Luqman: My ultimate dream is to play in Europe

Lanky Luqman Hakim Mustaza (pic) dreams of playing professional football in Europe.

And the 16-year-old lad from Rawang certainly made his intentions known with an impressive outing at the just-concluded Milo Hidup Bola Futsal Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, on Sunday.

Luqman, a student at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School in Bandar Penawar, inspired the Malaysian Under-16 side to their third consecutive victory by bagging six goals.

The four-team league competition comprised three top Thai youth outfits Pattaya FC, Chonburi FC and Nonthaburi FC.

Against Nonthaburi FC he scored a hattrick in Malaysia’s 4-2 win.

“I love football so much and I hope to make the sport a career,” said Luqman, who is also a member of the Selangor youth team.

“I don’t want to become just a regular professional ... I want to make it to the top. I hope to play for JDT (Johor Darul Ta’zim) before taking it a step further by playing in top-flight Asian leagues such as the J-League (Japan).

“But my ultimate dream is to play in Europe.”

Luqman has proven himself at junior level by spearheading Selangor to the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Under-15 title last year.

He scored the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Sabah and was declared the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

His outstanding performance earned him a spot at the Asian Schools Football Championship in Shah Alam last year.

Luqman, who led RSJ FC to the semi-finals of the National Grand Finals, was the only player picked from the team by national futsal coach Chiew Chun Yong in the 12-member team for the Pattaya competition.

“It was great playing with my new teammates. The coach put together a formidable team,” said Luqman.

“I thought we did really well considering we only trained for two sessions. I love futsal too and I played in the tournament to make some pocket money during the school holidays. I didn't think that it would end up so well.”