Doha, Qatar – Karachi United’s footballer Sanjar Qadir gets a pass from his captain and races towards the goal with the ball.
It is the dying moments of the match. The score is tied 0-0. If Qadir scores, it would not only win his team the match but also round off a memorable trip to Qatar.
Qadir slides the ball into the back of the net and scores. He celebrates, and with that, his teammates run across the pitch, mobbing him before diving in unison in an outpouring of joy and to make the most of their last few minutes on the pristine green pitches of Aspire Academy in the capital, Doha.
Qadir was part of the Karachi United (KU) squad that travelled from Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi – its largest metropolis – for a friendly tournament against Aspire Academy.
“These pitches are so smooth and well looked after. When we pass the ball, it actually glides across,” a beaming 11-year-old Qadir told Al Jazeera after the hard-fought win.
KU’s visiting squad comprised of under-11 and under-12 teams that played three matches each, trained at the Academy’s facilities, watched a match in the local football league, and returned home with their hearts filled with hope for a future in the sport.
Qadir grew up playing football on the streets and a dusty field in Karachi’s Malir district.
“When I played in my neighbourhood, I missed out on so many goals because the ball would bump over holes and rocks littered across the ground,” he explained.
He grew up following Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandoski, and Karim Benzema, and said his dreams of turning into a professional footballer seemed close to reality when he was selected in KU’s youth programme this January.
Barely three months in, he is already reaping the rewards of being associated with one of the leading professional football clubs in Pakistan’s most populous city.
“Before I joined KU, nobody respected my dreams of becoming a footballer. Now, my parents encourage me and my football is respected,” he said.
From weekend club to football academy
KU was established as a club in 1996 by a group of three “weekend footballers”. Now, it has grown into a hub of football development in Karachi.
“We have a very…