Asmir Begović

Early career

Begović attended the St. Francis Xavier High School where he played for their academy. He also played in the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association with Southwest Sting Soccer Club which earned him a call-up to the Canada under-17 squad. 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.

Portsmouth

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

Canada

Begović was the starting goalkeeper for Canada U20 in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made several difficult saves for his team in a 3–0 loss to Chile and let in one goal against Austria. Late in the third match of the tournament, after allowing two goals, Begović came out of his area to play a long ball from a Congo defender. The ball took a high bounce off the wet pitch, forcing him to use his hands to prevent it from going over his head. He was shown a straight red card, and midfielder Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault had to play in goal, as Canada had used up their three substitutes. On 14 August 2007, 20-year-old Begović received his first call-up to the Canada senior squad for the friendly match with Iceland, but didn't see any action on the pitch. In November 2008, he accepted another call for Canada's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier versus Jamaica, but again didn't get any playing time as Lars Hirschfeld was the preferred option in goal. Players with dual nationality, like Begović, who had already played for a country's national team at youth level, were not allowed to switch nationalities after they turned 21, but on 3 June 2009 FIFA removed the age limit. In late June 2009, he spoke with Bosnian head coach Miroslav Blažević about the possibility of making his debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Quotes in the Bosnian media seemed to indicate Begović's intent to play for the country of his birth. Begović missed the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup for Canada saying…

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

On 18 June 2011, Begović married his American-born wife, Nicolle Howard, with whom he has two daughters. In April 2011 he joined FC Edmonton's charity 'Kicks for Kids Program'. Begović was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina while it was part of the SFR Yugoslavia, and moved to Germany at the age of four. Growing up in Germany, Begović supported Bayern Munich and cites goalkeeping great Oliver Kahn as his inspiration. He also attended matches at his local club VfB Stuttgart. Along with his native Bosnian, Begović is fluent in three additional languages: German, English and French. In October 2013 he set up his own charity, the Asmir Begović Foundation. His mother is from Stolac. Begović's younger brother Denis had a brief spell with Bristol City's under-18s as a goalkeeper. In April 2020, Begović played a football video game against fellow professional Alphonso Davies, who also came to Canada as a child refugee, to raise funds for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Begović is a Muslim and does fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan. In 2025, the Everton official media interviewed him alongside teammate Abdoulaye Doucouré about the experience of going through a fast as an active professional footballer.