In 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina made history and qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
While they were ultimately unable to advance out of the group stage, they were a competitive side throughout that opening phase. They only lost 2-1 to Argentina, who ended up facing Germany in the final of that tournament, and 1-0 to Nigeria before defeating Iran 3-1 in their group stage finale.
One of the key players behind that World Cup campaign was goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who featured in all three group stage matches at that tournament.
His ties to Edmonton and Canadian sports as a whole are closer than you might think
While Begovic is from Trebinje, he spent much of his early life in Edmonton and as part of Canada's youth national teams before switching his allegiance to that of his home country. He was enrolled in Edmonton's Catholic school system and called the Southwest Sting Soccer Club home for part of his early football career. He also took part in the Kicks for Kids program organized by FC Edmonton; the program sought to help youth in the Edmonton area have the opportunity to go to football matches.
Staying on the topic of his charity work, Begovic partnered with fellow Edmontonian, Edmonton Oilers fan (more on that later), and national team hero Alphonso Davies. Both Begovic and Davies took part in a VR (virtual reality) football match during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to raise money for migrants and refugees through the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees). This was an especially valuable initiative when considering both the real and potential impacts of the outbreak on refugee and migrant communities; the initiative ended up raising just south of $10,000.
By the way, he's also an Oilers fan
On a recent appearance on the Bleed Oil Blue podcast, Begovic delved into his Oilers fandom and what the hockey club meant for him upon arriving in Edmonton. Though he noted that his first instance of hockey fandom took the form of the Buffalo Sabres and their run to the Stanley Cup Final, he also said that he was well aware of the value that the sport had in the Canadian sports world and that he has been spending time playing hockey and watching Oilers games where he could.
Even then, it's not every day that a Premier League-winning and World Cup-participating goalkeeper turns out to be a fan of one's local hockey team.
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