Djibouti international striker Mouad Hassan, 26, tells VoetbalPrimeur about his duels with Mohamed Salah, Bertrand Traoré and Edmond Tapsoba in World Cup qualifying with Djibouti, while playing his club football at Kozakken Boys.
Mouad Hassan has vivid memories of his World Cup qualifying evenings. The Kozakken Boys striker, born in Den Bosch and a Djibouti international, has faced Burkina Faso and Egypt. He told VoetbalPrimeur the story.
The scene is first set in the cup: a half-hour run-out in the 0-1 defeat to FC Utrecht. “I wanted to show myself, and I think I did pretty well. These are the games you live for,” he told the Dutch outlet. But it is in the Djibouti shirt that his story took on another dimension.
Djiboutian roots and nine caps
Born in Den Bosch, Mouad Hassan has roots in Djibouti. The Djiboutian federation approached him around a year and a half ago, when he was playing for UNA, according to VoetbalPrimeur. Since then he has won nine caps and travels to Djibouti every three to four months for international matches.
That rhythm, between the Netherlands and Djibouti, is no easy feat. Nevertheless, the Den Bosch native has established himself in the Djibouti squad and has played in World Cup qualifying matches.
Salah, Traoré and Tapsoba up against him
On the road to the World Cup, Hassan faced Burkina Faso and Egypt, crossing paths with Bertrand Traoré, Mohamed Salah and Edmond Tapsoba. “I played against Bertrand Traoré, Mo Salah and Edmond Tapsoba. These are guys who have played in the Champions League. It’s a dream. I’m a late bloomer: a few years ago, if you’d told me I’d play against those names, I’d have taken you for a madman,” he told VoetbalPrimeur.
The phrase runs through his career like a thread. The striker describes himself as a “late bloomer”, a player whose breakthrough came late. The contrast between his Dutch club and the stars he has faced with the national team fuels his story.
The Arab Cup and approaches that went nowhere
His participation in the Arab Cup against Bahrain earned him interest from Arab countries, without any concrete offer materialising, VoetbalPrimeur reports. He is still at Kozakken Boys, where he played the cup match against FC Utrecht.
To come: Kozakken Boys’ next matches and a Djibouti training camp.