KANGAR - In the hope of pursuing his ambition to be a professional player and play for Harimau Malaya one day, Uzzair Zayyan Naimulddin is willing to be away from his family at a tender age of 12 to hone his football skills.
The Standard Six pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Tunjong said although it was a heavy decision to make, he needed to steel himself because to him every success requires sacrifice.
Bernama had earlier reported that Uzzair Zayyan had received an offer to study at the British International School Phuket (BISP) in Thailand and a football scholarship worth RM120,000 a year under the High Performance Team (HPT) programme run by Cruzeiro Football Academy Brazil.
“I’m ready in all aspects to leave for Phuket on Aug 23, and will try to adapt myself for the sake of improving,” he told Bernama recently.
Uzzair Zayyan, the second of four siblings, said he knows that the career of a footballer is limited by age but this is not an obstacle to him.
“I want to spend my youth as a professional footballer before switching to coaching at a later stage,” he added.
Uzzair Zayyan said although the journey ahead is long, he is determined to make the best of it to realise his dream.
“If possible I want to emulate my idols such as former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez and Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Safiq Rahim. I adore these two stars for their leadership quality and ability to make quick decisions,” he said.
Uzzair Zayyan represented Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Tunjong at the age of eight and early last year was offered to join an international training camp at Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands under a TH Global sponsorship but had to defer the trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic. - Bernama. June 28, 2021
