You briefly mentioned the pressure you get, especially on social media. A lot of people forget that footballers are humans as well…
Well, I love Twitter, especially Thai Port fans…
In football, everyone has their own opinion. If you ask me, I was disappointed that I didn’t get a call from the national team. But maybe I wasn’t good enough.
I know when you are on the top, everyone wants something from you. And I was on the top. And everyone came and asked, can you do this and that..and everyone loves you. But then, when you’re injured, nobody comes. Then you only have your family, which is why I am so grateful for them.
Do you think in Thai football we pay enough attention to the effects of social media and how football players interact with fans. We see that some players respond badly or aggressively, like when they had a bad showing during the Asian Games. Do you have any advice for them?
I’m lucky because I can’t read Thai. I’m really lucky. But the problem is my girlfriend can read Thai. I think if I could read Thai, I would also read all the comments. I know Muangthong fans can be very hard, but in the same way they love you when you win. So, the best thing for [players] is not to read it. Because even if you read and you think you don’t care, it will always affect you. And if somebody attacks you really bad, you [will] want to fight back and you shouldn’t.
Do you think you left Europe too early?
For me, it was a difficult situation in Europe. I broke my right foot, then when I came back I played a season in the second division. I had the chance to play on loan at a bigger team, Lugano, I played all of the games and we were first, but then we started to lose. A new coach came and I didn’t play anymore, so then I got the chance with Buriram. You can always look back at this and that but that’s football. I am very happy with what I’ve done, with the tournaments I’ve won and so on.