Tuesday, March 27, 2012 . 4:52 am
What's so great about Soccer? Lets say you get into the National Team, play afew years of it and that's it. Yo've got to 'retire' @ a certain age. In Sports, athletes 'retire' early. Cos when you pass your prime, that's it. Nobody's gona engage your skills.I remember when I was growing up, I used to play Soccer with my neighbourhood friends. There was a pitch afew blocks away from my house. We would gather @ the pitch most of the evenings and play with one another, forming teams of 2, 7 or 11-a-side. Those were the days where you don't have to worry about this and that. For me, its just a game. I'm more efficient in the position of a Defender rather than a Striker or Goalkeeper. Stopping the ball and not let Strikers pass by your side of the defence is my game. I even had a Jersey imprinted on it the number 14 trying to be like Steven Tan, a National Striker.
When I was in Primary School 3 or 4, a soccer coach from the Milo Academy called me up to go for a trial. But I think I wasn't interested in going. A 2nd chance came when I joined a soccer team in Jurong West thinking that it was a good chance of playing professionally. Sadly, the team just closed for unforsaid reason and the training fees were not able to be recouped. That ended the chance of me entering into professional soccer.
Then came the Lions, Singapore's National Team competing the Malaysia Cup. The days of dorning the symbolic National color of reds. My Dad, Grandpa & I would go to the National Stadium to cheer the Lions on, taking on Teams like Selangor, Pahang, Kedah and Perak. Miss watching those matches. Unfortnately, after Singapore won the Malaysia Cup double in 1994, it parted ways the Malaysia League to form our own S-League. It won the Tiger Cup in 1998, 2004 and again in 2007 respectively. This was my Football story and the Nation's story.