Striking Career | #KaranganBolaSepak
Striking Career | #KaranganBolaSepak by Osman
When footballers enter their 30’s - the big question of retirement comes into mind and body. Can both mind and body keep up with the game. So far only an elite few can maintain certain standards that is useful for his or her football club during that person’s career in that point. In our local football - Amri kept going strong. Beyond local football - Zlatan, Kazuyoshi Miura, Marta, and more. In legend Dennis Bergkamp retired at age 36 and Ryan Giggs retired at age of 41.
However - for some retirement comes early due to various reasons. The most prominent reasons are career threatening injuries. The percentages of someone coming back from those injuries beating both physical and psychological battles are slim. Especially when there’s no support. Especially when the football structure isn’t professionally built like in the top leagues in the world.
Despite retiring at the age of 26 years old in 2012 with his last professional football club Kuala Lumpur FA - Stanley Bernard Stephen Samuel proved that you can in fact build a striking career off the football pitch as long as you have various acumens that keeps pushing the football knowledge out there to the audience. I remember first watching him on the old and best version of Bola at Mamak at Astro Supersports. Not the current one on Astro Arena. Sorry this is just my opinion. The opinion of the author writing. The show allowed people that they bring on to paint a colourful, passionate, and honest views on football which is currently lacking these days.
Credit: Rizal Hashim
Then started noticing a young Stanley Bernard giving his opinions. And those views were well enunciated and at times were proven right. You can go to YouTube today and watch back some old episodes of Bola @ Mamak from almost 10 years ago. The same things that were spoken back then are still relevant today. And you’d be surprise about some of the history happened in local football.
Anyways - Stanley kept on a good career trajectory as a media person for football. Spoke in quite a number of English Premier League matches. Who spoke much senses compared with the likes of Shebby Signh. Then he got more involved with the local football with Astro Arena. Providing English commentary with Dez Corkhill as a colour commentator - the one who usually provided tactical insights and observations to the audience watching. Providing an education. After years of hearing them. I will not be surprised that he probably already did his professional coaching licences of a high level. When local football was on iFlix could noticed that even further especially during the half time segment with Syed Adney or Nidzam Jamil.
Another thing I noticed about him is that he took his time to be with the community - joined in quite a number of social leagues as well as a part of Selangor Football Day 2019 with Hanif Miswan and Izham Ismail and saw here on the website also supports the mental health awareness initiatives as well. Quite an all around person on and off the field.
Fast forward - to late 2020 - it was announced that he is the CEO of Kuala Lumpur United FC. It is nice to see the Klang Valley giants of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor appointing fresh blood into the system. In the likes of Dr. Johan Kamal as Selangor FC CEO and Izrin Nabil as Secretary Geeneral of Selangor FA. And now Stanley Bernard is a part of this fresh contingent. Who I hope can take football forward - but we have to remember it is a process.
All in all - Stanley Bernard may have not rose the highest on the pitch but off the pitch he has done some amazing stuff. I look forward to see his autobiography in years to come. Now we are just waiting for Coach Rajagobal! But could understand cause of this whole covid situation.
Best of luck Stanley at Kuala Lumpur United FC! And happy Federal Territories Day!
Note from padangbolasepak.com: During the Restriction Movement Order 2021 Malaysia to combat Covid19 - Padangbolasepak.com encourages you from home to write essays about our beloved game of football. Can be anything. Why you fell in love with it? Your first game watching or playing? Friendships forged? Etc. Stars the limit.
300-500++ words.
The objective is simple. Sharing the joy of football. Challenge you to write about the joy you may want to share. As well as keep you occupied and encourage to write. Provided that you have nothing else to do. Email us your essay with a photo attached at contact@padangbolasepak.com & we’ll post on the website as well on social media.
Thank you and take care brothers and sisters.