Sukhao Nuchnum revealed that he was once called up to the Thai national team while ordained as a monk.
On 15 May 2026, Sukhao Nuchnum, legendary midfielder of the Thai national team, appeared on a live broadcast on Thairath Sport during the announcement of the Thai national team roster for June's FIFA Day friendlies.
Sukhao shared a funny story about his first call-up to the Thai national team: it happened while he was ordained as a monk.
“The very first time, for the 2005 SEA Games squad, Siggi Held was the coach. He announced the squad and my name was included. I was extremely happy—it was my first time. But then Held was dismissed, and my name disappeared from the list.”
“Later, during Coach A. Rang's tenure, I still wasn’t in the squad. But by fate, the right winger got injured, so I was called up. When Coach A. Rang announced the second call-up including me, I was ordained as a monk during the league's off-season. The Football Association called me to join the national team, so I said I needed to check the auspicious time to disrobe first. I had planned to stay ordained longer, but in the end, I was a monk for only 12 days.”