Generational Talent. It’s a term that, in an ideal world, should not be thrown around.
But in Malaysia, cries of the next superstar get pretty deafening at times and Luqman Hakim Shamsudin is the latest in the series of wunderkids gripping the nation. Generational talent, they call him.
In this case though, it’s hard not to see why the kid is highly-rated. He’s got pace, he’s got exceptional movement on and off-the-ball, and perhaps more crucially, given that he primarily operates upfront, the boy is no stranger to hitting the back of the net. Take a quick look at his highlight reels on YouTube and narratives built around him would instantly make sense.
On Wednesday night, the 18-year-old striker officially left for Europe to join KV Kortrijk in the Belgian Pro League – a move that was initially announced last year, only for it to materialise now, after months of speculation over his future.
The celebratory mood amongst Malaysian football fans was palpable, and it was further intensified by the Belgian club’s move to publish a quirky ‘announcement video’ on their social media platforms last week, before going on to reveal that Luqman will don the No.9 jersey.
Nobody saw that coming. He was always going to be given minutes on the pitch, Vincent Tan made that proclamation last week. But to be given the No.9 jersey? That’s a massive statement of intent.
But beneath the euphoria, skepticism was brewing.
There’s the obvious elephant in the room – KV Kortrijk are owned by Malaysian business tycoon, Tan Sri Dato’ Vincent Tan, and the man himself alluded to the fact that he played an active role in getting the head honchos of his club to sign Luqman on a five-year deal.
Let’s put it this way, KV Kortrijk, though not considered a heavyweight in Belgian football, have got a good coaching set-up and the first team is led by Yves Vanderhaeghe – a former pro footballer who made 340 appearances in the country’s top division and also amassed 48 caps for the national team.
If the club felt signing Luqman on a long-term deal wasn’t a smart move, it’s a valid judgement that needs to be taken into consideration.
Then there’s the monkey on Malaysian football’s back. Nazmi Faiz was 17 years old when he sent shockwaves across the country by scoring a thumping strike against Bahrain back in 2011.
Six months later, the diminutive midfielder moved to Europe and signed with SC Beira Mar in Portugal. Audacious, but even Malaysians, with lenses tampered by decades of mediocrity, didn’t feel like the move was out of place. Nazmi was a generational talent. At the tender age of 17, he was constantly one step ahead of everyone on the pitch.
Without getting into too much detail, the move didn’t work out. There were rumours of Beira Mar facing financial difficulties, rumours of Nazmi getting conned by agents, as well as rumours of homesickness – depending on who you speak to.
Ultimately though, as far as Malaysian football fans were concerned, Nazmi was back on Malaysian soil after merely six months. And he has remained here since then. These days, he turns up for JDT regularly and is certainly a valuable member of the squad. But it wouldn’t be an overstatement to suggest Nazmi hasn’t fulfilled the potential that made him such an exciting talent to watch at the age of 17.
In the aftermath of Nazmi’s move to SC Beira Mar, a number of other young players had very short stints abroad. Nazirul Naim and Wan Zack Haikal spent a few months with FC Ryukyu in Japan, while Fakri Saarani had a six-month stint with Atletico SC in the Portuguese second division.
As we speak, Hadi Fayadh remains in Japan, without necessarily having the desired impact. None of the moves have been able to raise eyebrows and the initial fanfare around it almost always dies off prematurely, within the span of three to six months.
Put all this information into context and it’s not difficult to see why pessimism will accompany Luqman Hakim throughout the initial stages of his move to Europe.
The 18-year-old won’t just be up against a different environment and players twice his size, he will also have the small matter of swimming against the tide when it comes to Malaysian football’s reputation with exports. As unfortunate as this sounds, he will be carrying the hopes and dreams of Malaysians on his shoulders.
There’s an important nuance to consider though.
Unlike the others before him, Luqman is a product of the National Football Development Program – an initiative that was launched in 2014 to exclusively generate world class football talents at grassroots level.
The merits of this initiative, the general structure of it and the place it holds within the Malaysian football pyramid is hotly debated, but there’s no denying the fact that NFDP has been able to produce talents over the last six years – just look at how swiftly Malaysian clubs scrambled to secure the signature of NFDP graduates. A number of them are even expected to break into the first team set-ups of these teams very soon.
The goal of this project wasn’t just to develop individuals who were good with the ball at their feet, NFDP was also there to develop mindsets, nurture attitude and build the sort of mentality that would enable these boys to go anywhere in the world and adapt seamlessly.
Being able to succeed abroad doesn’t just come down to talent, it also boils down to adaptability and perseverance. In that sense, Luqman seems better equipped than his predecessors.
It’s easy to be dismissive about the move given that the Malaysian owner of the club had to personally step in and push for this signing. But given the sort of problems that have plagued names like Nazmi Faiz, there’s a sense of stability and security about this move, given that he will be walking into an environment that will prioritize his best interests.
At the age of 18, there’s still room for Luqman to improve. He’s been impressing scouts in age-group tournaments all over Europe in the last few years, so there’s absolutely no limits to how far this kid can go, with the right amount of patience, guidance and perseverance.
The pressure will always be there. It’s the unfortunate reality of coming from a football-mad nation that wants to see the birth of its next superstar. At this age, Luqman shouldn’t be carrying the hopes of his nation. But he is. And he will, for the foreseeable future. But he doesn’t need to deny the existence of it or react negatively towards it.
Ultimately, he’s got millions of people cheering him on from Southeast Asia. Luqman gets to choose if that’s a burden or valuable ammo. Knowing the background he comes from, the mentality he has developed and the support system he has, I’m inclined to think it’s the latter.
Good luck in Europe, Luqman. Malaysia stands behind you.
Photo: KV Kortrijk
