Whatever people might think about Thailand and Muang Thong United forward Teerasil Dangda's trial at Spanish club Atletico Madrid, it has provided a brutal demonstration of the gulf in standards between the Kingdom's football league and those of leading nations.
For a country in which matches of major European leagues are broadcast week after week, fans have long harboured a dream of watching a Thai footballer rubbing shoulders with star players on television. Unfortunately, the Thais' attempts to secure a move into European football have mostly ended up in bitter disappointment.
Since former national midfielder Wittaya Laohakul played for German club Hertha Berlin in the 1980s, a number of Thai players have tried to follow in his footsteps, but none of them has come anywhere near realising the dream of gaining wealth and fame by playing in Europe's top leagues. Former national captain Kiatisak "Zico" Senamuang was the first to get a tilt at a move to England when he first had a trial with Middlesborough, coached by Bryan Robson, but failed to earn a contract. He got a second chance with Huddersfield Town, who signed him on a short-term deal in 1999.
Kiatisak's stint at the Yorkshire club left nothing to look back on with pride, as he spent most of his time training with the reserve team after failing to obtain a work permit. To make it worse, the Thai striker ironically often found himself among the reserves in a reserve league match.
Then came the case of three Thai players, including Teerasil when he was in his late teens, who grabbed headlines with a move to Manchester City five years ago. But it proved nothing more than a publicity stunt by the Manchester-based club, which was owned by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the time.
The fact that the trio got one of those rare opportunities to play in City colours when the club had an exhibition match in Bangkok in May 2008 showed how poor their plight was. They were quickly deemed as, to put it kindly, surplus to the team's requirements following a change of ownership later that year. There was no doubt that a move to the world's top leagues was a step too far for Thai players. However, the considerable growth the domestic league has enjoyed over the last few years bred optimism that such a gap might have become narrower.
All those concerned with football here welcomed the opportunity for the 24-year-old Teerasil, who helped Muang Thong clinch their third title in four years by netting 24 goals in 29 league appearances last season, to have a trial with Atletico, which was arranged as a partnership deal between the clubs.
Many believed the time was just right for Teerasil as he matured from a teenager who was still finding his feet in the country's top-tier football when he got a chance to join City, to a fine striker. The player, himself, also felt the time had come for him to pursue his dream of plying his trade abroad after achieving almost everything in the domestic league.
However, after some early promise in training with the club, which was flying high in second spot in the La Liga standings, Teerasil, currently in his third week in Spain, realised that he faced a huge hurdle at the top level of football.
The sight of Teerasil cutting a dejected figure while conducting an interview with Siam Sport reporters told the whole story. He looked every inch a man who had lost his confidence after learning that he was not as good as he once thought.
In terms of technique, the Thai was as good as other Atletico senior team members. But, it was the tactical aspect of the game where he had a lot to learn. Teerasil revealed that he got completely lost with his position during a practice match.
It does not matter whether Teerasil would get a contract or not at the end of the trial, which was extended to 30 days. It has been a worthwhile experience as he got a chance see how the professionals work at close quarters. Hopefully, he could make good use of the lessons learned from the Spain trip in developing himself into a better player. And, we might see him play abroad soon, albeit in "smaller" leagues.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/01/27/lessons-learned-at-atletico-will-help-teerasil/
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