Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben departed some rallying advice to the participants of the recently concluded Allianz Junior Football Camp (AJFC) which saw 73 junior footballers from 30 countries come together at the fabled Bayern Munich arena from August 25-30.
âDo not be easily satisfied. Always strive to get better and keep improving yourself, it is the only way you would achieve greatness in football, and anything in life. But most importantly, learn to enjoy the game,â said Robben, who visited the aspiring footballers on the final day of the camp.
âWhen I started out playing football, I never imagined playing at a venue such as this (Allianz Arena), with so many people coming for game. But it is possible, if you work hard to achieve it.
The same passion resonated within the three Malaysian participants in the camp which were Sharvin Selvakumaran, Ruventhiran Vengadesen and Shankar P. Ghanais.
Ruventhiran, while disappointed that he could not get a close-up picture with Robben, was nonetheless happy to be in the wingerâs presence.
âOnly the champions of the friendly tournament got to take a personal picture with him. My team finished second, and we missed out. But seeing him up close has given me motivation to continue improving myself,â said the 15-year-old.
Besides Robben, other Bayern Munich stars also got to pose for pictures and have some memorabiliaâs autographed by the likes of Frank Ribery, Rafinha, Renato Sanchez and Xabi Alonso.
The camaraderie between the 73 players was probably the heartbeat of the camp.
During a cultural initiation session, each country were required to a performance that promotes their culture of country.
The reception for each performance was received with thunderous applause, and almost every presentation ended up with participants from other countries joining in for a wonderful night of fellowship and fun.
With the conclusion of the eight edition of AJFC, the organisers are already looking into the possibility of having increased participation in 2017.
âThis yearâs AJFC was a successful one, and if possible we would like to see new countries for the next edition. Our ultimate goal is to help these players make it to highest level of football some day,â said Bayern Munichâs head coach for the international programme, Sebastian Dremmler.
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Caption: Robben (centre) wants the AJFC participants to keep pushing themselves to achieve greatness at the highest level.
