What were you doing at the age of 18?
Hanging out with friends at school? Submitting your college applications?
What about playing for Bayern Munich inside the Allianz Arena?
That’s the case for Thai-British footballer Siam Yapp.
But how did a kid from Phuket suddenly get to represent one of the biggest brands of world football? What is his football journey like? How does he plan to take Thai football to the next level?
Join us as Main Stand takes you through Siam’s incredible journey from a southern Thailand province to the heart of Bavaria in Germany.
An international background
“I started playing football at a very young age, when I was 7 or 8 years old,” said Siam. “I attended the British International School in Phuket. It’s one of the biggest international schools in Phuket and in Thailand.”
With over 763 students aging between two to 18, guided by the International Baccalaureate curriculum and possessing world-class facilities, the British International School, Phuket (BISP) is ranked among the top-ten international schools in Thailand.
It was also where Siam began his football journey.
“I think (going to an) international school was good. It was more my style, the combination of education and sports.
“I got a good education and also got to use a good range of facilities to practice football. It got me into Cruzeiro, when the Brazilian club came to Thailand.”
Thanks to his school’s prominent name, it attracted a lot of attention from many global organizations. One of them being Brazil’s top-flight football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, which saw a chance to create a unique academic-athletic partnership with one of Thailand’s leading institutions.
It wasn’t long before the partnership between Cruzeiro and BISP became official in 2013 with the aim of putting the school ‘on the football map’ according to the head of Cruzeiro Football Academy at BISP, Jonathas Candido.
The almost decade-long partnership between the two organizations has built a formidable 2-in-1 program second to none in the Southeast Asian region.
“In other schools, kids have to travel elsewhere to utilize this level of training and avail such facilities,” shared Jonathas. “At BISP, we can provide all of this under one roof. Additionally, many of the kids live in boarding which makes it much easier for us to monitor their health and nutrition. In order to develop a young athlete, that’s a big advantage.”
Thanks to the professional setup surrounding Siam from a young age, he didn’t have to think twice about pursuing football as a career. Through the Brazilian academy, the Thai-British forward developed unique skills.
By the time he entered high school, Siam had become a highlight reel for his age group. Bedazzling his opponents, powering through the defenders and scoring goals for fun.
His complete package of natural physique, pace and technical ability surpassed most kids his age and soon caught the eye of many coaches in the Cruzeiro academy.
It was just a matter of time before he got his chance to test his talents overseas.
“Cruzeiro, they have a lot of contacts,” explained Siam. “When I told my coaches, I want to go abroad, I want to take the next step. I want to play professional football in Europe, they sent me to Sporting Lisbon.
“It was an amazing experience. It’s a different level. It’s professional. The facilities are insane. To be learning at Cristiano Ronaldo’s first club. It was insane to be there.
“I spent a lot of time with them. I was only playing at U-14/U-15 level, but the level was still crazy. The player’s technical ability and also the passion you see in them. They run so much, they dribble, they shoot like crazy. It’s a different level.
“To be there in the academy where everything is professional. They have everything sorted for you. They eat like professionals. They train like professionals. They live like professionals. It was a top experience for me.”
Siam became the first Thai-born footballer in Sporting Lisbon’s academy. The teenager would fly to Portugal every summer throughout high school to improve his football skills in an environment even professionals envy.
However, as his budding football career looks to be coming along nicely, something beyond his control threatens to thwart it.
FIFA’s Article 19
The fact that Siam and his family were based in Thailand meant that every time the teenager went abroad for one of his summer sessions in Portugal, he would have to do so on his own.
The club had no problem accepting a youth player from abroad to partake in training and trials.
But as Siam’s talent became more and more evident to the coaches, Sporting Lisbon opted to pursue a permanent deal for the Thai-British footballer to be a part of their youth team.
This brought up an issue beyond Siam’s control.
“With the FIFA rules, it’s quite hard for me, I’ve experienced it a number of times now. When you go away at a young age to a big club and you make it, and they like you and they want you but you can’t sign due to certain rules, it was quite hard for me to take initially.
“But I just had to keep going. I still dream and I still try my hardest to go back to Europe at some point. I’m sure there are ways to pass the rules or ways around it, and I’ll try to find that.”
FIFA’s Article 19 rule strictly lays down the regulations for international transfers of players to protect minors from getting exploited. The rule has been around since 2005 and permits only the transfer of international players over 18.
