Naqiuddin Eunos: The Late Bloomer Making a Mark in the Lions Squad

"I'm feeling a bit nervous, it's my first time in an interview," the 27-year-old admitted with a laugh, wiping away the sweat from his brow.

He was speaking to The Sunday Times ahead of Singapore’s football friendly against J1 League side and Asian Football Confederation Champions League finalist Yokohama F. Marinos on Oct 14.

Unlike many of his national teammates, the Geylang International winger has not been in the limelight, but that looks set to change after a productive season on the pitch.

After signing for the Eagles from Tanjong Pagar, Naqiuddin has contributed five goals and four assists in 16 games in 2024, which is one goal more than in his 82 matches for the Young Lions, Jaguars and Lion City Sailors in the six preceding seasons. His performance has led to a national call-up by Tsutomu Ogura.

Returning to an attacking position with a top-scoring club has helped. He said: “I started out as a winger, but played as a wing-back at the Sailors, so my focus was more on the defensive side which was good for me to learn.

“Playing as a winger again this year, my objective is more to score or assist, so I try to rediscover my attacking instincts through putting in additional work on my crossing and finishing after training to make sure I can use it during matches, and it has been working.”

The value of hard work was ingrained in Naqiuddin in his early teens when his father suddenly lost his job. But the latter found ways to put food on the table for his family of five, a tight-knit unit who also bond through their support for Manchester United.

He started playing organised football when he was 12, when his dad took him to a community club for training sessions every Sunday.

A late bloomer by his own admission, he found joy in scampering down the flanks with his natural stamina, which he still does today.

While he played for the Woodlands Wellington Under-16s, Balestier Khalsa Under-17s and Under-18s, he almost became a lost talent after opting out of the Centres of Excellence to focus on playing for ITE College West when he was 18.

Despite “not having proper foundation”, he was scouted by then-Football Association of Singapore head coach of youth Fandi Ahmad to play for the national Under-20s in 2017, and the Young Lions in 2018.

Thus began his professional football career and he moved on to the Sailors, with whom he won the Singapore Premier League in 2021. He showed promise as then-Sailors coach Aurelio Vidmar identified him as a player with the potential to play overseas.