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By Edrees Mayar - AFF Afghanistan correspondent
When most of us think of Afghanistan we think of war, bloodshed, Taliban, hunger and tribal conflicts. Football would not be something at the forefront of people’s minds.
Belal Arezou
In this editorial special, we profile one player who has made a great impact for Afghanistan on the world stage – goal poacher Belal Arezou.
Arezou was born in Kabul on 28 December 1988. At age 11 his parents fled from the war torn nation to find peace, harmony and most importantly a future for their children. They ended up in Norway and Arezou started his football career playing in the youth/reserves teams of FK Senja, Grane ABK, FK Arendal and Fredrikstad.
At the end of the 2008 season, Arezou made the switch to Asker FH. In 2009, Arezou, then aged 20, made an immediate impact by cementing a regular place in the starting XI for the 2.Division club (playing third tier football) with 25 appearances and 4 goals to his name.
His backed that up in 2010, notching up 26 appearances and 7 goals in the league with two goals in two cup games. A marvellous campaign by the club saw them promoted to Adeccoligaen, 1.Division, which is the second tier of football in Norway. 2011 saw the club get relegated back to 2.Division with Arezou managing 19 appearances in a season which saw niggling injuries, and international games limit the opportunities for the young 23 year old.
On the International scene 2010 was a great year for Belal Arezou, being called up to the Afghanistan Olympic team to play in a regional U23 tournament – the 2010 South Asian Games. Afghanistan took everyone by surprise to top the group stage with wins over India (1-0), Pakistan (2-1), and Sri Lanka (2-0). Nepal was again the opponent in the semi final (similar to the recent South Asian Football Federation Cup ) to once again win marginally 1-0.
The Final was a one sided affair, a 0-4 loss sawAfghanistan claim a silver medal, with Belal Arezou named top goal scorer after scoring each and every goal for Afghanistan, finishing with a total of six goals. It was an amazing achievement for Afghanistan, and for Belal Arezou to produce such an excellent display for his native country was a treat to watch and a sign of things to come.
Scoring for the national team did not end there, becoming the second Afghanistan player in history to score in a World Cup Qualifying match. Obaidullah Karimi scored Afghanistan’s first ever World Cup goal in a 1-2 (1-5 on aggregate) loss to Syria in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, and Belal scored Afghanistan’s second in a 1-1 (1-3 on aggregate) draw to Palestine in their 2014 World Cup Qualifying match.
Goals kept coming for the silky goal poacher in his latest appearance for the national team in the recent SAFF Cup. Afghanistan reached the final of the regional tournament, with an emphatic 8-1 victory over Brunei in the process. Belal notched up six goals to finish second behind India’s Sunil Chetri as the tournament’s top scorer.
His club success, and international fame has given the 23-year-old the burden of leading the line and continuing g the trade of scoring goals for Afghanistan. His success has seen him linked him to a number of clubs across Asia, with unknown J2 side interested, as well as Indian Premier league club East Bengal.
It is only a matter of time before his goal scoring efforts for both club and country will get noticed.
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