THAI FANS STILL DREAM OF A PLAYER ABROAD
By Kitinan Sanguansak
Another year has gone and it appears people’s dreams of seeing a Thai player strut his stuff in one of the world’s top-class leagues look just as far away as it has ever been.
Yet, that prospect still looks more feasible than what looks increasingly more like a faint hope of Thailand qualifying for what would be its first World Cup finals.
Since Withaya Laohakul’s days in Germany with Hertha Berlin and Saarbrucken in the 1980s, no Thai player has played in one of Europe’s leading leagues. To say that, we have to highlight the word “play” as it is used in its exact meaning since some may argue that not so long ago three Thai players had a brief stint with English club Manchester City.
Unfortunately, the trio's, including national striker Teerasil Dangda (plus Suree Sukha and Kiatprawut Saiweaw) , transfer to Manchester turned out to be nothing more than a publicity stunt for the club then owned by Thaksin Shinawatra, as 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.
Back in 1999, Kiatisak Senamuang, better known as “Zico”, who also holds the country’s most appearance record, grabbed the headlines when he secured a move to Huddersfield Town, then playing in England’s second-tier. In fact, he nearly missed out on a move to Britain as he initially failed to make an impression on trial with Middlesbrough. But Bryan Robson, in charge of the 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, who normally send reporters to cover English top flight league, had to assign one staff to follow every step of the strikers journey 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.
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