Voices From The Ground: Garena Young Lions Captain and Singapore U-22 player, Illyas Lee

Editor's Note: In case you missed it, Illyas has since signed for Hougang United. Please enjoy Chris' dedication, and we hope you'll get to know Illyas a little better from here! ~ kh

Chris (C): Hi! I understand that your full name is Illyas Lee Si Qin, you have a very interesting name, do you want to share a little about your background with the readers?

lllyas Lee (l): I am Illyas Lee, captain of the Garena Young Lions. I also play for the Singapore Under-22 national team. I came through the National Football Academy set-up where I have been since I was 12, and I play in midfield and defence. In 2015, I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Aerospace Electronics. I will be pursuing a Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business in Nanyang Technological University. I also have an Advanced Diploma in Emergency Response and Incident Management which I attained during my time as a Fire and Rescue Officer during my National Service with the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

C: In Singapore, a large percentage of players at the highest level are Malays. Interestingly, you have mixed blood, you have a Chinese Dad and a Malay Mum. Compared to the Malays, the Chinese are less represented at the top level. Any thoughts on this?

l: My stand is that race should not be an issue as we are all Singaporeans. You do not see, for example, the England national team saying there are more players of a certain ethnicity than another.

C: During the heydays of Singaporean football, there was a large presence of Chinese players. In goal, we had the indomitable David Lee, In defense we had a defensive giant in the form of Lim Tong Hai. In midfield we had the likes of Mr "Cultured Left Foot" Lee Man Hon and midfield hardman Goh Tat Chuan while in attack we had "Super Sub" Steven Tan. Did any of them serve as a form of motivation for you to do well?

I: They are great players who have contributed significantly to Singapore football and I had the privilege of playing under some of them before. They did motivate me to do well but there were other former national team players like Noh Alam Shah and Noh Rahman, just to name a few, who have also motivated me through the years.

C: In recent years, a number of Chinese players have emerged, namely, Emmeric Ong and Ho Wai Loon from Warriors FC as well as Lionel Tan from Hougang United. Your good performance has not gone unnoticed as well, do you find this trend encouraging?

I: Yes, this is an encouraging trend. They have done well and there are many other players who have been performing well recently. Regardless of race, things can only get better as a whole for Singapore football if more players perform well.

C: 8 years ago, when you failed to make the cut for the Asian Youth Games, you showed great maturity in reassuring your dad that you are fine, surely you were disappointed, how did you overcome it so quickly?

I: Of course I was disappointed, but I did not want to dwell on it. I took it positively. The coach talked to me and told me which areas I needed to improve on. So I set a new target to improve on my weaknesses before the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG). My next target then was to get into the squad for the YOG.

C: On hindsight, the Asian Youth Games didn’t go well, we lost to China, Iran and Thailand. Was not playing a blessing in disguise?

I: No, it was definitely not a blessing in disguise. When I was cut from the squad, I was more aware of where I had to improve on but there were also other important lessons that I could learn from and grow as a player if I had played in the Asian Youth Games.

C: You never thought of giving up despite the blow, you did mention that it was the only thing that made you happy and you were wise beyond your years when you felt that the journey mattered more than the destination.

I: I was not happy about it for sure. I wish I could be involved in the Asian Youth Games but that was the turning point for me. Looking back, I am glad it happened as it woke me up. I was not too worried though because I was only 14/15 years old at that time. I still had a long journey ahead.

C: Surely, as a 13 year old, there were other things that can be fun. School, friends, girls and computer games just to name a few. Why was football the only thing?

I: Football was not the only thing but at that point it was the most important thing (second to family of course) and it still is now. I felt that I was able to balance football with school and friends – I was in the Sports School and all of my good friends were involved in football.

C: Since the journey was more important than the destination, what are some of the things you had learnt up to this point?

I: Firstly, hard work beats talent alone. Secondly, whenever you fall, you have to bounce back harder, better, faster and stronger. Thirdly, your family and loved ones will push you to strive on. Never be bothered about what others have to say to you or about you. Lastly, never be afraid to take a chance – if you don't, you will definitely miss the chances.

