“I want to win championships. Personally, I want to improve—score more, assist more, be stronger in every area. And for Vietnam, I want us to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup, even the World Cup one day. I know we didn’t make it this time, but we have to keep believing. With our fans behind us, anything is possible”
“Living in the Yokohama F.Marinos players’ dormitory and watching how the yoJapanese footballers were treated inspired me. The fans and their dedication particularly struck me as I witnessed football fans eagerly asking players for autographs after training sessions. Seeing these young footballers living the dream I aspired to made me realize I could achieve my goals too”
“It was not about how many goals I scored, but our outstanding performance in that tournament garnered unexpected attention and support from everyone back home in Macau. Because nobody believes in us, right? Even when we play international friendlies, we rarely win. At most, we get a draw, but we rarely win. So when we started winning in the AFC Solidarity Cup, people began talking about us. People in Macau, newspapers and various media started to take notice and support us”
“You know what was the quality of Croatia back then? We never surrender; we never give up. And we loved playing against a strong national team! What was there for us to lose? Nothing! We beat Italy, we beat Germany, we beat England, we beat all the big teams. Then again, all these started young in Croatia. And that’s also what I wanted to do: motivate all the young players to be proud of their country. The moment they touch their football crest or flag on their chest, singing the National Anthem out loud, it’s the country pride they have to play for. In that 1998 World Cup, we showed just that”
“Women’s football is taking a very big step lately and you can see the stadium is getting packed at our league match. Last time, it used to be men’s idols for the young players, nowadays they can have women’s footballers as their idols. I am feeling excited and I am confident the entire women’s football scene will get better and better as we move forward. The future of women’s football is very promising”
“My parents play football, my siblings play football, so naturally I also picked up the sport. I still remember there was once I followed my brother to his football game, I was so amazed by that experience. That very moment, I just turned to my dad and told him I wanted to play football too!”
“We also need people to have an opened mind and are willing to listen to the feedback and change for the better. I have met people who think that I could speak whatever I want just because I am the best. Absolutely no. All these are not for me. I am too old to enjoy all these. All the advices that I am giving from my experience are meant for the younger players that are coming up in the next 10 years. I am giving them the advices so that they can be more professional, they can have a better playing condition and environment, so that they can showcase a better “product” (futsal) to the fans going down to watch them play”
“The level of Southeast Asia and in particular Singapore is improving with each passing year. Within this maelstrom that is Singapore Football, I believe I can contribute to its growth with my experience. I do think that this is a worthwhile league to be in and as time goes on, you can expect more international footballers featuring in the SPL”
“These initial years were also when Ueda began to establish himself as a distinct supporter. While most fans in the Stadium would be clapping loudly as a signal of support for the Japan national team, Ueda would be shouting and cheering at the top of his lungs. After national team fixtures, he would often find the national team players and meet them. He became a familiar figure for many Japanese national team stalwarts since the 1980s and has remained a cult hero ever since.”
“When I was young, I would watch Ultraman on the television on weekends and always thought that he was superb. Like ‘Leesaw’ (Teeratep Winothai), this gives me a nickname and helps people remember me as someone inspiring. When I travel for holidays, I even have fans coming up to me to take a photo together with that pose.”
“What if you have already been selected for the National Team? Let me share, coming into the National Team could be easy but what do you have to do to keep staying on the team? Then again, do not give up easily. If you want to be in the starting eleven, you have to work for it.”
