Basil Gorgis

Basil Gewargis Hanna or Basil Korkis (Arabic: باسل كوركيس ‎) (born 8 January 1961) is a former Iraqi international football player of Assyrian descent. Despite having a short career, he is considered to be one of the best players of all time in Iraq, being known for his tenacity and attacking threat.

Basil Gorgis
Personal information
Full name Basil Gorgis Hanna
Date of birth (1961-01-15) 15 January 1961
Place of birth Ankawa, Iraq
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1979 Al Saadoon
1979–1982 Al-Amana
1982–1990 Al Shabab
1990–1991 Al Talaba
1995 North York Astros
National team
1981–1989 Iraq 55 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

As a player, Basil took the national team to uncharted territory, where he was part of the Iraqi "golden team" of the 1980s that included Hussein Saeed and Ahmad Radhi.

Basil is married to his wife Nawal Hanna and they have three daughters together, Reta, Nadiya, and Mariam Hanna.

Club career

Like all up and coming Iraqi players, "It all started in the streets" as Basil was once quoted. As a teenager, he played with the youth league team Homentmen, a youth club belonging to Nadi Al-Armeni (Armenian Club). At the age of 16, he moved on to the club of Tammuz, a Junior team belonging to Nadi Al-Athori, where he caught the eye of the then first division Al-Amana coach Mustufa Auda. Throughout his youth, Basil points to Zia Isaac as the one who coached him into the player he would become.[1] Basil remained in the Iraq Super League for all his career, where he went on to play for Al Shabab and Al Talaba.

He emigrated to Canada, where he played as an amateur with Nineveh Star from 1992. In 1995, he joined semi-professional club Scarborough Astros of the Canadian National Soccer League, helping them to the Ontario Cup Final losing on penalties to St.Catharines Roma Wolves.[2][3]

International career

International goals

Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.16 August 1985Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat Morocco1–01–01985 Pan Arab Games
2.16 March 1988King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh Saudi Arabia2–02–09th Arabian Gulf Cup
3.21 July 1988Amman International Stadium, Amman Syria1–11–11988 Arab Nations Cup

References
  1. "About us". Precision Soccer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  2. Hassanin Mubarak. "Player Database". iraqsport.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2003.
  3. Laskaris, Sam (June 16, 1995). "Astros hope Iraqi helps offence soar". Toronto Star. p. SC6.
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