The story of Yaser Hamed, the Basque who is international with Palestine and plays in Bahrain

Today, coinciding with the day of his 23rd birthday, Yaser Hamed he played his first minutes in Asian club football. The Spanish central-born in Leioa made his debut in the Bahrain First Division just 48 hours after making his signing for him official. Busaiteen Club, which did not go beyond the draw (0-0) at home against Manama Club. Yaser was trained in the Athletic quarry and later competed in Second Division B with Leioa or Portugalete, but his story does not end there. The nationality of his father, who left the Gaza Strip at the age of 17 to study medicine in Spain, gave him the opportunity to be international with Palestine. “I was studying when the coach contacted me through Facebook. We had discussed it at home, but I did not expect it to end up happening. I was in 'shock' and did not study anymore, of course,” he remembers delighted.

In his debut with the Palestinian team, which occurred within the framework of the West Asian Cup, Yaser Hamed scored the winning goal against Yemen. “In Palestine they are suffering the most bitter side of life. For them, football is a way of escaping, and giving them joy by winning or scoring a goal is an immense satisfaction”, values ​​the Basque, who conceives his introduction into Asian football through Bahrain as a giant step in his career: “Playing for the national team served as a showcase for me to sign for Busaiteen. The Bahraini league is followed from other countries in the area such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. I hope to compete in the next few months and that it helps me to continue progressing “. Yaser, who had “an immense desire to play abroad”, is now much closer to Ramallah, where the Palestinian team usually hold their concentrations.

Yaser hamed do a degree in Chemical Engineering. That was his only obligation during the last months, which he spent training alone – he separated from Portugalete last August – and waiting for an opportunity in Asia. “I was without equipment, but I took care of my diet, rest and training. These are three things that I keep to the letter,” explains the Basque, who trained with Leioa in the weeks before his trip to Bahrain. There he met a club, Busaiteen, which last year was forced to play the 'play-out' to avoid relegation to Second. The entity, which has tennis, volleyball or athletics sections, is located in the muharraq island, north of the country.

March, marked in red on the calendar

Although there is concentration in January, it will not be until next March when Yaser Hamed will put on the Palestine shirt again, a team that has a “very close” group that welcomed him “as if he were family”. Yaser has already played seven international matches, some within the framework of a qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup that in the coming months he will meet again with Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Spaniards often travel to Ramallah via Tel Aviv airport, which was never easy due to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. “I travel with a Spanish passport and even so there are times when I am subjected to a somewhat uncomfortable interrogation. They came to remove my mobile to check all my contacts. They put you in a commitment so that you don't come back “, details Yaser, who confesses to having” gotten used “to the consequences of the war.