SAMUEL Ariffin Glogovsky is simply overwhelmed to have been selected for a six-month training stint at the Second Division Spanish club, Fuenlabrada, which begins next month in Madrid, pending his visa approval due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Considering what he has achieved so far, the 19-year-old, who also had the opportunity to train for the Spanish club, Malaga, in 2020, did not have it easy in life.
“I was not as gifted as some and had a small physique when I was in primary school. Everyone said I was too small for the game, but that just made me want to strive harder to make it,” he recalled.
The Johorean, who is a winger, said he always had a ball with him everywhere he went.
“I would play the game at every given opportunity and watched a lot of YouTube videos to improve my game," said Samuel.
“Even during Hari Raya, I would be busy playing football. Well, I have broken so many things in my house and around my neighbourhood as a result of this, and mum had to pay for the damages,” he added, reminiscing his childhood.
His mum, Norliza Mukhtar, was at first doubtful about his obsession but was won over by his determination. She became his biggest fan and would do all she could to help him pursue his dream.
“One day, my mum accidentally bumped into a former national player, Serbegeth Singh, in a restaurant and approached him to talk about my passion for football," said Samuel.
He added that Serbegeth was kind enough to recommend a former national player, Lahat Dadukto, to coach him.
Samuel, who is of mixed parentage with an American father and a Malaysian mother, said he was about 13 when he started to train with Lahat.
“My parents went the extra mile ─ they would rent a football field for RM10 a day ─ for me to train with coach Lahat," he said.
“My parents followed me to training and always gave me moral support. My mum also opted me for homeschooling so that my time would be flexible for both my education and football.”
Samuel said, he trained fervently under the watchful eye of Lahat and worked tirelessly to improve his game.
“I learned so many things under his tutelage: ball control, pacing, dribbling, passing and shooting, as well as on- and off-the-ball situations. I would keep on doing my drills until I mastered them," he said.
When Samuel was 14, he was offered a place in the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) Academy for six months but was subsequently dropped.
The setback just made the lad more determined; he kept his focus and didn’t give up.
Despite continuing to train even harder under Lahat, Samuel said it was heart-breaking to be dropped from the JDT Academy.
“For almost two years, I just trained, and trained, and trained," he said.
Impressed with his perseverance, his parents decided to enrol him at Sporting CB Academy (a Portuguese-based private academy) in Singapore.
He represented Sporting CB academy in the Under-17 2019 Espzen League in Singapore, where he emerged as the top scorer with 10 goals from 14 matches.
After his short stint with Malaga the following year, his mother sent his playing videos to a FIFA agent and Fuenlabarada were very impressed with Samuel.
“It was always my dream to play in Europe and finally God opened doors for me,” said Samuel.
“I must thank my coach and parents. They were there for me through my ups and downs,” added Samuel.
“My mum, especially, always had my career in mind. She could appreciate my passion for the game and encouraged me to aim high. She helped me to believe in myself and this mental strength has taken me where I am today.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have supportive parents who did not see my love for football as a hindrance to my academic life but always encouraged me to be the very best that I could be – in whatever field I chose.”
Samuel would love to play for Malaysia one day.
“It is every boy's dream, after all, to represent their country," he said.
Samuel will fly to Madrid to join Fuenlabrada next month and you can be sure this highly-motivated and passionate footballer will make heads turn and the country proud in the near future. ─ The Vibes, 13 February, 2021
