SINGAPORE – Seated in the backseat of his family car, Aymann Aris was in tears. Aged 10 at that time, he broke down after he told his mother and father, who were in front, that he was serious about becoming a professional footballer.
It was at that moment in 2021 that Azhar Aris and Sharifah Ali, both 50, were convinced about their son’s ambitions.
They then decided to embark on a “family project”, to work towards making their son’s dream a reality. That dream received a big boost with Aymann securing an initial one-year stint with the youth set-up of Portuguese fourth-tier side, SC Salgueiros in July 2023.
Last December, Aymann received his Fifa clearance and made his Salgueiros bow in January in the Porto Football Association’s Under-15 division II and has since scored three goals in four appearances.
Aymann, a winger, counts Brazilian forward Neymar and Lion City Sailors attacker Shawal Anuar as players he models his game after. The 13-year-old said over a virtual call: “I have a huge love for the sport and it is something I really enjoy. So I asked my parents If I could do it.
“I had hoped that it would be something that will take me far in life.”
His parents trawled online for information and were recommended academies like the Individual Football Training (IFT), which ran an Asia summer camp in Singapore during the June school holidays in 2022.
There, Aymann impressed and was one of three players to earn a training stint with IFT in Porto for three weeks in December 2022. He received another offer to train in Portugal for a year.
In April 2023, just a few months into his first year at Singapore Sports School, the family decided to take the leap of faith and accept the year-long training opportunity with IFT. It would cost them about €60,000 (S$87,000), with Aymann’s aunt and grandmother also helping to contribute.
According to Fifa rules, at least one parent must relocate to the country where the club are located for a player under the age of 18 to be registered.
This meant Azhar had to quit his job after 27 years in the hospitality industry and take a pay cut to work in Portugal, where he was hired by IFT as an international consultant for the academy.
He said: “It is important to us that we support his dream. Football is a game of opinion. We went through a lot of hard times with opinions from others about Aymann, but we never second-guessed his ability. We wanted to persevere and believe in him.”
Sharifah and their daughter Alyaa Aris, 18, remain in Singapore. Sharifah, an assistant manager at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, communicates with Aymann daily via video calls.
She said: “It is the hardest thing to do as a mum because I’m very close to him. As parents, we have always told ourselves that we do what we need to do for the kids and you do your part, perform and make it worthwhile.”
Soon after training in Porto with IFT, Aymann was scouted and snapped up by Salgueiros despite interest from other clubs. But there was to be a long wait for the transfer to be registered before he could play in official matches. He hopes to stay and play in Portugal for “as long as I can”.
Azhar is aware more hurdles, such as national service, may follow, but he said it was “a bridge that we will cross as a family when we get there”.
Aymann, who attends an international school in the day, IFT training, mental skills and nutrition lessons in the afternoon and then club training in the evening, said: “I am really full of gratitude, because I know not many parents will do this.
“They believed in me and gave me this pathway to achieve my goal. And more importantly, they did not set any expectations for me so I do not feel any pressure.”
When he received confirmation that his transfer certificate was approved, he cried in joy and relief. This time, he was not in a car but still steering his way to a possible football career in Europe.
