PETALING JAYA: Teenager Celine Chuang’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric, becoming the first Malaysian woman to play with German titans Bayern Munich after moving to Germany for her studies.
It’s been a remarkable run for the 15-year-old Penangite, who as recently as 2016 was still dabbling in sports like tae kwon do and fencing.
Speaking from her home in Munich, she said it was all part of her mother Liza’s efforts to encourage her three children to keep active.
“Both my siblings played football and one day mum brought me to Persatuan Sukan Bintang Biru and I loved it. I knew it was the sport for me,” she told FMT.
Since then, the young winger has been capped by both the U-15 Malaysian women’s national side and the U-17 FC Bayern Women second squad, which she will officially join next year.
She admits she didn’t really follow football growing up and wasn’t aware of many of the sport’s greats, but added she remembered taking a liking to Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller, two Bayern greats whose legend Celine will be chasing.
“I was really surprised when she got picked by Bayern, it’s only been four years.
“But she’s so hardworking. She’s always training and building herself up,” Liza said.
Having played for clubs in Phuket with the Cruzeiro Academy and Wacker Munchen eV in Germany, Celine credits her success, at least in part, to always competing alongside and against the boys.
“They’ve forced me to become better, they’re all really tall and strong, so I’ve really had to up my game and improve quicker,” she said.
Liza chimed in saying her daughter’s coach in Germany often mentioned that Celine’s presence in the team “puts pressure on all the boys.”
Despite the success, life in Germany hasn’t been all smooth sailing.
Liza has struggled to find work due to the pandemic’s heavy toll in Germany, and Celine’s life as a young athlete isn’t always an easy one, with training schedules and schoolwork wrestling for her attention.
“For some people, commitment and sacrifices are quite difficult, because you have to give up a lot of time when you want to go out with your friends, but I’ve been lucky to have family and friends who’ve always supported me and kept me going.”
In addition, wintery conditions like a sun that sets in the afternoon and snow-covered pitches have forced her to adapt quickly to an environment far removed from those she’s grown accustomed to in the tropics.
With the eyeballs she’s garnered in Malaysia, Celine hopes that her success can lead to better infrastructure for young, female athletes with promise.
“There need to be improvements. I think there are still so many people who look down on women’s football in Malaysia.
“There needs to be more leagues and games so that young girls can play and compete, and with more clubs for them to join.”
Although her sights are set firmly on cracking the Bayern first team one day, or moving to the US to follow in the footsteps of idols like Alex Morgan and Rose Lavelle, she said that Malaysia will always be home regardless of where she ends up.
“I really miss my char kway teow and wantan mee. It somehow always tastes better when you’re in Malaysia.”