Pakistan women's football team captain Maria Khan has opened up about what it means to wear the national jersey, saying that no words can fully capture the emotion of representing the country on the international stage.

 

Speaking to a TV channel following Pakistan's third-place finish at the FIFA series in Ivory Coast, Khan said, "There really is no better feeling. I think us, as a team, being able to represent women in Pakistan playing football, it's the bare minimum because us representing this country, it really does so much more than just showcase football. It gives us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves regardless of where we're coming from. And it brings us closer to each other. It brings us closer to the country. It brings us closer to our parents, our grandparents."

 

Khan, who also works with FIFA off the pitch, spoke about the role the sport has played in shaping her identity. "Football has really given me an opportunity to be myself. When you're on the pitch, you get to create your persona and personality. And I think that's something that, especially at a really young age when you're not sure who you are, it just really gave me a sense of freedom."

 

She traced her love for the game back to school lunches spent playing with boys. "I got into football in school, playing at lunchtime with all the boys. I remember running around just kicking a ball with no goals or anything like that and beating the boys felt like it was just a really good feeling."

 

On her leadership style, Khan pointed to former Manchester City and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany as her biggest influence. "All-time favorite player right now? It's Vincent Kompany. For me, it's the leadership on the field and off the field. The standards that he set every day for his teammates is something that I really look up to and try to implement when I'm here with the national team."

 

She described her own contribution to the side as bringing calm when things get difficult. "I think the puzzle piece that I might bring is experience and calmness when things are a bit chaotic. The ability to just kind of settle things down."

 

Looking ahead, Khan confirmed she will continue her professional club career in a new country while maintaining her work with FIFA. On a lighter note, she named khwaga paratha and keema paratha as her favorite Pakistani foods.

 

Pakistan finished third in the four-team tournament in Abidjan. They opened with a historic 8-0 win over Turks and Caicos Islands before falling 1-0 to Mauritania. In their final match against hosts Ivory Coast, Pakistan held the Ivorians at bay for the first half hour before conceding twice through headers from Ami Diallo and Habibou Ouedraogo. 

 

Full-back Anmol Hira was shown a straight red card late in the game after handling the ball on the goalline. Ivory Coast won the tournament with three wins from three matches.