But there are ways around the law, as the federation allows three exceptions. The first, enables international transfers if the player’s parents move to the country for non-footballing reasons and the minor follows them.
The second allows international transfers between European Union territories or the European Economic Area. The minor must not be less than 16 for this exemption.
Lastly, is the border rule, which grants international transfers to be made between countries if the minor lives within 50 km from the nation’s border.
As for Siam’s case, none of the three aforementioned clauses were met. So despite a successful trial, he had to return home empty-handed.
Trial and error
Things became even more difficult for Siam when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Thailand as well as the rest of the world, hampering his chances of testing his skills abroad.
Despite the hapless situation, he remained upbeat about the situation. Making the best of the situation, he turned to a local club to continue to hone his skills.
“That was my first time in an academy in Thailand, with Bangkok United. It was the U-18 level, I heard the coach was very good and I heard the team was actually pretty good. So that’s why I was keen on joining them.
“I knew a few players from the team. When I was training there it was my first time training with a Thai team in Thailand, so I knew it was going to be different.
“I adapted well I think. I didn’t play in any official matches because of the ongoing pandemic. But I trained with them for six months, and it was good. They liked to run a lot for sure.”
Six months with Bangkok United’s U-18 team evolved Siam physically and technically. He was 180cm tall by his 16th birthday, unheard of in Thailand’s U-18 age group.
As borders began to open in 2021, it was time for Siam to pack his bags and resume his original path to put his talents to the test again.
“My goal has always been to go to Europe. So, after six months with BU, I said okay, I’ll try to go to Europe again, hopefully this time I stay there. That’s why I went to Estoril Praia U23, a very top team in Portugal. They won the U23 league two years in a row.
“I went there to train with their U23 team, I was with them there for about two weeks. The coaches said they really like me. The only problem was my age, and the BREXIT situation. I was 17 when I went over.
“It was another top team, very similar to Sporting. The style of play, very top players, European style, technical players, very hardworking players.”
Due to yet another issue with the paperwork and visa issues, Siam couldn’t earn his contract abroad. But instead of flying home disappointed yet again, this time, he caught the attention of a few lower league English sides.
“Yeah it was very good to see the football in England for the first time, especially because I am half English but I’ve never played football in England.
“It was very good to trial at top teams, especially in the second division and third division where it was still a very crazy high level.
“My time there was very good. Exeter City is the club (in the city) where my family lives, so it was close to home but things didn’t really work out there.
“And then at Wycombe, I trained with the first team, so there were a lot of big names, it was top level. They played against Man. City a week before I got there, so it was good to see. But then it was just reserves, so there was no point in me staying there.
“Then with the third team it was Hemel Hempstead, it was successful. They wanted me to stay. But then I said, it will be better for me to play at a higher level.”
After three trials with the two League One clubs and the semi-professional side, Siam returned home Christmas of 2021 without a contract in his hands for a second time.
Home sweet home
It was to be a subdued Christmas dinner at the Yapp household, but all hope wasn’t lost in the young footballer’s career.
Thai League 1 side Police Tero were monitoring his gradual rise and didn’t hesitate to see the youngster in person.
“When I came back to Thailand from Europe, I got a call from Police Tero [...] I went for 3-4 days, and played a trial game. I think I played well. The coach liked me and asked me to join the team.
“I remember at a very young age, I said to my parents that I wanted to be a professional football player by the time I was 16. It wasn’t 16, it was 17.
“But it’s a goal that I believe I reached and worked very hard for no matter where it was, whether it was in Europe or in Thailand, I got there in the end and I want to build on that.”
Although it wasn’t the dream club that Siam had envisioned from the time he was growing up in Phuket, his dreams of becoming a professional footballer became a reality.
On April 9, 2022 he got his chance. Coming on as a substitute in the dying minutes for Police Tero in their match against Bangkok United in the 2021/22 Thai League.
A moment he will remember forever.
“For me and my family, I think it was a very surreal emotion, a very good moment. Making my professional debut in football with the crowd, it felt good to come on with players I normally see on TV that are now my teammates, it was a very good moment.
“When I stepped onto the field, I couldn’t remember it too well because of the adrenaline. I remembered I didn’t play badly, I played pretty well and it was a good moment to be there.”
At just 17 years and 11 months old, Siam became one of the five youngest footballers to ever play in the Thai League.
