Mao's first career

I was once a proffessional soccer youth team player....haha(proffesional) well i was being paid for my services so it is quite right to call myself a proffesional right?hehe

My club Gombak United FC is an Sleague team and during a period of time i was in their centre of exellence under -18 team. I till today am proud of this as i find it is quite an accomplishment to get into an Sleague youth team as Singapore though small have many beckham and ronaldo wanna Bs around. Thus, trials for these youth teams are usually packed with hundreds and hundreds of aspiring youngters who are so eager to prove themselves.

To be frank, i have went for numerous trials, at numerous clubs, facing numerous dissapointments before being given a chance in which i am extremely grateful for.

Let me think ...hmm..... geylang fc, tanjong pagar fc, woodlands fc...these are the clubs in which i went and was rejected or told i wasn't good enough.However i read in many articles that many soccer superstars were once rejected or told that they did not have the approperate talent or physique to survive in the world of soccer but through sheer perseverance and determination not only go on to build a career in football but become world class stars.

The same goes for me... ok i'm definately not a soccer star.... but at least i fufill but childhood ambition of playing for a proffesional team.

I still remember the day i went for the trials which was being held at yishun stadium. For guys who have not been to soccer trials this is how it works....the players are split into groups depending on whish position they play in....later one player from each position is taken and a team is thus form.These teams would then play against each other while the coaches and staff look out if they see any potential targets.Till these day, i still do not know why i was selected.I was a defensive midfielder...however my physique was exactly opposite of how an idea defensive midfielder should be. He should be tall to win arial duals> i was short.........he should be muscular> i was petite and scrawny looking........ he should have a calm and analytical mind> i was a kan chong spider and plain dumb( hahaha like this where got chance i though to myself).

When he first selected me i was a little shocked as i find that i did not do anything outstanding to prove myself in one way or the other. May be he saw that i had a never say die attitude on the field i told myself.Later on, he called me up to play as a centre back as he wanted to see me in action again.... i was like OMG ...WTF........END RESULT.....haha......ye ye your right i made a complete fool of myself...... lost almost all the arial duals( can't blame me the striker was at least 1.8)opposition wingers ran past me as if i didn't exist..... my fellow centre back was screaming his head out and cursing and swearing at me.....however i still got selected( maybe the coach is gay )

Training was tough in the club, we train from mondays to fridays and have a game every saturday.....this means six days of running, running and more running a week but i enjoyed every single bit of it as soccer was my passion then even though that meant i neglected my studies because as a result.

For guys who have not play a real 11 aside soccer game... i have to tell you ...it is not as easy as it seems. Thus whenever i watch matches at the national stadium with friends and hear people cursing at the players for their mistakes... i feel like asking them to replace the player and show me how it's done instead. This is so as playing an actual match is completely different from the kick abouts we have with our friends where we could try funny tricks and still go past defenders. If you try that in an actual game... you would get a big kick in your fat ass man.....haha

So people... next time before you curse a player for the mistake he made...think again.....would you be able to do better ... if so go ahead let the vugarities stream out....if not then please do not curse or swear at him...thanks alot

Try to live with no regrets,

Experience new things whenever possible,

Most importantly be happy......... soldiering on....MR MAO