Somchai Chuayboonchum shares a humorous story about slapping Chanathip Sorngkrasin twice on the head at Thanaboon's wedding.
On 10 June 2026, “Uncle Chuay,” Somchai Chuayboonchum, former coach of Thailand's U19 national team and one of the mentors who nurtured Chanathip Sorngkrasin in the national setup, recounted a funny incident when he met "Jay" at Thanaboon Kesarat’s recent wedding.
Uncle Chuay was the one who gave Chanathip the chance to play for Thailand's U19 national team before gradually advancing him to the senior national team, making him one of Thailand's most successful players.
Uncle Chuay said, “At Thanaboon’s wedding, I just told Jay Chanathip, then I slapped his head twice. The first time I asked why he always liked me only making him run. The second time, I said, if I hadn’t made you run, would you be like this?”
“You all came together for three weeks. No matter how much I wanted to teach you, I just made you run. That’s the coach’s way to beat South Korea, to beat Japan. Players must have the stamina to follow our tactics. You (players) fear running the most. When you were 19 or 20, you ran. But now that you’ve grown up, if I make you run today, you’ll surely curse me. It’s a different story now. You all have experience.”