It might not have been a debut for Sporting Lisbon in the grand Estadio Jose Alvarade Stadium or with one of the League One sides he was on trial at, but to play professionally at the age of 17 is a feat not many footballers have in their repertoire.
Following the 2021/2022 Thai League season, which saw Siam earn quality minutes for his club, he continued to aim toward maximizing his summer in Europe.
Bayern Munich World Squad
In the meantime, Germany’s most successful football club FC Bayern Munich launched their second ‘Bayern World Squad’ project which aimed at developing gifted footballers from around the world.
Season one of the campaign in 2021, saw Nattakit Butsing become one of the 20 footballers chosen from over 2,600 applicants worldwide.
In June of 2022, the club wanted to build on the success of season one, which enabled the players to receive extensive training from past and present Bayern stars.
Knowing that he qualified in the 2004/2005 age group, Siam didn’t hesitate to send out his application.
“(I) very casually I signed up. I sent them my CV, I sent them my highlights. Within a matter of weeks, they sent me an email asking me to have an interview, that’s how it all started.”
Siam took part in two training camps. First, it was a 9-day camp in Brazil led by World Cup winner Klaus Augenthaler and former Brazilian international Ze Roberto.
The team played in a few friendlies against CR Flamengo and Vasco da Gama U-19s. The result that Siam focused on, instead he chose to cherish the priceless experience of representing one of the biggest brands in football.
“It was a top experience in my life. Especially with Bayern Munich, everything they do is very professional, the coaches were one of the best I’ve ever trained with. To get top players from all over the world was an eye opener.
“It was also a privilege to play with them. Nigeria national team, Canadian national team, US national team and to play in the same team, it was good to compete with each other to see how it is. But also to represent Bayern Munich, one of the biggest clubs in the world was a privilege.
“We won against two German sides, drew against one Brazilian side and lost against another Brazilian side. It was a big challenge for us.”
Then came the fun part. After an introductory camp in Brazil which allowed the 22 players from 17 nations to gel together, they earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play inside the iconic Allianz Arena against Bayern’s U-19 team.
“Playing in the Allianz Arena, first off, it was an unreal experience. When I first got told that they sold about 20,000 tickets before the game, I was expecting a crazy atmosphere and I got a crazy atmosphere.
“The field was cut perfectly. The side of the stands going up way above you [...] playing inside of that felt like you were in a concert or something. It’s just an insane moment where you once dreamed of playing in a big stadium like that and now you’re there, it was a very good moment.”
Although the match ended in a 0-4 defeat for the World Squad, Siam was a standout player who constantly posed a threat down the right touchline for the U-19 team. The Thai-British star was even greeted by many children after the match, asking for pictures and his autograph after a splendid performance.
“I want to take Thai football to the next level.”
Once the flight back from Munich touchdown at Phuket International Airport, it was time for Siam to embark on his professional career in Thailand again.
The 18-year-old was given a contract extension over the summer to become a permanent member of Police Tero’s first-team squad in the 2022/2023 season.
Having already represented nine clubs and played in four countries, the teenager hopes to translate what he’s learned beyond just for his good.
“The experience that I had at the Allianz was amazing. To see the kids, to see the fans, to see professional players around me, it’s just a first step to where I want to go in the future.
“My goal is to get more minutes on the field and also to prove to Thai football my ability. To prove to the coach, to prove to players around me, to prove to myself.
“I want to show what I can do, I want to help the team. I want to have a good season with my team and let’s see how it goes.
“My goal in Thailand is not just to make it in the U19, U20 but to make it in the first team eventually [...] my goal is to take Thai football to the next level.
“Not only me, but I see a lot of Thai footballers with insane potential to go a lot further and my goal and hopefully our goal together is to push Thai football the furthest possible.”
Siam may not have started any games for Police Tero yet or even featured for the Thai national team in a competitive match, but the kid from Phuket has already been on an extraordinary journey and he’s only getting started.
He wants to play a prominent role in leading the change to the overall football landscape of his nation.
Thai fans should be excited to see whether Siam can bring a bright smile to their faces.
Sources:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2228023/bisp-extends-brazilian-football-academy-partnership?fbclid=IwAR3DFJ4lcAORl40wmBplp9XnFbFSsXhq2GejNWoHtViudvLAvuLdCmi3918
https://www.g-spr.com/post/fifa-article-19-need-for-reforms
https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/bayern-munich-to-launch-world-squad-2022-initiative-salihamidzic-19329
