A 15-year old teenager from Greece is regarded as a rising football star in Singapore and has been nominated for a prestigious award that could send him for training in a European football club.
Born to a Singaporean father and a Greek mother, Vasileios Chua grew up in Kastoria; northwestern Greece, and moved to Singapore when he was 10.
Vasileios; a National Football Academy (NFA) Under-15 striker, has been nominated for The New Paper Dollah Kassim Award.
The Award recognizes young footballers who display excellence in the sport as well as character. It also comes with an overseas training stint at a prestigious football club.
Speaking to the New Paper of Singapore; Vasileios explained how he developed his love for football.
“I was two when Greece won the Euros so, I don’t really remember much.
“But as I grew up, I became more aware of the significance of the win after watching the tournament highlights and Greece’s road to the final.
“I know that this win meant a great deal to the Greeks; especially since life in Greece is pretty tough for the people during that time until now.
“The win really united the people and brought joy to all the Greeks in the world.”
A Secondary 3 student; Vasileios has stayed disciplined so that he can juggle his studies with training, which takes place five times a week.
He said: “I made sure that I used the time after school and before training to do some homework, and then stayed up a little after training to finish it.”
Standing at 1.80m and weighing 66kg, Vasileios first started as a goalkeeper, but became a forward three years ago.
“People tend to overlook my ability when I am on my feet because of my height. But I believe that a striker needs to be technically sound because I cannot rely just on my height,” he said.
On his first nomination for The New Paper Dollah Kassim Award, he said: “I appreciate the nomination. It’s a great honour to represent the national team.”
“I take great pride in that.”
Source: world.greekreporter.com