Football prodigy Adam Swandi wants to be a ‘team player’ for Singapore
Now that Adam Swandi has been called up to the national football squad for the first time, all eyes will be on the 17-year-old Singaporean who signed for French club FC Metz in February.
But the skillful midfield whiz, who previously earned rave reviews at trials for major European clubs like Atlético Madrid and Newcastle United, isn’t bothered by the pressure.
“Some fans expect me to do wonders,” Swandi told Yahoo! Singapore Tuesday night after his first training session with the Lions. “I just hope to play like how the team wants me to play. I don’t want to be an individualistic player. I want to be a team player.”
But first, the shy and soft-spoken teenager, who is the youngest player in the Singapore squad, has his fingers crossed for some playing time in the friendly matches against Myanmar and Laos next week. “Even five minutes will be a good thing,” he said.
Swandi is back in Singapore for a two-week holiday, and shared his mixed feelings upon learning that he will represent the country at senior level. “Very happy and excited… and a little bit nervous,” he admitted. “But proud to get to play in the national team at 17.”
The ex-captain of the National Football Academy’s Under-16 team nonetheless recognised the need to step up his game to be on par with his more experienced and decorated teammates.
One person who clearly has faith in his ability to do so is newly-hired head coach Bernd Stange – who saw fit to name Swandi in his 23-man squad, with input from local coaches Aide Iskandar and V. Sundramoorthy.
“Such a nice guy, who’s 100 per cent positive of everything,” Swandi commented on the 65-year-old German. “It’s a really good thing that he’s head coach… and I believe that he can bring the national team forward.”
When asked what he felt warranted his call-up to the national team, Swandi said, “Maybe the coach thinks I’m capable of helping to improve the country’s football, in future.”
What's certain is Swandi’s own improvement as a footballer, as he continues to reap the benefits of training at FC Metz’s youth academy – which counts the likes of Franck Ribéry, Robert Pirès and Emmanuel Adebayor among its illustrious alumni.
“It’s a whole different level from Singapore,” said Swandi. “The standard is pretty high; they have all the youth national team players from Turkey, France and Morocco. But it’s helped me adapt to playing with faster, more skilful and better players than me.”
Once his national duties are over, Swandi will fly back to the French city to resume this humbling experience of jostling with the best in his sport.
But his time abroad, far away from home, has also taught him more than just lessons on the field. “Be positive, and keep learning,” he declared – and these are qualities that will surely put Adam Swandi in good stead as he seeks to don the national jersey for years to come.
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