European dream gone sour! Look nearer to home
Another year has gone, but it appears as if Thais' hopes of seeing a Thai player strut his stuff in one of the world's top leagues remain a distant dream.
Yet, the prospect looked more feasible than the faint hope of watching Thailand play in what would be their first World Cup finals.
Since Withaya Laohakul’s days in the German League with Hertha Berlin and Saarbrucken in the 1980s, none of the Thai players has played in one of Europe’s leading leagues. We have to highlight the word “play” as some may argue that not so long ago three Thai players had a brief stint with English club Manchester City.
Unfortunately, the transfer of the trio, including national striker Teerasil Dangda, to Manchester turned out to be nothing more than a publicity stunt by the club, which was then owned by Thaksin Shinawatra. The only time Thai fans saw them play in City colours was in an exhibition match when the English team visited the country three years ago.
Even those Thai players who have signed for European clubs in normal circumstances have been unable to break into the first-team squad and were restricted to playing in reserve fixtures. The Thais returned home with a bitter taste in their mouths after things proved to be in stark contrast to what they had hoped for their European journeys, with former national captain Kiatisak Senamuang, the country’s all-time top scorer, no exception.
Back in 1999, Kiatisak, better known as “Zico”, who also holds the national record for most appearances, grabbed the headlines when he secured a move to Huddersfield Town, then played in England’s second-tier league. In fact, he nearly missed out on a move to Britain as he initially failed to make an impression in a trial with Middlesbrough. But Bryan Robson, in charge of Boro at the time, reportedly advised his former Manchester United teammate Steve Bruce to sign him.
Such was the interest in Kiatisak’s move that Siam Sports, the country’s biggest sports newspaper, which normally sends reporters to cover the English top-flight league, had to assign one staff member to follow every step of the striker in England. However, the most encouraging news during Kiatisak’s brief stay with “The Terriers” was a hat-trick he scored in a reserve match.
If Kiatisak’s ill-fated move to Huddersfield was put down to the forward’s inability to adjust to the new surroundings, then Teeratep “Leesaw” Winothai should have been a better bet when he decided to join Lierse two years ago, given his previous spell as a youth team player at Crystal Palace. However, Teeratep’s luck was hardly better than Kiatisak’s as he had only limited opportunities at the Belgian club, playing only eight games, mostly as a substitute.
The experience of Kiatisak and Teeratep suggests that signing for a European club is one thing and getting a chance to play is another. Teeratep’s failure to cut his teeth even in Belgium’s second-tier league has killed a dream – the dream of watching a Thai player rub shoulders with some of the sport’s biggest names.
It does not mean that Thai players do not have potential. They, indeed, have what it takes to perform on the world stage, but there needs to be a little change in our thinking, as a direct move to European football is like taking a big leap. It is like wanting to go to the World Cup finals, but saddled with a team that struggles to qualify for the continental championship.
Taking it step by step would give a more realistic chance of seeing a Thai player pit his wits against the likes of Manchester United hitman Wayne Rooney or Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rather than taking a direct route to Europe, why don’t we look at one of the continent’s top leagues such as Japan’s J-League? Should they be able to make their grade in such leagues, there is no reason why they cannot follow in the footsteps of Japanese exports such as Dortmund star midfielder Shinji Kagawa and CSKA’s Keisuke Honda.
