Guardian of Fort Ysosrs

Without Hizam, our defence has been shaky at times. Our assured captain is the stabilizing force of our backline. His silent confidence is affecting; despite the various combinations of defensive partners, all have performed very well with him. He has been consistently clocking some impressive performances week-in and out. His sound tactical knowledge places him at the right place and time and his blunt brute physicality muscles out any attempts of bypassing him.

Hi, Hizam. Have you been following the World Cup action? Argentina just thrashed S Korea!

Yeah! The vuvuzelas are abit irritating, very noisy. And France just lost. They are going home.

So which team do you support?

I love Spain, Argentina and England. But Spain and England have been lousy, haha I hope they will finish strong.

What about your football idols? All they defenders like you?

I do like players such as Messi and Gerrard. Players who word hard and give their all.

But the defender that I really like to emulate is Cannavaro. Fuuh. Rock-solid, strong and versatile. Classic Italian style.

How did you hone your football skills growing up? Were you a natural-born defender?

I grew up playing in the streets of Choa Chu Kang. Dinie Fockinell was the Guru, coaching me and ole-ing all the kids who dared to play at the street soccer court.

Well, there were times I dreamt of being a star striker. Gelek-ing and doing stepovers on the defenders. But nahh other than these fantasies, most of the time I played as a defender.

You were solid as a tank in the backline. What are your secrets?

Eyyy no lar, I do have my weaknesses. Haha, but I think all the defenders in the team are very good. We support and cover for each other on the pitch. And not forgetting the goalkeepers, they are just awesome.

As the captain of our team, do you feel any added pressure to perform on the pitch?

Haha, yah the pressure is there. But its good, coz it drives me to do better.

All the players have been very supportive and playing really well. I like our strong mentality and I feel great about this team.

What do you think you can improve on personally?

There are a lot of things that I can improve on actually. Haha, but I really need to improve on my heading. And on using my left leg. My left leg’s dead!

Our fan club has grown considerably since we first started out, although mostly consisting of WAGs (no offence intended). Do you think our fans have a positive effect on the team?

Yeap, the fans surely have a positive effect. The cheering and laughters are getting louder and louder from the sidelines. It may scare our opposition.

Last but not least. Which team will win the World Cup?

Argentina or Brazil. I think.

- Xabi Ws