Home is where his heart is

Sachin trained for a month at Cruzeiro academy in Brazil.

SACHIN Samuel may have spent most of his life abroad, studying and undergoing football training, but this 17-year-old has his mind set on returning home and wearing the Malaysian colours as a professional footballer. 

A flexible winger who favours playing on the right, Sachin hopes to join Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) FC after completing his International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme next year.

He is currently studying at the British International School (BISP) in Phuket, Thailand, under a scholarship which entails training under the Cruzeiro Football Academy’s high performance football programme.

The programme, based on the curriculum of the highly successful Cruzeiro academy in Brazil, was designed by 2013 and 2014 Brazilian Serie A champions Cruzeiro EC.

As a child, Sachin was influenced by his father’s passion for football and fell in love with the game as soon as he was introduced to it.

“My dad used to play for Negri Sembilan back then and was my first coach,” he said during an interview at his family home in Kajang, Selangor,” he said.

When asked what his future plans were, there was no hesitation in his reply.

“A professional footballer,” he said.

Sachin aims to break into the national team.

“This has been my ambition since I was five, nothing else,” he added, confidently.

The Manchester United supporter looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo for his work ethics and attitude, and says his personal playing style is strongly influenced by Neymar.

From 2006 to 2014, Sachin trained with the Beaumaris Penguins Academy in Melbourne, Australia, and then with the Dulwich College football team in Shanghai, China, when his family relocated.

By the time he was 10, Sachin was outperforming his peers in Dulwich and was soon placed in an older age group to train with the bigger boys.

“Playing competitively with various teams when I was younger was great exposure for me. I was the youngest and smallest, but that was a good challenge.

“But I knew at that time if I stayed in Shanghai, I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dream.

“It was a big decision to move, but it had to be done because I really wanted to take my football to the next level and I don’t regret it at all,” he said.

In early 2014, Sachin and his parents learned that Cruzeiro was about to start its academy at BISP and jumped at the opportunity to try out for a scholarship which Sachin earned along with a place in the academy.

His move to Thailand would prove to be a paradigm shift where his horizons really opened up.

“Playing with the senior squad of 17- and 18-year-olds at the age of 14 was really tough. I had to put in a lot of extra effort to train due to my size difference.

“It was also then that I realised what real football is like – it was no longer just playing for fun.

“I discovered the other sides of football like going to the gym and dieting as well as the mental side of things and learning how to carry myself like a professional player,” Sachin said.

Within his first year, he proved his tenacity and ability, becoming among the top five performers and selected to spend a month training at Cruzeiro, Brazil.

“There were no bad players there. All of them were equally good, with many of them playing in Brazil’s under-15 team.

“It was quite overwhelming at first but I managed to adapt to their pace and returned as a better player.

“Knowing what their levels were like inspired me to train even harder,” he said.

Moving to Phuket also meant it would be the first time Sachin had to live by himself. However, he was lucky to have welcoming teammates.

Three years on, he is now into his final year at BISP.

“Managing school life and football will be another challenge this year because it is getting tougher.

“As athletes, we have to perform well in football as well as studies or risk getting dropped from the squad,” said Sachin, who scored six As in his Cambridge IGCSE.

Though only 17, it is clear that Sachin is not your average teen and at this young age, he understands the stakes of the game.

“In all the teams I have been in, my target has always been to be the best player in my position, score goals and really just do my job on the pitch to the best of my abilities.

“In youth and professional football, your place is never secure with two or three other players fighting for the same position.

“So, performing well at every training session and especially during matches is crucial.

“I also know that professional football is very different from what I’m doing now.

“In Phuket, we’re in our own bubble and everything is done for us, but I am lucky to have seen a lot of clubs and talked to my seniors so I know what I’m getting into,” he said.

Watching his teammates like Jordan Ollerenshaw, who now plays with Johor Darul Ta’ zim II (JDT II), do well and move on to clubs around the world has also inspired the young footballer.

“My favourite local team is JDT and I had the privilege of training with them for a week last month. The training was intense.

“Now that I’m 17, it’s time for me to try and get onto the radar of Malaysian football.

“An opportunity has come up for me to spend one year in Cruzeiro after I finish my IB, to continue my training there and I know I’ll be a better player after that.

“Not being here in Malaysia does hinder my chances to represent the country, but it's my dream to wear the national colours so I hope to come back and someday get called up to the national team,” he said.