Yaqoob Butt

Yaqoob Butt
Personal information
Full name Yaqoob Ijaz Butt
Date of birth (1988-09-09) 9 September 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Herlev, Denmark
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
2003–2007 Stenløse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Jægersborg BK [da]
2011–2013 Skovshoved
2013–2014 BSF
2014–2015 Vanløse
2015–2016 Stenløse
2016–2017 Avedøre
2017–2018 KFUM Roskilde
2018–2020 Tårnby FF
2021 Køge Nord 3 (0)
2021–2022 Avarta 3 (0)
2022 Herstedøster IC [da] 11 (0)
International career
2013–2019 Pakistan 10 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Yaqoob Ijaz Butt (born 9 September 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.[1] Born in Denmark, he represented Pakistan at the international level.[2]

Club career

Butt started his career at Stenløse, and subsequently played at the lower divisions of Denmark. In 2014, Butt was approached by Thai League 1 club Roi Et PB United in a 5 million Thai baht deal, though the move seemingly failed to materialise.

International career

Butt hunted for national team call up, first approaching the Pakistan Football Federation in 2007 at the age of 18. While he was eventually not called up due to being too young and incomplete documentation being another reason, he came into radar again in 2010, when Pakistan International XI, a team made up of European based players of Pakistani origin played against Woking FC.[3][4] Butt was subsequently called by the Pakistan national team coach Graham Roberts for the 2010 Asian Games, but incomplete documents prevented his participation.[5][6]

In 2013, he received his first international cap in a friendly against Nepal, ending in a 1–0 victory for Pakistan, as a replacement for the injured international defender Atif Bashir under the coach Zaviša Milosavljević. He then played in a two-match tour against Maldives in the same month, making an impact as a substitute in the last 15 minutes in the game, where his corner led to Pakistan scoring a last-minute equalizer.[2]

In March 2013, he participated in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, playing against Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Macau.[2] He was subsequently called for the 2013 SAFF Championship.

After being left out for both the 2014 Asian Games and 2018 FIFA World Cup's Asian qualifiers 1st round of March 2015,[7] Butt returned after almost 5 years away in a friendly against Palestine in 2018. He last played in 2019 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against Cambodia, as Pakistan failed to advance to the next round.[8]

Personal life

His brother, Yousuf Butt, is also a footballer and has played alongside him for Pakistan.[9] Butt also went to school with Hassan Bashir in Denmark, who eventually played alongside him in the national team.

Career statistics

International

As of 28 June 2020 [2]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2013 7 0
2018 1 0
2019 2 0
Total 10 0

References

  1. ^ Yaqoob Butt at Soccerway. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Yaqoob Butt". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Pakistan International XI Squad". Woking Football Club. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Historic game on Sunday evening". Woking Football Club. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Five expats in Pakistan`s football squad for Asiad". DAWN.COM. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  6. ^ Reporter, Our Staff (2 October 2010). "PFF reduces Asian Games probables to 24". www.nation.com.pk. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  7. ^ Wasim, Umaid (4 January 2015). "Shamlan's demand may see foreign-based players miss out on 2018 qualifiers". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ^ Wasim, Umaid (18 April 2019). "Pakistan players hope to play World Cup qualifier against Cambodia". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2 October 2010). "Asian Games camp PFF includes brothers from Denmark By Our Sports Reporter". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 June 2024.