined a domestic club Shafi Mahamdan and got his game on and proved to be a talented footballer from Lyari. His father and cousin brothers were already playing football for years, they put their heart and soul in forming him. According to him, he received more training and learned new skills from his family members than anyone else.
Recalling the memories of his visit to Malaysia and representing Pakistan in AFC U-16 Championship 2010 and playing against the team of Uzbekistan, he says that he learned a lot from that tour. They (Uzbekistan Team) play with more enthusiasm and they have more skills as they tour abroad and play friendly matches. In same tournament, Pakistan played against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan. Playing against Saudi Arabia was a wonderful experience for him as Saudi Crowd was gathered and they started cheering to encourage their team that gave energy to him at once. As the Arabic drums, they started to play for a moment he felt as a footballer from Lyari, if there is Balochi Lewa (A traditional Balochi music) being played which increased his enthusiasm.
When asked about what experience you gained while playing their he said, “Even we strive much more than them, we workout two times a day but they perform much better as they keep on going abroad and play friendly matches.”
Basit sees light at the end of the tunnel. He is optimistic about the future of football in Pakistan. When asked about his future plans he said, “As of now I am playing domestic and department level. As you know that it has been almost two year that Pakistan Football Federation is not organizing any International Events due to some problems, we have lost a lot in form of talent. Once everything is settled down, I would continue to play for our national team. I have strong believe that sooner or later everyone will see Pakistan Football Team representing Pakistan on international level.”
SHAHROZ-THE MAN WITH INSPIRING WINNING-STREAK IN BOXING
Achievements
- Gold Medal (Sindh team) in National U-13 Championship at Lahore 2006.
- Gold Medal (Karachi team) in PFF U-14 youth Championship Faisalabad 2007.
- Silver medal (Karachi team) in National U-14 Football Championship at Sahiwal 2008.
- Silver medal (Karachi team) in National U-16 Football Championship Lahore 2009.
You can connect with him Basit Ali
