Behind Nong Phum Phumirapee Siribunyakul on Japan’s football stage: he was hazed with tire cuts, bullied, and fell with no one to help.
On 13 Jan 2025 GMT+7, Nong Phum Phumirapee Siribunyakul, who appears to have a shining future after winning runner-up in the 104th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, actually faced a path full of thorns rather than rose petals.
His mother, Nu Nopawan Siribunyakul, shared on Funfueang Talk Ep.8 about what Phum went through to reach today. She recalled that from the first day he arrived in Japan, he had to live immediately in the school dormitory. Although somewhat prepared, a 15-year-old who had always lived with family felt quite lonely living alone.
Nu said that after moving into the dorm, Phum video-called her crying and sent a photo of his first shower in Japan, where he had written “Love Mom” on the bathroom mirror. On that first day, his newly bought bicycle was slashed. Phum joined the school's A team training with seniors from day one, while others started in the C and D teams.
One day, Phum slipped and fell in the shower and couldn't get up. None of his friends helped him until a senior scolded them for just watching and then came to assist Phum.
Another hardship was food. While Japanese food is special to many, at school it was just sustenance to get through the day. Sometimes Phum wasn’t full and had to ask friends for eggs to eat.
During practice and matches, unfamiliar with the speed of Japanese football, Phum was sometimes slow or missed receiving the ball, and was bullied with remarks like “Thai guy.” But he didn’t give up. His mother told him, “If you decide not to go back, you have to be good because everyone likes talented people.”
From those difficult beginnings and rejection, Phum has now become widely discussed by Thais and Japanese alike as the first Thai to play in Japan’s high school soccer final, earning a spot on the best team of the 104th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.