BOOTED UP ... Tam looking good to make the news in the J-League.
Tam Sheang Tsung, the first Malaysian to be recruited into the JLeague Division 2 Yokohama FC Under-15 team, is no stranger to the hard training regime.
Young soccer player Tam Sheang Tsung, also known as “C. Ronaldo Junior of Malaysia”, who is currently training in Brazil, grabs high attention from Brazilian media because of his Malaysian identity.
The media that rushed to interview 13-year-old Tam called him “Miura Kazuyoshi of Malaysia”. At the same time, Tam took the opportunity to introduce the beauty of Malaysia to the Brazilians.
Miura Kazuyoshi was a famous Japanese international player. He used to play for the Japan Professional Football League, which Tam is currently playing for. Miura was about the same age with Tam when he was sent to Brazil to learn “samba soccer”. He was among the first group of Japanese players being sent to Brazil. Since then, he became well-known to the world.
Tam's appearance in the São Paulo team has reminded Brazilian sport reporters of Miura. The reporters even praised him for having similar skills with Miura.
Four Brazilian newspapers and radios had conducted interview with Tam so far and Tam answered all their questions in fluent Portuguese.
Tam told Guang Ming Daily through email that the Brazilian reporters were interested in Malaysia and they kept asking about the country's conditions. As the Asia spokesperson for Aero Mexico , he was proud of himself to have introduced his nation to the foreigners through the interviews.
"His skills are impressive and he always plays hard."
He said that San Bernado has trained many soccer stars and Brazilian media usually focus on special players. That was why, he got their attention. However, he still felt unbelievable.
“So far, not many Malaysians have been trained in Brazil. Brazilian reporters are curious to see a Malaysian player there. Moreover, many reporters are here because of the Kendo World Competition held in São Paulo. They are searching for special topics, and they found me,” said Tam.
Tam said that Brazilians live for soccer. Their spirit encouraged him to do the best. He wished to stay in Brazil for another year and continue his secondary education there.
However, the Japanese may not “let him go”. He might able to only extend for another month instead of staying there for a longer period.
Tam has got the attention from the Malaysian government, too. The Malaysian Embassy in Japan wishes to meet him in October. Meanwhile, some of the soccer associations in Malaysia also wish to watch his skills in Japan.
However, the plan is temporarily unable to be implemented as Tam is currently training in Brazil. It is believed that the Malaysian government will have more interests in him after he has mastered the “samba soccer” skills.
In addition, Brazilian media reported that Tam's Brazilian coach thinks that he is brilliant and he may become a star in the future. His skills are impressive and he always plays hard. He possesses the Japanese spirit of “always do the best”.
The reports also said that Tam's skills have improved a lot since he has started the training in Brazil. He has gradually got used to the “samba soccer” that focus on striking.
When Tam was being asked whether he will play for Malaysia or Japan in the future, he modestly said that it is not appropriate for him to answer the question now as he thinks that his current skills have not yet reached the level of these two countries. He wishes to make his plan only after his skills have been improved.
