Weerathep Pomphan: From futsal to 50-million-baht footballer

Until the age of 18, his ambition was to be a futsal player in Nonthaburi, a hotbed of the game with its own professional league.

However, his dream of five-a-side stardom was shattered when he failed to net a futsal scholarship at university. Someone suggested he should try out for a football scholarship instead – advice that­ set Weerathep on his path to sporting greatness.

His first step was to win a place on the university team, but before long he was playing semi-professionally for Chamchuri United. There, he was talent-spotted by Thai League 1 giants Muangthong United, who swooped to sign him.

Now that he has established himself as a star of Thai football, his next step will likely be the J1 League in Japan.

Weerathep said that switching to football changed his life forever.

Before the start of the Thai League season, we got a chance to interview the Thai national team and Muangthong star at his 12-million-baht home in Perfect Place 2 village, Nonthaburi.

Home life = girlfriend, cats

There to welcome us warmly were Weerathep and his girlfriend Nasha Jutawijittam.

Nasha is a former hockey player who played for the national team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Weerathep explained that she was his junior at Chulalongkorn University and they became a couple in January 2021.

The house is also home to their three pedigree cats, Lava, Lavell and Luna – one of whom is noticeably fatter than the others.

“The female one is pregnant with maybe four kittens,” Weerathep mentioned while feeding his pets. “All of the kittens are reserved and will be sold for 25,000 baht each, or 100,000 baht from all of them.”

His love of cats dates back to a chance encounter years ago.

“When I was a teenager, I took an injured, hungry stray cat back home after playing futsal because I felt pity for it.”

Was he interested in becoming a cat breeder for extra income, we joked.

“It’s not worth it,” he laughed. “The food cost is already more expensive than the sale price.”

Casual conversation over, we dived into the more serious topic of his career as a 50-million-baht footballer (current estimated market value) earning around 500,000 baht per month.

Futsal: Where it all began

“Actually, I started playing futsal first and still play the game regularly, as I come from Nonthaburi,” Weerathep said.

“I lived in a city that loves futsal, so I liked and followed it as a kid and right through high school.”

However, he only started to get serious about the sport at the age of 13 in Sribunyanon School.

“A lot of my seniors played futsal and became futsal players in the professional league, so I wanted to follow their path.”

In Mathayom 3 [grade 9], his talent was spotted by a coach from Patumkongka School, and he asked his father and his teacher for permission to transfer.

“They agreed because Patumkongka School was famous for both futsal and football.”

He captained the futsal team at Patumkongka until it was time to leave school and find a university.

It was then that Weerathep reached a crossroads that would change the direction of his life forever.

“I took the university exam for the futsal scholarship at Chulalongkorn University but my score was lower than the entry criteria.”

In fact, Weerathep had scored an own-goal, losing out to his own impatience.

“I took the exams for only two subjects because the other three were in the afternoon. I didn’t want to wait, so my score was lower than the criteria,” he laughed.

He registered for the second round, but his teachers at Patumkongka School talked with Chulalongkorn University (CU)’s football coach and urged Weerathep to try out for the footballer scholarship instead.

“I thought hard because I liked futsal. Football is actually similar [to futsal in some ways] but I rarely played football when I was a child … and there are a lot of differences.

“However, I decided to try and I passed [the exam], so my path changed from futsal player to footballer.”

Weerathep quickly found out one big difference between futsal and football was the risk of injury. He fractured a bone in his foot, which meant his first season of football was over quickly.

“I got injured and had to rest for almost a year.”

After the foot healed in the second year, he returned to play in university tournaments.

"At that time, I felt that I could play and enjoy it. I got a great opportunity to play with Chamchuri United, a team in Thai League 3.”

Although he still had doubts about his talent, Weerathep was thrilled to be playing as a pro while still at university.

“When I got my first salary payment, I was very happy as I was playing football while studying. It was the first time I got money without asking my parents for it.”

Although only 15,000 baht per month, the money motivated him to develop skills that could command higher earnings.

“I pushed myself until I got into Muangthong United,” he said.

At Chamchuri United, Weerathep played spectacularly and his skills caught the eye of Thai League giants Muangthong United.

Weerathep joined Muangthong United as a no-name player with plenty to prove.

“At that time, I did not know when the opportunity would come. Whenever I got a chance, I always played at maximum like it was my final match. Fortunately, the results were good.”

He gradually made his way into the first team and got the chance to play alongside his idol.

“My favourite player is Sarach Yooyen. I always liked him and am happy to be playing with him in both the club and national competitions.”

‘Secret’ of first goal for Thailand

After becoming indispensable in midfield for Muangthong, Weerathep got his first call-up for the national team in October 2020. He made his Thailand debut against Nakhon Pathom United in a friendly match.

For his second call-up, he was among 47 players chosen by coach Akira Nishino for a June 2020 training camp to prepare for the second round of World Cup qualifying in UAE.

Spectacular form won him his first competitive appearance for Thailand in the final group-stage match of the 2020 AFF Championship against Singapore, which the Thais won 2-0.

“At that time, coach Mano [Alexandré Pölking] rotated the entire team. I got the chance to play as I was in the reserve squad. I always thought this would be a rare opportunity that I had to grab,” the midfielder added.

Since that match, Weerathep has cemented his place in the first team, even being called on by the Thailand under-23 team for the Southeast Asian Games as an over-aged player.

He performed strongly at the tournament, scoring one goal and guiding the team through to the final – where they lost narrowly 1-0 to hosts Vietnam.

Weerathep revealed a secret about his goal against Indonesia in the semi-final. He said he was frustrated that the strikers could not find the net, so he decided to finish the job himself.

“It was in extra-time and they couldn’t score. When I got the ball, I only thought about taking a shot – and it became my first goal for Thailand.

Despite becoming a starter for both club and country, Weerathep says he still has plenty of room for improvement.

For now, though, he is happy to play for Muangthong United and recently extended his contract for three years.
When asked about a move abroad, he said his ambition was to play in Japan’s J1 League because he is 26 years old and not getting any younger.

“Muangthong United is a partner with Urawa Red Diamonds [in the J1 League]. If there is a chance and the team’s executives allow me to play, I want to play there, because I am getting older.”

“In the national team’s training camp, I talked with seniors who have played in Japan. They said that I must play in foreign countries if I want to develop.”

‘Credit goes to parents’

Weerathep’s life has changed dramatically over the past decade, from teenage futsal player to one of the highest-paid footballers in Thailand.

He owns a 12-million-baht house with a 4-million-baht Mercedes-Benz parked in the driveway. He earns several hundred thousand baht per month from playing football and sponsors – enough to take care of himself, his family and his girlfriend.

“At this point, I admit that my life has exceeded my dreams by a long way. When I was a child, I wanted to play professional futsal. If I was still playing futsal, I don’t know if I would have a house and a car like this.

“It was fate that brought me to football,” he added, before expressing gratitude to everyone who had helped him along the way.

But his parents deserved most of the credit, Weerathep said.

“Ultimately, I must thank my parents because they gave me advice when I had to choose a path. They said that I should take another path, so I changed my mind and went with their suggestion.

“I reached this point because of the path that my parents suggested to me, so I want to thank them.”