Firstly I sincerely admit that I'm not as very good at academic. Besides have an in interest in history, sports is the only thing that have the passion in my heart. When I'm taking my SRP, my father even scolded me ' bola, bola..sukan,sukan ' when I scrachted my exercise books with sports news. But that's me..
I would like to memories and flashback a thing when i started to love sports.
1970's- An Introduction
Not playing sport yet. Though always follow Malaysian sport especially in Pestabola Merdeka, Piala Malaysia, Thomas Cup an Hockey World Cup 1975 in KL which amazingly Malaysia finishing 4th after narrowly lost to Pakistan in the semi by 2-3.
1974 - The Interested Is Coming
Starting playing badminton at the age of 9. Hear the Arsenal FC that including Brian Kidd ( now Mancini asst. Man City) and Malcolm Mc Donald coming to Malaysia for a friendly. The Malaysia team bt Arsenal by 2-1 with Mokhtar Dahari on the score sheet. I also read a World Cup news that play at Germany that year. I started to play football.
When Malaysia host World Cup Hockey there is a big fever in hockey in Malaysia, including my place. We started playing hockey by using a wooden or batang pokok jambu. We sometimes played friendly with neighbour village using a badminton court in 5 vs 5 game. I can name almost sports figure in soccer, badminton (Saw Swee Leong, Phua Ah Hua ) Hockey ( Poon Fook Loke, R.Ramakrishnan, Zulkifli Abbas ) at that time.
1976 - Started To Horne The Skills
I slowly played badminton and football regularly and one of the future in the village. My father is one the badminton player at the village club. My classmate one day bring a brochure about Chelsea FC (from London )and I read a lot of it. I started to like English football.
1977 - Started playing football and hockey for schools
I played for a primary school team in MSS Ipoh. That time all the schools player never use a soccer boot. They played 'kaki ayam'. Our school is not a strong team. Neither do I, I just playing football but I love it so much. That year I watch Man Utd (players like Martin Buchan, Gordon Hill, Stuart Pearson ) bt Liverpool 2-1 in FA Cup final, and my love for Man Utd getting increase and from there on I selected Man Utd as my favourite team. That year also play hockey for school team on the forward line.
1978-1980 - A Transaction Years
I played soccer almost everyday and became a popular young figure at football in my village. I was the backbone of the youth team ( always single handedly win a game for a team). At 15 I was selected to play alongside the senior team in the popular 7 side tournament that time.
I was picked to play for the school team in MSS Ipoh and surprisingly, only in our first year participant in U-15, we won the Ipoh district inter school. Sometimes still playing badminton but I left the hockey game, but still following the national hockey news when the Junior U-20 lead by the dependable Foo Keat Seong entered the semis in World Cup Junior 1979 in France.
1980-87 Getting Popular, Admire And The Peak Times
My family move to a quarters and I left my old friends. As a shy young lad I slowly join a new build team at my new place with the player age between 15-30 years old.( Me the youngest ) I began my game there and play as a flanker and can scored a goal with either the right or left foot.
The team only resist for 2 years. Back in school I was a recognise football player and with the stand of 5 feet 2 inch, my body movement and speed is quite fast. They always admire my dribbling skills and one of them call me 'Maron' in comparison of the great Maradona. From there on except my close friend who call me Li, the football related friends called me 'Maron' although I don't like it because it weird. but that's what the footballers know me.
1985-87 - Played at a football club in Ipoh as a midfielder and I was the captain of the team although I'm the shortest one. There is a Perak player training with us and when he saw me playing, he offer me to join him in the Bank Bumiputera team. As a shy lad, I not responding to his invites, beside I love to be a teacher (I was a temporary teacher then).
1987-1989 College Life - Football? Not great.
I entered a teacher college and play for the college in my first year there. But sadly, football is not glamour game in the college. The footballer either playing rugby or hockey. In term of popularity/glamour, it was behind a rugby and hockey team. Not many students play soccer. So my football interest seem to be stuck as there are no football game on the field. Boring..sometimes the lad ask me to join their hockey or rugby team. But I don't like. Once I played hockey as a forward in 5 a side inter class. We champion the tournament and I'm the most watching striker..ha..ha..
1990-95 A Declined Years In Football and It's Badminton Time
Been transfer to KL as a teacher. I played for the PSKPP team in my first year although I'm not welcomed by a certain of seniors player as jealousy of my dribbling skills. As a shy and a low profile guys, I know it and I walked out from the team.
I played only for recreation in school with friends and sometimes join the villagers nearby the school just because I love football. But the passion playing football became lowly because there no enough people to play and I divide my time with badminton games, KL entertainment and now I have a girlfriend already.
1992- Played badminton regularly than football and shaping my skill and win my first trophy in the Salak South Malays tournament in single event. Also try for PSKPP and made it to the last 8 from 32. What's great was, the first trophy I won is beating a PSKPP player which is my school mate.
1995-99 - Get married. I seldom play football and my skill getting decline. I'm more slower and nothing special to show when I'm playing.
2000 - Major Injury -Bye-bye football playing times
I manage and coach a villagers team and sometimes playing. Due to lack of fitness and training, I got a cruciate ligament injury while try to turning my body. I have to bandage the knee 3 months and cannot playing sports for 3 months. I know it was a bye-bye for my football carrier. However 6 months later started play badminton and at times play football as I like. I always injury my knee and drop on the field or court whenever I'm off balance. The injury will never disappeared unless I went for operation. But I'm scared to go for op. Although the handicapped I have, I still entered 3 times final in badminton single tournament played at my place an winning 2 from it.
2004-2008 Coaching Time
Started coaching Pusat Sukan Negeri. From the zone area until the national level. A valuable experienced. I know the level of those kids. But much to be done with them. They have the potential but the technical ability have to sharpened if they want to go far.
Now - Besides coaching a school team and watching sports week end week out, I still playing badminton, futsal, soccer free style, tennis .Name it; a badminton champ, the most awesome tiki-taka futsal mastermind, the only teacher can do free style and emerging tennis player, it's Li-legends.
At 48+ and handicapped with my knee injury, I still can match the much young sports friends and my passionate for sports will never ended, and hope the young generation will take sports as their carrier, for a healthy or made as a recreational or even make friends as many as possible.
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