AA/Montreal/Hatem Kattou

Istanbul club Besiktas defensive midfielder Atiba Hutchinson becomes the oldest player of the Canadian soccer team to return to the World Cup after a 36-year absence, but also of all the nations participating in the competition.
The 39-year-old player, who has made 93 appearances with the Reds (the Canadian soccer team’s nickname), will be one of the attractions of this World Cup thanks to his longevity on the green pitches.
When Atiba Hutchinson is one of the 26 picked by England Canada head coach John Herdman to compete at the World Cup in Qatar, it’s not about completing a list or being the fifth wheel of the carriage, let alone rewarding him with a participation in the Mondial with a view to his career or to mentor the young people of the selection; far from there.
Atiba Hutchinson is THE heart of Canada’s midfield and plays a crucial role in an essential subject to connect the three lines, especially as he played a leading role in his country’s World Cup qualifiers ending a nearly flawless run with the added bonus of first place in the CONCACAF zone with 26 points.
The one who left Canada about two decades ago to emigrate to Europe, the old continent, where the level of football championships is higher than in the country of the maple or in the North American football league, has since developed in four different countries.
In fact, for the first ten years, from 2003 to 2013, the Canadian veteran was a member of two Swedish clubs, Östers IF and Helsingborgs, of the best Danish team, FC Copenhagen, with which he was voted champion during the 2010 season with the best player of the club.
He then moved to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven for three seasons. There he played alongside a number of excellent players, including the two Dutchmen Georginio Wijlandum and Memphis Depay and the Belgian Dries Mertens.
After that, at the age of 31, the player decided to go even further south to settle in Türkiye and more precisely to settle in the metropolitan city of Istanbul, where he has since played in one of the three big clubs in this city, namely the Besiktas .
With Besiktas, the 1.87 m tall midfielder won the Süper Lig three times in 2016, 2017 and 2021, twice in a row.
The 39-year-old made 326 appearances for Besiktas and scored 26 goals, a stellar performance for a defensive midfielder who has the thankless role of intercepting, raking wide and using jabs to stall opposition play.
In the national selection, the Reds captain honored his first selection in a friendly and as the defending champion against American neighbors to the south a certain… January 18, 2003, when he was just 19 years, 11 months and 20 days old .
Anecdotally, after two decades, Canada had lost by four end goals in that first Atiba tournament.
His journey has continued with the Unifolé ever since, and it took him eighteen years of loyal service at the top international level to break the record for most games played in the selection, held by Julian de Guzman, who played until June 16. 2021 record national player of the “Reds” with 89 appearances.
Atiba Hutchinson, who has been awarded the honorary title of Canada’s Best Player of the Year six times (2010 – 2012 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016 and 2017), will provide valuable input to the implementation of the tactical plan for both his manager and coach used in the relaunch of the ball thanks to its “wisdom” and its visibility of the game, as well as to distill on a plate the leather for the players on the offensive line.
Furthermore, and in addition to his role on the pitch, Atiba will play a key role in the dressing room, to oversee the young and not so young players of the squad, but also to inspire confidence in the ranks of senior professionals thanks to his twenty years of experience.
Indeed, the Canadian selection, which will have a difficult time facing the Croatians, finalists in Russia in 2018, the Belgians, who achieved the four of aces in the same edition, and the Moroccans, who made their sixth participation in a soccer World Cup need a reference player, a benchmark on and off the field, and this mission can only be accomplished by a wise veteran, and moreover always competitive to set an example.
At 39 years and 93 selections, Hutchinson could play his 100th game during this World Cup if Canada qualifies for the final, a very unlikely fact for the 42nd world selection in FIFA rankings who don’t really have proven footballing traditions, but that is all the harm we would wish the present Stambouliote in the heart.

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