How I started

On the evening of 10th November 2000, I was born in the capital city of Maldives, Male’. Growing up, I lived in the same household as my extended family. Because of this, not a single day was mundane. Every day was well spent either playing football on the streets or pretending to be pirates digging for treasures by the sea.

There are two parts of the story to who I am now. How I started playing football and when I changed my mind to become a professional football player.

Playing on the streets was my hobby and I had no interest in becoming a professional football player at that time. I lived on a road where no vehicles would come and everyday around 4pm, which is the usual tea time in Maldives, I would knock on every door of the neighborhood and my friends would rush out leaving everything they were doing at the moment. As it was near a construction site, we would make goal posts using rocks that were left over from the site or if it weren’t available, we would make the goals using our slippers.

I still remember the sight clearly, and most people will know when I say the name of the road, but down here is a picture of where I used to play. Those were good memories, and I still remember the people who I used to play with. Some people will check on every now and then but others have faded away due to the loss of contact.

In the year 2004, my uncles who were former football players opened the first academy in Maldives which worked for development and enrichment of young football players. So far, the most successful football academy in Maldives. During the time, I had no interest in joining the academy because playing on the streets was my hobby. I didn’t want to change that by putting on some shoes, academy jersey and following other rules. Street football was my passion and I had no interest in changing the way I played, however, my parents changed the habit as they have already seen my talent.

I would cry every day because I didn’t want to go the academy for training but it was forced at that time. I didn’t understand why I was being forced to go to the academy. Most days, it was Ismail Asif (Kuda Heena) who made an effort to take me into trainings. He would take me in his bicycle which had a small back seat for me. I would hold his little finger and unwillingly go to training.

Over the course of a few months, I finally fell in love with the sport, with a little push from my uncles and parents. I grew to love what football stood for and understood the significance of football in my family. It was then that I decided I wanted to become a professional football player.

All the skills and technique that I learnt from the academy is all thanks to Heena Ahmed Saleem (Bodu Heena) and Ismail Asif (Kuda Heena). Joining the Early Touch Football Academy (ETFA) at a very young age (4) heightened my love and enthusiasm for the sport and it laid the foundation for me to become who I am today in the sport.