Thank you, Dad

Struggling to make an impression in the sport he loves, Muhd Indra Moraga was 12 when he left Braveheart Football Academy (BFA), a local private youth football institution.

Two years later, he is a two-time National C Division champion with Hong Kah Secondary School.

The 14-year-old says his success in schools football is down to his father, 53-year-old Muhd Idris Basirun.

"I was never the best of players. I always got left out of the team, and my father noticed this, so he decided to pull me out of BFA when I was in 
Primary 6," said Indra, a Boon Lay Garden Primary alumnus.

"My father put in the effort to source for football opportunities for me at (S.League giants) Warriors FC, where I went for trials.

"That was the turning point, and it was all because of him."

Idris' endeavour worked wonders for his son, who now captains the club's Under-14 Centre of Excellence team.

When he started in Secondary 1, Indra was deemed good enough for the Hong Kah school team, who went on to win the National Schools C Division championship in 2013.

This year, the lean defender was promoted to vice-captain, and helped lead the team in a successful title defence after defeating Crest Secondary 2-0 in the final in July.

The win ensured that Hong Kah, a school boasting national team players like Fazli Ayob and Hyrulnizam Juma'at as former students, made it three titles in a row, a run that dates back to 2012.

Playing in a defensive position, Indra does not have many opportunities to go running at opponents with a bag full of tricks.

But Hong Kah's teacher-in-charge for football, Ng Han Liat, believes that Indra possesses a much more valuable skill set.

"Normally, players aren't very receptive to criticism, but Indra is different. He has a willingness to improve, and he always gives his 100 per cent.

"On the pitch, he is a leader, but not in the conventional sense. He is quietly confident and he leads by example, a lot like (Real Madrid and Spain defender) Sergio Ramos."

A shy and quiet teenager, Indra is not merely a promising football star.

GOOD STUDENT TOO

Away from the game, his academic achievements are also impressive.

Entering Secondary 1 as a Normal (Academic) student, Indra ended his first year in Hong Kah as the second-best student in his cohort.

A subsequent move to the Express stream followed in Secondary 2, where he outperformed most of his peers and achieved 16th position throughout the whole cohort in his mid-year examinations.

"My father made me a timetable to help me balance studies and football, so that I could stay focused on both," said Indra.

"There are always clashes, such as trainings and remedial classes. But my teachers always help me to balance the time.

"Also, if I end up neglecting my studies, my father's punishment is to confiscate my handphone and bar me from playing football!"