In cricket-mad Pakistan where almost every child dreams of donning the famous green shirt, very few, like Armaghan Khan, dream of wearing shorts and football cleats with it and even fewer actually get to do it.
But Armaghan Khan is not like others and he never has been from the very beginning.
Not only has he managed to carve his own path through all the trials and tribulations that come with pursuing a unique dream, but he also remains hungry for more.
Born on 7th August 2000 in district Lakki Marwat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Armaghan’s dream of playing professional football has dictated his every step.
That dream has been tested by injuries, lack of facilities in our country and the Pakistan Football Federation’s own problems, but Armaghan has faced each challenge head-on and with every rung has come closer to making his dream a reality.
Here, you can find out a little glimpse of his life from the man himself.
Armaghan Khan in an exclusive conversation with Pakistan Observer:
Q: How did you get started? Tell us about your footballing journey.
“My football career began when I was very young. As a child, I was playing football but not regularly, alongside cricket with friends, in my neighbourhood. But when we shifted to Islamabad, and I started studying in a local school, the majority of the students used to play football as a sport. Therefore, I also started playing football regularly, attending practice and local matches, and inter-school tournaments with my friends. I slowly started to take this game more seriously. After that, I also started attending professional football academies. Eventually, I was signed for a semi-professional football team in Islamabad. From then onwards, I have been playing at a professional level for more than 5-6 years now”.
Q: Why did you choose football in a cricket-mad country?
“As I mentioned before, I also used to play cricket in the beginning. I never planned to play football as a profession. However, some events challenged and encouraged me to pursue football as a profession. In my opinion, it is just a misconception about Pakistan being a cricket-loving country only. The viewers might not know about the fact that Pakistan has more than three million football players according to a FIFA survey in 2006. This makes our country to be one of the top 20 countries with the most players. I am 110% sure that the numbers might have drastically increased since then. Now let’s say, 3 million footballers with only their three family members supporting them, not even the football fans, equal to 9 million lovers of this beautiful game”.
Q: Why does Pakistan lack behind other Asian nations when it comes to football?
“As far as I remember, Pakistan was progressing in football both nationally and internationally. Our football players, both male and female, were going abroad for football trials and clubs and also attending international events. But then, unfortunately, due to third-party interference, Pakistan was suspended by FIFA twice. Also due to some other issues, I believe Pakistani football’s golden time of almost 3-5 years, was wasted. Meanwhile, other countries, even South Asian countries including India progressed in football. Also, the infrastructure for football is not much developed in Pakistan”.
Q: What difficulties did you face physically and mentally during your arduous rehab from your meniscus tear?
“Oh my days, whenever I think about that time, it gives me cold shivers. To be honest, it is the most difficult time of an athlete’s life when you cannot do something that you love to do. I still remember, I couldn’t even watch football matches, because it would make me feel so sad. Mentally, I was depressed because I tore my medial meniscus, ACL, and MCL straight after completing my lateral meniscus rehab. Physically, the recovery process was very tough as I had to be match-fit again. There was a time, when I used to work out for 7-8 hours, going through electrical therapies, intense warm-ups, strength training, high-intensity interval training, cycling for cool down, and stretching”.
Q: Will we ever get to see Pakistan in the World Cup or at least a Pakistani footballer in the champions league or the upper echelon of this game?
“As far as I know, the top 4 teams from Europe’s top five leagues qualify for the Champions League each year, and this varies from country to country in UEFA. So, these teams buy top players from FIFA-ranked countries. Since each league has its own requirements for issuing a work permit, such as English Premier League has point based system. Either, you must have played for at least 75% of all competitive matches for the past two years, or your national team must rank above 71st place in the official FIFA world ranking when averaged over the last two years. So, unless our national team plays regularly and improves rankings immediately, which is possible only when we improve our infrastructure tremendously, this cannot happen. As far as World Cup is concerned, if we improve rankings and our players get good exposure from foreign leagues then IN’SHA’ALLAH, Pakistan can qualify for World Cup within 10 to 15 years”.
Q: How do you feel about PFF’s infatuation with giving call-ups to dual citizens from abroad rather than local talent?
“I think, it is important to consider both local and foreign talent when building a strong team, but the emphasis should be put on developing the grass root talent within the country to develop homegrown talent for the future. Because promoting and developing domestic players can help the national team, as well as lead to the growth of football culture in Pakistan. Dual citizens from abroad may also bring additional experience, as we cannot underestimate their playing experience/exposure, so in my opinion, they can also be considered when picking up a team”.
Q: If you were put in charge of the PFF, what changes will you enact to ensure Pakistan is on the right track?
“I would focus on developing the football infrastructure and broadcasting the local leagues and national matches on different TV sports channels. Because the game highlights are the most beneficial thing for a football player when moving to a good foreign league. Also, I would work on encouraging the government and private sector to invest heavily in supporting this game. I would also develop grassroots talent and give recognition and respect to everyone working in this sport that they deserve”.
*To know more about Armaghan Khan and his journey, you can follow him on his social media pages.