C: The year 2010 must have been memorable for you. You achieved a double of sorts. Academically, you got promoted from Normal Academic stream to Express stream. Football wise, you were part of the team to finish with a bronze medal in the Youth Olympics. Making a mockery of the notion that it’s impossible to juggle studies and a competitive sport. You mentioned that you had doubts yourself, how did you manage?

I: Time management, I would say, is the most important. Being in the Sports School helped – the school’s curriculum helped me to juggle between studies and sports – but at the end of the day you still have to put in the effort and make it all count. I did have to stay up late to study but it did not affect my performance in training. The support that I got from my loved ones, teachers and coaches helped too. They knew how important both aspects were to me.

C: How was your stint in the Singapore Sports School like? Was it a sweet mix of academics and football?

I: I really enjoyed my time in the Sports School. It was a perfect and well balanced mix of studies, sports and being with my friends from Sunday night to Friday evening.

C: A few questions regarding the Youth Olympics. It was a real range of highs and lows. You guys went from scoring in the first minute in the first game on the way to win both matches in the group to the low of losing in the Semi-Finals. Pride was restored by beating Montenegro again. Hanafi Akbar scoring twice in the last game. Coach Kadir Yahaya shed tears at the medal presentation. What were some of the ‘’good, bad and ugly moments’’ for that event?

I: The good moment was in the first match against Zimbabwe when we started the game brightly with a quick goal and won the game, but the best moment had to be when we stood on the podium receiving the medal. A bad moment was when we lost in the semi-finals against Haiti and it was ugly when I received the red card in the same match.

C: Personally, how did you overcome the pain of losing to Haiti in the Semi-Finals?

I: Knowing that we still had a chance in the bronze medal match to obtain the medal made the pain go away slightly because we knew it was not the end of the tournament yet.

C: The captain, Jeffrey Lightfoot, suffered from a serious cut but came back after treatment in the hospital to attend the award ceremony. To quote him, "I must come back here because this is a chance of a lifetime,” and “From here we should continue to develop and become a real power.” Unfortunately, the standard of the S.League and the national teams at all age groups seems to have deteriorated. Jeffrey himself left the game, intending to pursue a Mass Communications degree. You also suffered from an injury during the U-16 Lion City Cup versus Everton, You were given four days of MC but chose to return to training the next day. Were you motivated by Jeffrey to make a quick comeback?

I: Any team captain would want to make a quick comeback to fight with his team especially when there is history to be made.

C: Secondly, Jeffrey must have felt good about the future when he made those quotes, unfortunately, due to various problems, he left the game while you stayed on. Do you feel that his departure was unfortunate?

I: Definitely, but he has other plans and goals ahead of him now. He is not only a great friend of mine, but also a great player and captain. We have known each other since we were young and everyone thought that he had the potential to become the national team captain in future.

C: Your team really captured the attention of the Singaporean fans, stadiums were pretty full. You don’t really get crowds like this at both club and country level nowadays, do you miss that environment?

I: Of course I do. Every footballer would love to be playing in an environment where fans are down at the stadium supporting the players, even if it was hostile like in Kuala Lumpur when we played against Malaysia in the Southeast Asian Games, rather than playing in an empty stadium.

C: Moving on, as we mentioned, you represented the U-16 team for the Lion City Cup, you donned the Captain's armband and played against Youth teams from the likes of Everton and Flamengo. How was the experience?

I: It was a great opportunity to pit ourselves against top overseas players, see where we stand and what we have to do to improve. To lead as captain was an honour for me, especially when we did pretty well in the tournament and showed that we could match those teams. We showed not only our potential but also our mentality in the tournament.

C: You mentioned that being nominated for the Dollah Kassim Award was the best birthday award you could have received. What went through your mind when you first learnt about it?

I: The first thought I had was “It has indeed been a good two years for me, from not making the AYG squad to receiving the nomination.” The nomination felt like an achievement on its own. Unfortunately, I lost out on the award to Adam Swandi but I can’t complain about that.

C: Two years ago, you joined Warriors FC's Prime League team, Warriors FC won the S.League just a year ago. You may not have made any appearances for the first team but was it daunting, playing with numerous big names?

