NOBBY SOLANO has never played cricket.
As he tells SunSport: “God gave me the talent with my legs, not my hands . . .”
Newcastle legend Solano is now the football manager of Pakistan — a country where cricket remains the No 1 sport by a mile.
He is currently in the capital of Islamabad, preparing for his third game in charge — an Asia Cup qualifier against Syria — after two promising draws against Afghanistan last month.
Solano still lives in the north-east of England and, although he signed in 1998, after more than 200 games for Toon he is still recognised every day on the streets.
But that is not the case in Islamabad.
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The 50-year-old former winger said: “Life here is completely different.
“I’ve been around football in many countries but here when I’m walking in the street nobody knows who I am.
“Is this normal? It’s normal here.
“It’s a huge country. People are more interested in other things, like the cricket.
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“Cricket is still so popular and remember, has been for many years and hockey is popular too.
“But football is slowly starting to become more popular and you do see a lot of football being played in the parks and stadiums.
“I was born in Peru and I knew Peru is a football country when I was growing up, if you’ve got the talent and the dream, you will want to go for that, that’s your dream. That’s what I did.
“They will all have the dream to play for Pakistan, for their country, but they need to have an opportunity to join a club, improve and develop here.
“Pakistan needs a domestic league and hopefully that can happen when I am here. We’re here to help the president.”
So while the long-term aim is the 2030 World Cup, and building a more competitive team, after three Fifa suspensions, Pakistan Football Federation president Syed Mohsin Gilani and Solano also want to establish professional domestic leagues for both men and women.
Solano has been scouring Europe, Asia and the United States for players with Pakistani heritage.
He has recruited Mansfield forward McKeal Abdullah and Blackburn Under-21 keeper Adam Khan, both 20, to join the squad, which is captained by 23-year-old defender Abdullah Iqbal, who plays for recently crowned Swedish champions Mjallby.
Solano, who also played for Aston Villa, West Ham and Hull, said: “We’re looking for players from Pakistan who play around the world and there are not many playing in high-level football across top European leagues.
“We have started to look around, checking all the time because you have a lot of young lads with families from Pakistan, playing in League One, League Two and reserves.
“The national team has to be open all the time — to the young guys, 17, 18 and the older players, 35, 36. It’s not like England, five options for every position.
“I signed a one-year contract, because the president was very clear, he said come over, have a look for yourself, if you’re happy and we’re happy with you, we will continue. So it’s like a test for everyone.
“We talked and we know it won’t be easy.
“The first thing he said was it’s not like other national teams in Asia because there will not be many professional players because there is no domestic league here.
“I need to work hard because there are so many coaches and ex-players around the world and it is a special opportunity to coach a national team.
“I know Pakistan, at the moment, is not in great form but I took the challenge because I love football.
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“I know it has to start sometime from scratch.
“We’re here to fight and I believe results will improve.”
