I must admit, last year when I heard the news about young Maicon Cardoso, the little Brazilian footballer with a Thai heart,
he had the opportunity to try out with Bayern Munich's under-17 team in Germany.
At first, I felt indifferent, not overly excited.
I thought Bayern Munich would accept him mainly because they are partners with STB Academy.
STB Academy, led by Sia Winij Lertratanachai, has had a close relationship with the club for many years.
I assumed after completing his training in Germany as scheduled, he would fly back to Thailand as usual, nothing more.
But this opportunity to open the door to becoming a professional player in Europe
has incredibly transformed Maicon's life!
Who would have thought that this little Samba boy, whose father Douglas Cardoso, a former Brazilian striker who shone in the Thai League,
brought him and his twin sister Yasmin Cardoso across the sea when they were just 2 years old,
to grow up, live, and study in Thailand, speaking fluent Thai, almost becoming like a Thai child,
would one day become a rising star at Allianz Arena, attracting the attention of many major European media outlets?
Seventeen-year-old Maicon Cardoso, a youth player for Bayern Munich,
was substituted in by coach Vincent Kompany to make his professional debut for Bayern Munich,
during the last 30 minutes of a Bundesliga match where Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-1 last Friday.
Overall, Maicon's debut performance in Germany's top league was quite good.
He played on the field for 30 minutes,
with a passing accuracy of 12 out of 13 passes, or 92%,
was fouled twice by opponents, and won two out of three one-on-one duels.
What this young Samba boy with a Thai heart showed in the game made Thai football circles proud.
Because let's not forget, although Maicon is Brazilian, his football foundation is thoroughly Thai.
He started at the Ratchaburi club academy before moving to develop his skills at STB Academy from his time at Satit Prasarnmit School until becoming a key player for Bangkok Christian College.
Winij Lertratanachai told me that Maicon is the first product of STB that Bayern Munich has seriously taken interest in.
Although he is a small forward, only 165 centimeters tall,
that did not hinder him from showcasing his abilities and skills to Bayern's youth coaching staff.
Actually, Maicon is not the most talented in his STB Academy age group,
but he has the strongest determination, dedication, and clear life goals!
Therefore, Maicon fits perfectly with STB’s approach to developing youth players in Thailand.
This proves that fundamental football training in Thailand
can be built upon and developed abroad if given sufficient opportunity and support.
Especially, STB Academy is committed to developing youth players in a program
that provides pathways to becoming professional players in Europe.
They leverage their partnership with Bayern Munich, which trusts and has confidence in them,
giving them the privilege to select promising STB players to develop before other teams.
Additionally, there is another partner club, Hoffenheim,
which signed "TJ" Thomas Junior Thai-Schmitz, a Thai-German player, to their team.
He is ready to return as a key player for Thailand’s U17 national team to compete in the Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia this May.
They aim to secure one of Asia's eight spots in the U17 FIFA World Cup final tournament.
Moreover, there are other players from Bangkok Christian College, products of STB Academy,
who will soon have the opportunity to participate in Bayern Munich's FC BAYERN GLOBAL ACADEMY program—two more players.
These are “Guy” Phanupong Phobsayai, a 17-year-old midfielder, and Ayan Samras Boat, a speedy Indian winger.
This is the "Maicon Model," a blueprint that young Thai footballers can follow to reach Europe successfully.
An excellent path to follow!
- Bee Bangpakong -