I: I was actually on the verge of joining Warriors the year they won the S.League. Despite not being able to feature for the team, training with seasoned professionals like Fazrul Nawaz, Daniel Bennett, Shi Jia Yi, Nico Velez, Kevin McCann and Tom Beattie opened up my eyes to being a professional player. It felt like I was playing a match everyday as I had to be extra prepared in training.

C: You also did win the Peter Lim Scholarship, how did you feel?

I: I felt blessed to have been awarded the scholarship for 3 years as the monetary award helped me to focus on what truly mattered to me and lifted some financial burden off my parents. Other than that, it also felt good to be recognised for my hard work.

C: We know about your affinity with then-Coach David Sivalingam, you were also coached by the likes of Kadir Yahaya, Slobodan Pavkovic, Takuma Koga, V Selvaraj and now you are coached by Vincent Subramanium. What can you tell us about their respective styles?

I: Coach Kadir and Coach Vincent are very similar in style – it’s all about putting in your 100% effort in training, clocking in the distance, ensuring that the players take responsibility in their own roles and playing a very definitive game plan. I would say that it is slightly old school but this will breed a strong mentality in players and allow us to outrun our opponents even in the dying moments of a game. Coach Slobodan, Coach Takuma and Coach Selvaraj are more into the technical aspect of the game. We don’t do as much fitness work but when we do it is usually in a game-specific situation.

C: You joined the Young Lions last year but only made your debut this year. You wore the armband again versus Balestier Khalsa. A testament in the faith shown to you by the coaches. What’s your leadership style like?

I: I would say my leadership style is a mix between leading from the front and leading from the back. At times, you have to lead by example. Going in hard into the tackles and performing well, that is leading from the front. At other times, you lead from the back by encouraging, pushing and talking to the boys from the back. Overall, I feel that I am a relaxed leader.

C: Your team may have only obtained 3 points from 17 games but it’s not really that bad. Apart from the early season troubles, losing heavily to Albirex and Home United, the Young Lions have made progressive improvements. Losing by just a single goal to every single title contender. Yet to the uninformed, they may think that it’s been a horrible season for the Cubs. What do you have to say about that?

I: We put up good performances against the leaders and had chances to win games. Most times, we pushed the opponents right to the end. I believe we have performed decently but this is a professional league and we have to win games. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but at the end of the day results count.

C: For the Sea games, the Cubs were reinforced by the Protectors trio of Irfan Fandi, Amiruldin Asraf and Adam Swandi. Young players given a chance by Home United and now right in the thick of the action, chasing for the title. Surely you must be happy for them. Any aspirations of your own to join another club in the future, train with senior national team players on a weekly basis and to battle for titles?

I: Firstly I hope to end this season well with the Young Lions. In future, I would like to play overseas to pit myself on the regional stage with seasoned professionals.

C: 7 games remain in the League. Under the tutelage of Coach Vincent, what has changed? What are you looking forward to accomplish for the rest of the season?

I: The target would be to get as many points as we can get with some wins, and end the season well.

C: Lionel Tan aspired to be the next Lim Tong Hai. I am sure you are aspiring to eventually break into the senior team as well. Who are you modelling your game after?

I: It would be a mix of Harris Harun and Izzdin Shafiq. I am combative and I like to switch the play with diagonal balls like Izzdin.

C: What do you do for fun?

I: I am very active. When I am not training, I would do some leisure cycling or swimming and chilling at the beach. I also enjoy cafe hopping and looking for cool cafes with good food. I am a movie buff so I can watch 2-3 movies a week.

C: Singapore is a food heaven, as a mixed blood, you get the best of both worlds in terms of cuisine. That being said, as a professional athlete, you need to keep yourself trim and fit. Do you have any food haunts to share with our readers?

I: For healthy food, my favourite spots are Brawn & Brains which is near Geylang Training Centre, Lean Bento at Buona Vista and Caveman Food (they have outlets in Novena and Buona Vista). On cheat days, I enjoy 328 Katong Laksa, Mr & Mrs Morgan’s Super Crispy Roti Prata at Crane Road, mee rebus from Haig Road Food Centre, and nasi goreng, ayam penyet and beef hor fun from Ayer Rajah Food Centre.