IT was no surprise to see Asmir Begovic throwing himself back into intense work during Cherries’ first week of pre-season.

The Bosnian was filmed by the club training alongside fellow shot-stoppers Mark Travers and Will Dennis this week, as new boss Scott Parker runs the rule over Cherries’ charges.

Begovic was also filmed taking on pre-season testing – assessing the benchmark of where each individual player is at physically.

And while it is a process he has been through many times before, the experienced keeper is still hungry to get the best out of his body, to perform at the peak of his powers.

With more than 350 appearances at senior level throughout his illustrious playing career – the former Chelsea, Stoke and Portsmouth stopper still has the drive to keep performing when it really matters.

“Ultimately our body is our temple, it’s our work so if you look after it, hopefully it will look after you back,” he told the Daily Echo, when asked whether he had done anything different to stay fresh physically.

“I think what’s really good about where we are today, is the sports science and medical services, the opportunities for us are a lot more than they used to be before.

“You have a lot more ways to recover, a lot more education as to how to look after yourself and your body.

“I have always tried to live in a very professional way, and as you get educated more and things become available, you try to make use of it.

“Pilates and Yoga, the Cryo chambers, the contrasts of hot and cold baths – just all different ways in how you prepare and recover.

“From that point of view, I have a team that helps me from sports massage to physio, chiropractor, so it takes a lot of people to keep the body going and you as healthy as you possibly can.”

But what about the mind?

Goalkeepers are notably renowned for prolonging their careers, with some now even playing into their 40s at the top level.

Having turned 34 last month, Begovic still feels he has plenty of time left to create more memories in his career.

Asked whether he could emulate some stoppers who have played into their 40s, he said: “Well, yeah, absolutely – they have sort of paved the way haven’t they?

“You look at some of the guys similar to my age, we are playing at a high level, so that’s one thing which is very good.

“You look at (Gianluigi) Buffon, you look at (Mark) Schwarzer – all those sorts of goalkeepers spring to my mind right away who have played well into their 40s.

“So why not? I have never put a target or an end date on anything like that. I take every year and every challenge as it comes and take it from there.

“I don’t feel like there’s an end or feel like I want to stop at any time soon, or I’m getting tired of the game in any shape or form.

“From that point of view, I am just going to keep going and keep going - as long as physically I am well, mentally I am well and motivated to keep pushing myself each and every day.

“Because I think that’s the key - if you have the hunger to learn on a daily basis and continue to play.

“If it becomes a chore, something that becomes a little bit difficult to push yourself all the time, then I think that’s where it gets tricky. I am obviously not at that point.”

Begovic first turned out for the Dorset club as a youngster making his way in the game while on loan from Portsmouth in 2007.

Since then, he has gone on to perform for his country at the 2014 World Cup and be part of Chelsea’s title winning side in 2017.

But his latest winners’ medal was a memory the goalkeeper admits he would never forget – while on loan at Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag from Cherries in 2020.

“I got a championship medal, which was really cool,” he added.

“It was, in terms of football, one of the best experiences of my life to be honest. I had an incredible three-and-a-half-months there.

“I took a risk. I wanted to do something different – my situation was clear here and I thought I had nothing to lose.

“I looked at it and thought why not go and experience something completely different? I’d been in England for such a long time, why not experience football somewhere else and somewhere abroad?

“Qarabag was interesting because they had European football – so you are going to get the Europa League games, which was at a very high level.

“I tried to find out as much as I could about the league. What surprised me was actually the level of play in that league.

“We had some really cool battles with Neftchi – which is the main rival. I left the team in first place and we also got to the semi-final of the cup, which was nice to experience that.

“To play in the Europa League was amazing. In Baku, to play against Sevilla and specifically APOEL in full stadiums, not a seat empty with 30,000, was really cool.

“Then of course from a different point of view, just meeting some new people, making new friends who I am still in close contact with today was awesome – just such an amazing and almost refreshing experience for me.”

And while last season’s target of promotion with Cherries fell short in the Championship play-offs, evergreen Begovic is determined to make even more moments to look cherish in the future.