A former Mamelodi Sundowns player recently bagged a hat-trick for his nation despite not playing in the Betway Premiership for close to a year and a half.
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On Monday evening, SuperSport United's Abubeker Nasir bagged an astonishing hat-trick in Ethiopia's resounding 6-1 victory over Djibouti in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match.
The ongoing international break was the first time the Addis Ababa native had represented his country in nearly three years, with his last appearance for the team coming against Egypt in June 2022. Injuries have plagued his career in recent seasons, but the prolonged absence from the Walia Ibex came to an end when he played the Pharaohs once again this past weekend.
During the clash with Mohamed Salah and co., Nasir played 78 minutes and although they lost, the attacker made amends by finding the back of the net three times a few days later against Djibouti.
Abubeker Nasir's goals for Ethiopia last night. ??????
— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) March 25, 2025
Baller! ?????#wcq2026#worldcupwithmicky pic.twitter.com/7xAOkqWC4y
However, it is not only for the Ethiopian national team where the 25-year-old has not played football for a while; he has not played club football for close to a year and a half. He last made a club appearance for Masandawana on 13 December 2023, and since then, injuries forced the South African champions to deregister him as one of their foreign contingents.
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This opened the door for him to make a permanent move to Matsatsantsa at the start of the campaign, but fitness issues followed him to the Pretoria-based institution, and he has yet to make an official appearance for the club. This has not stopped him from being called up and performing for his national team, as illustrated with his recent hat-trick.
