PETALING JAYA: Exciting young winger Arif Aiman Hanapi has passed an early leadership test with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) with flying colours.
The 22-year-old was picked by coach Hector Bidoglio to skipper the Southern Tigers for the first time in their FA Cup semi-final first leg at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar on July 19.
Bidoglio’s sudden decision to opt for Arif as the team leader came as a surprise to some, as the more experienced players like Indonesian centreback Jordi Amat, centreback Shahrul Saad, rightback Matthew Davies and midfielder Natxo Insa are normally the usual suspects for the role.
But instead of being overawed by the occasion, Arif stepped into the role almost seamlessly as he showed composure and maturity in dealing with the demands outside of his repertoire.
While strutting his usual stuff on the flanks, he also did the ‘’dirty work’’ of tracking back and helping his defence nullify the Kedah attackers.
In some situations, Arif even had to calm his teammates down when they got a little emotional over some the referee’s decisions. Although he did not score or provide assists in JDT’s 2-1 win, his strong overall display convinced Bidoglio that he could be a future captain.
Arif said he was glad that he managed to handle the pressure that came with being given the captain’s armband.
“I feel blessed to be given that opportunity and I’m honoured that the club saw me fit to be the captain,” said Arif, who made his debut for the club in 2020.
“I don’t see the captain’s armband as a burden because it is a valuable learning experience for me and it can only make me a better and more complete player.’’
As the team leader, he was also quick to point out the lessons that JDT must take from the narrow win over Kedah.
‘’It’s good that we won and played well, but in front of goal, we did not finish off some good chances. So we must be sharper for the second leg (Aug 4) at home.’’
