Three teens on a lifetime footballing adventure to Bayern

SEPANG: Teenagers S. Thipanraj, Farid Ashraf Kamaruzaman and Mohd Syawal Rosman – winners of the second local edition of the Allianz Junior Football Camp – finally left for Germany last night for their once-in-a-lifetime footballing adventure.

The trio won the priceless opportunity of a six-day training stint at the home of Champions League winners – Bayern Munich – to attend the Allianz Junior Football Camp from today.

The three 16-year-olds were selected at the end of a two-day trial at the SUK Field in Shah Alam in June by former national coach B. Sathianathan and former Selangor greats Shahrin Majid and Rusdi Suparman.

Klang-lad Thipan, who will be flying to Europe for the first time, could hardly contain his excitement, especially at the prospect of training with the best side in Europe.

“This is a chance of a lifetime ... I still can’t believe that a Klang boy like me will be training with the European champions in Munich,” said a beaming Thipan.

“I’m so proud to be among three Malaysian players to participate in the training stint. My family and friends have wished me luck and told me to work hard to improve myself as a footballer.

“This trip will a steep learning curve for me. I intend to absorb as much as possible from the training camp. I really hope to return a better player and be a national player in the next five years.”

The three Malaysian teenagers will also be given behind-the-scenes access to Bayern’s training ground to meet the Bayern stars and go on a tour of Munich before watching a Bayern Munich home match at the Allianz Arena.

Last year, a total of 60,000 teenagers applied to join the camp worldwide but only 63 players from 21 countries were selected for the 2012 Allianz Junior Football Camp.