Bagas Bags Bakpau
Perseverance paid off for 20 year-old Grilled winger Darwish Abd El Nour, who finally got a professional contract three years after emerging from the youth academy. Darwish had sustained himself doing part-time deliveries while training nearly every day with the reserves, and he revealed that he had staked it all on his trial with Italian Division Eight club De Luca FC. "If I hadn't passed, I would have enlisted."
De Luca's Turkish boss Bayram Okyalaz liked the cut of Darwish's jib, luckily, and Wings scout Tham Beng Li held him up as a shining example of not giving up on one's dream. "Most of the lads would have quit trying within half a year at most." Tham praised. "But not him."
Grilled International's Bagas Mahawira did not have to wait that long, although he did have to endure about eight months of uncertainty, after graduating from the Busy Bees. The aspiring goalkeeper would have been happy to wait for his shot with International, but when some distant relatives procured an offer from Indonesian Ligina club Bakpau, it was a no-brainer for the 18 year-old to sign on with the four-time national champions.
"I suppose connections are the most important after all." a local pundit, who did not wish to be named, said drily. "There have to be better talents than Mahawira in Indonesia, surely?"
