Singapore U-16 talents hope Lion City Cup will be gateway to big dreams
SINGAPORE – For the past 12 months, Lukyan Tan has been living on his own in Madrid, honing his football skills with Spanish side Atletico Chopera's youth team under the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) overseas football scholarship.
The 16-year-old Singaporean forward will be keen to put what he has learnt into practice this week, having received his first national call-up as part of the Singapore Under-16 boys' squad.
The Cubs, led by Lion City Sailors academy manager Ashraf Ariffin, will be taking part in the July 8-13 Lion City Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Lukyan, currently on a summer break, said he has benefited from the Spanish stint, adding: 'The training has been a lot tougher and the matches as well because the players are much better (than me).'
Staying in a foreign country by himself has also enabled him to pick up some life skills and be more independent. When he feels homesick, a phone call to his family always helps to banish that feeling.
Lukyan can also turn to his siblings for footballing advice. His older brother, Louka Tan won the Singapore Premier League Under-21 Golden Boot with Hougang United last season, while older sister, Lila, plays for Still Aerion in the local Women's Premier League.
'My brother is the reason I started to play football,' said Lukyan, who is eyeing a professional football career in Europe.
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Some of his teammates can also seek sporting advice from their family – for instance, defender Mika Baihakki, whose father Baihakki Khaizan was an ex-Singapore international, and goalkeeper Ilhan Hady Rezal, who had trained under his dad Rezal Hassan, a former Lions custodian.
Aside from his siblings, Lukyan can turn to his captain, Zaki Jumlan, who will be competing in his second LCC, having played in the 2024 edition, in which the Singapore U-16s finished last among four teams.
Zaki admitted that the mood in the dressing room last year was 'definitely not that good', but hopes to turn it around this year.
'It's going to be a huge responsibility for me to lead the team, but I believe in my squad,' said the 16-year-old defensive midfielder, who plays for the Young Lions.
LCC 2025 will also mark an inaugural girls' category and U-16 captain Tyan Foong is certainly feeling the pressure of leading the pioneer batch of Singapore girls in the competition.
'This is the thing that (will) set the standards for women's football in future LCCs. People are going to be wondering what is the level of standard currently for women's football in Singapore, so there's going to be a lot of pressure,' said Tyan, who plays for the Lion City Sailors along with older sister Tia Foong.
Besides football, 16-year-old centre-back Tyan is also on her school's softball team and has been wakeboarding for the past four years. She believes that competing in multiple sports is beneficial to her as an athlete.
'Wakeboarding has really trained me to handle pressure because you cannot rely on anyone else other than yourself, and it also builds my upper body strength,' said the Tanjong Katong Girls' School student. 'Being captain of my softball team has led me to have leadership experience and it guides me for being captain for LCC.'
Teammate Celine Koh echoed her captain's thoughts, considering the girls' category 'the right step forward'.
The 15-year-old central defensive midfielder added: 'Many of us will have the opportunity to play against international opponents, but I think playing (in front of) a home crowd is exciting and we can show everyone what we've been working hard for.'
Like Lukyan, Celine's older sister Chloe Koh is a UTR scholarship recipient and is currently with IMG academy in the United States. However Celine, who plays for Tiong Bahru FC, does not want to draw comparisons.
She said: 'I don't see (her) as someone I need to become, but more as someone that I can learn from and I can go to whenever I need help.
'But at the same time (I'm) also trying to play alongside her one day on the national team.'
The Singapore U-16 girls, who are led by Sailors' head of women's football Yeong Sheau Shyan, will play their first game against South Korea on July 8, followed by matches against Hong Kong (July 10) and Cambodia (July 12).
The boys will kick off their campaign on July 9 against the Philippines before facing off against Cambodia (July 11) and Hong Kong (July 13). All Singapore games kick off at 8pm.
The teams who finish top after the single round-robin tournaments will be crowned champions of their respective categories.
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