Pakistan calls up 14 overseas players: A match between two football ecosystems

On a drizzly Copenhagen afternoon, I sat on a wooden grandstand of a fourth-tier Danish pitch where a young midfielder of Pakistani origin was playing. He had no place on the scouting map of big clubs; nobody was filming him. But one detail made me stop writing: when his team lost the ball, he dropped back to challenge for the third consecutive time in the same attack, without a single complaint. I watched him and recalled the sentence I have written in my notebook throughout half a century of work: "Under the dust of the city streets, I still find gems no one has yet noticed." The news I read this morning was about Pakistan. The South Asian team has just finalised a 23-man squad for the match against the Vietnam national team in the final group-stage match of a tournament referred to as the "FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026". This name itself needs verification, because those who have worked in football for years know that the Southeast Asian championship is usually run by the AFF, not FIFA. But that is a matter for the organisers. For me, the striking point lies in the squad structure: 14 of Pakistan's 23 players are abroad. Seven play in Europe – Denmark, Sweden, Azerbaijan – and the rest are scattered across Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. This figure says a lot. Pakistan does not have a strong enough domestic league to produce international-calibre players. They must rely on the diaspora, those sons of the homeland who carry the dream of wearing the national shirt. I have seen this model in many places around the world. It can create a passionate squad, but it lacks what top-level football needs most: time together. Players from small, low-pressure leagues rarely face opponents with the speed and tactical discipline of the leading Southeast Asian teams. The most-capped player in Pakistan's squad is goalkeeper Yousuf Butt, 36, with 33 appearances. A goalkeeper leading the cap chart is unusual; it reflects the reality that Pakistan's outfield players are extremely short of international experience. On the other side of the pitch, Vietnam possesses Nguyen Quang Hai with 88 caps and Nguyen Hoang Duc with 65 caps. Those two figures surpass the combined totals of Pakistan's core players. When I compare the forward lines, the gap becomes even clearer: Pakistan's seven strikers have scored 9 international goals in total, fewer than Vietnam's naturalised striker Nguyen Xuan Son alone, who has 16 goals in 17 matches. Alongside him is Nguyen Dinh Bac, 22, who already has 8 goals in 22 appearances. Looking at these numbers, many would conclude this is a one-sided match. But I have grown old enough not to rush into trusting the scoreboard. "I am old, so I have enough patience to wait for a season to mature." International goals are career indicators, not current form. A striker who scores few goals but presses well and competes well would be invisible in this comparison. Pakistan rarely plays international tournaments, which means Vietnam has almost no data to study them. In modern football, an "unknown" team can become a major headache if they choose a low-block defensive approach, closing the space behind the back line. I remember the summer of 2026, at the World Cup in Russia, sitting in the Spartak stands watching Brazil lose to Belgium. At that moment, all eyes were on the attacking stars, while a young midfielder quietly blocked every gap behind the left-back. Few mentioned him, but he was the one carrying the system. I wrote an article defending him, not because he was perfect, but because I believe football is not only the story of goalscorers. "People see the glory; I see the silent backs." The same is true for Pakistan this time. They may lose on the scoreboard, but there will be players working so quietly that no one notices. The biggest risk for Vietnam lies not in the opponent, but in itself. The team depends heavily on Xuan Son as the centre-forward. If he has fitness issues, or is neutralised by a deep defence, who will score? Dinh Bac is an option, but that requires the coaching staff to give him a clear role rather than using him only as a substitute card. A weaker opponent often drags the match into a slow rhythm with little space, and then the value of set pieces and intelligent movement inside the box multiplies. In other words, Vietnam's problem is how to break down a concrete block, not how to win a speed race. Pakistan, if they are smart, will set their goal beyond the result. This is a rare opportunity for players from Bangladesh, Maldives or Bhutan to face an organised side like Vietnam. That experience is more valuable than a domestic friendly. But to achieve this, they need a long-term plan, not a hastily assembled squad. A generation of overseas players can create a competitive team in the short term, but only a domestic youth development system can build a sustainable future. That is a lesson many football nations have paid a decade to learn. I do not know what the score will be. I do not want to predict. What I know is that what happens on the pitch will be decided by details: a run, a cross from the wing, a moment of focus or lapse. Before writing the final part, I think again of that young Pakistani midfielder in Copenhagen. Is he among the 23 about to face Vietnam? I am not sure. But if he is, I believe he will run without fatigue, because he understands that a starting spot in a regional tournament can change his whole life. Football is always like that: there are umbrellas in the rain that no one sees, only people standing under them once the rain has stopped. The final question I want to leave for the football managers of Vietnam and Pakistan is not "who will be champions", but: after this match, will we have enough patience to build a real system, or will we simply enjoy a fleeting victory? The match will pass, but the road ahead is what determines the class of a football nation. I am old, so I believe in slow things, in long seasons, and in silent people – those who do not need the stage lights, only a pitch to prove they belong there.