(Youngsters in Somalia with a ball at their feet dreaming to follow in their countryman Hassan’s footsteps.)
With the announcement of the provisional England squad for the Euros out this week, Semi-Professional took a look at Sak Hassan, who despite being a non-league player, has also featured for his country.
Hashtag United’s Sakariya Abdi Hassan is a player that comes very rarely in non-league football. The midfielder has found himself playing at international level, representing Somalia.
At the time Hassan got the call up, he was playing for AFC Sudbury before signing for the Tags at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign.
Prior to the African Cup of Nations two-legged qualifier against Eswatini, Hassan bagged his first international goal in a friendly against Young Africans Sports Club in a 1-1.
The Netherlands born player made his competitive debut for Somalia back in March 2022 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, which they lost 3-0 in the first leg.
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Despite the result in the first game, Hassan went on to play the following match against the same opposition where he scored in a 2-1 loss.
The 23-year-old played youth football for the likes of QPR and Tottenham Hotspur, before making his debut in non-league.
Since his international debut, the playmaker has appeared four times for his country during 2022 and 2023.
There are another couple of players in non-league football who represent their country, and coincidentally they both play for the same one. Both Luke Paris and Kian Duncan are both international players for Anguilla.
Paris (currently at Uxbridge FC in the Isthmian League South central) and Duncan (for Sandhurst Town in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South) both featured in Anguilla’s FIRST EVER Concacaf World cup qualifier WIN against Turks and Caicos Islands.
The match finished 1-1 with Duncan scoring for Anguilla, and the island country won on penalties.