Chanathip Songkrasin’s BG Pathum United FC with the man-of-the-match award. - Photo courtesy of SPORTFIVE
BANGKOK: Chanathip Songkrasin is currently the it boy of Thai football. He seems to be the flavour of the sport, and that sensational goal he scored is now seen around the world.
Chanathip’s 97th-minute wonder strike secured 10-man BG Pathum United FC the ideal start to the new Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup campaign as the Thai League 1 side handed Vietnam's Cong An Hanoi FC a 2-1 defeat.
Footage of the Thai playmaker’s jaw-dropping effort, which sailed over the head of visiting goalkeeper Filip Nguyen moments after leaving Chanathip’s boot more than 40 yards from goal, would go viral soon after the ball had nestled in the back of the net.
On news bulletins and across digital platforms, the sight of the 31-year-old’s strike arcing and dipping in the Bangkok night sky was lighting up devices across the globe as Chanathip claimed the Shopee Star of the Match with his two-goal performance.
It was a strike of the highest quality scored by a player who long ago established himself as one of Southeast Asia’s most gifted creators, known among local fans by the nickname “Thai Messi” due to semblances to the great Argentine playmaker, Lionel Messi.
Since breaking through at BEC Tero Sasana more than 12 years ago, the diminutive midfielder has been determined to make sure he can match the best the region – and the continent – has to offer.
From the earliest days of his professional career, Chanathip was being courted by clubs in Japan keen to harness his vision, deft touch and ability to unlock a defence with a perfectly weighted pass. It was an opportunity he was keen to embrace.
“I want to go to the J.League,” he said back in 2016 as he captained Thailand at the AFC U23 Asian Cup finals in Qatar. “That’s my target. The J.League has a good system, good discipline, and a strong attitude. I want to be professional. I want to go outside Thailand because I want to improve.”
At the time, Chanathip’s reputation was building. He had just made a move to Muangthong United FC, initially on loan, and by the end of 2016, it was announced that his Japanese dream was to come true.
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo swooped to take him to the most northerly of Japan’s three main islands, where Chanathip would go on to spend five hugely successful seasons, making 123 appearances in all competitions and scoring 16 times.
While he was not the first player from Thailand or South-East Asia to make the move to one of Asia’s premier leagues, he soon established himself as the region’s finest export to the Japanese professional set-up.
In 2018, Chanathip was included in the J.League’s Best XI in 2018 alongside the likes of Japan internationals Kengo Nakamura and Akihiro Ienaga as he led the club to fourth in the standings, their highest ever finish.
The following season he helped his club to the runners-up spot in the J.League Cup.
By the start of 2022, Chanathip had left Consadole to move south, joining Ienaga at four-time J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale for a record transfer fee of US$3.8 million.
Within 18 months, he was on the move again, opting to return to Thailand and sign for BG Pathum, where he has spent the last two years as the creative fulcrum for the Pathum Thani-based club and is once again attempting to steer the club to the Shopee Cup™ title.
While Chanathip was blazing a trail on the club scene in Japan, he was also leading by example at the international level for Thailand, steering the country to the Asean Championship title in 2014, 2016, and 2020.
“In football, if you’re not training, you can’t go up,” he said previously in 2016. “I think everybody wants to improve. When I play, I want to test my standards. If I have a standard, then I want it to go up. I think every player thinks this way, too.
“I like to play against stronger teams because if you can play (against them), then you can improve. If you cannot play, then you can come back to training, training. Sometimes we lose, but that’s not a problem because we learn. We come back and we train.
“I want to take my level up. To be fighting.”
That determination to succeed remains deeply rooted within Chanathip, even as he approaches veteran status. And, as Cong An Hanoi FC saw in the opening round of the Shopee Cup, he retains the quality to determine outcomes most spectacularly.
NOTE: Football fans can also watch Chanathip's wonder goal, which secured BG Pathum United FC's win against Shopee Cup runners-up Cong An Hanoi FC on the opening match day of the new season (August 20). Watch it here on the ASEAN United FC Instagram channel. The video clip has since been watched around the world and is not to be missed! Unsurprisingly, Chanathip was named the Shopee Star of the Match for his legendary two-goal performance.
Matchday 2 of this season's Shopee Cup is coming up on September 24 and 25. Fixtures, news, and other information are available on https://aseanutdfc.com/asean-club-championship and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X and LinkedIn.
