Hamza Zakari (second right) with John Benson (red) along with other Academy’s Football Dreams project students in this file picture.
DOHA: Aspire Academy reached another impressive milestone on Thursday night when one of its former students made his debut in European competition.
Hamza Zakari, a product of the Academy’s Football Dreams project, played for top-tier Norwegian outfit Tromso IL in their Europa League tie against Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, details have shown.
Zakari is currently on a year-long loan at Tromso from KAS Eupen, the Belgian club owned by Aspire Zone Foundation.
The talented 19-year-old midfielder has already represented his native Ghana national team at youth level, and appears destined for great things if his present rate of progress continues.
“Hamza is just one of many former Academy students who is currently excelling in European football,” Ivan Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, said in a statement.
“His outstanding development demonstrates his determination to workhard continuously to make the most of his natural talent, and this work ethic is something that Aspire Academy’s coaches and teachers constantly impress upon our student-athletes. Like our other Academy students and graduates, there is no limit to what Hamza can achieve if he continues to apply himself,” Bravo added.
Since opening its doors in 2004, Aspire Academy has become one of the foremost national sports academies in the world.
The Academy is conceiving, promoting and implementing game-changing excellence in sports training and elite athlete development that is enabling an entire generation of talented, disciplined and committed individuals, both Qataris and internationals to pursue their sports dreams.
Aspire’s Football Dreams project is a unique enterprise, whose unrivalled development of world-class footballing talent looks set to produce many more stars of tomorrow.
The project screens thousands of children across three continents, with the most promising footballers given the chance to further enhance their skills at Aspire Academy.
Zakari joined the Academy in 2008, and his commitment to advancing his skills has seen him make consistent progress, culminating on Thursday in what is likely to be the first of many appearances in European competition.
On this occasion, his Tromso side was unfortunate to lose the game 1-0 following an injury-time strike by Anzhi’s Karlen Mkrtchyan, but it seems certain that this temporary setback will only serve to make Zakari stronger in the long run.
The Peninsula
