Luqman to join Belgian pro club
Published on: Saturday, September 21, 2019
By: Bernama
File photo from Bernama.
Kuala Lumpur: National Under-18 (U-18) squad striker, Luqman Hakim Shamsudin has created history by becoming the first Malaysian to be offered a contract with Belgian Pro League, KV Kortrijk for five years from next season.The deal was announced at a special media conference which was attended by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abu Bakar and owner of the club, Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun, a local business tycoon here, Friday.
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Also present at the function were National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam.
Speaking at the media conference, the 17-year-old player is determined to gain a place in the first eleven of the club and hoped not to return home early as experienced by several other Malaysian players before this.
The Kota Bharu boy who was a key figure in Malaysia’s success as runners-up in the Asean Football Federation U-18 Championship in Thailand last month admitted he needed to adapt quickly to the European football environment which is vastly different from other continents.
“I have to be prepared in terms of cultural differences but it should not be a big problem on food as I have travelled to several European countries for tournaments there. I hope Malaysians will pray for my success there and I promise to do my best,” said Luqman who was a Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD) player.
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In this regard, Syed Saddiq hoped Luqman Hakim’s success in getting a contract offer would be an inspiration to other young players in the country to follow his footsteps.
He is also confident Luqman Hakim would be able to adapt himself with the new environment in Belgium and would not return home earlier as happened to several other national players before this.
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Syed Saddiq revealed officers from NSC, NSI and FAM will continue to monitor the development of the young player.
Meanwhile, Vincent Tan said the Belgian club is delighted to offer the contract to Luqman Hakim who showcased splendid performances in several tournaments, besides having the lethal touch at goal.
Vincent Tan who is also the owner of English Championship side, Cardiff City FC, is confident Luqman Hakim would be able to adapt quickly to the new environment in Belgium including food, culture and language.
The 67-year-old businessman added that Luqman Hakim would undergo a short training stint with Cardiff City FC in early 2020, before signing a five-year contract upon turning 18 years old in March 2020 with the Belgian side.
“Everybody can support him, but in the end, he must be disciplined to perform well and trained very hard, then the coach would definitely put him either on the starting eleven or as a substitute.
“There are many people who would help him there (Belgium), including the coach and the players, but we (Malaysian) must encouraged him to go even further,” added Vincent Tan who bought the Belgian club back in 2015.
Luqman Hakim is the fourth player from Asean countries to turn out in the Belgian League.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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