5 reasons why Nazmi Faiz is a star in the making

You might say I’m creating a mere hype with this article but that would probably imply that you haven’t followed the progress of Nazmi Faiz in recent times. I remember watching Jack Wilshere making the cut with Arsenal. I remember watching a video of Christian Erikksen on YouTube and praising him like I never did. I also remember watching Damien Manso shine impeccably against Manchester United in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final. And watching Nazmi Faiz score that beauty against Bahrain yesterday, brought back reminiscence of those moments.

For a 17-year old lad attempting to make his mark on a Malaysian Football scene that is still in a transitional period, definitely raises our spirit to shed light on the developments of young talent from the nation to an extent. The word ‘talent’ is often heard in modern Football, where one single good performance is enough to brand a player as ‘The Next Big Thing’. But having watched Nazmi Faiz perform at the same level for the past three weeks or so, there is certainly something about him that makes it all look so easy. Qualities are the essence that builds player’s career and Nazmi possesses all the attributes needed to be hailed as a legend someday. Here are five reasons why Nazmi Faiz is Football’s next big thing;

1. Incredible maturity on the ball

Players who so often go on to make a name for themselves start impressing from a very young age. Pele was a revelation even as a young player in the 1958 World Cup while even Lionel Messi looked magnificent as a teenager with the Blaugrana. As far as Nazmi Faiz is concerned, he is making a huge impression as a 17-year old kid. Midfielders are often given the task to dictate play and sometimes, young lads get tormented with this task under pressure. However, Nazmi portrayed plenty of maturity on the ball throughout the SEA Games campaign, often picking the right pass at the right moment. Wilshere’s maturity was the aspect that convinced Wenger and the 17 year old Nazmi definitely deserves recognition for that.

Here’s a compilation on the Malaysian teenage sensation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7lxYUAbopgc

2. Unfazed by anything

Playing in the Gelora Bung Karno with over 80,000 opposition fans jeering your team is not something easy to perform. As a matter of fact, even the toughest teams of them all, have the capacity of crumbling under such intense pressure. Not to mention hostile too. But Ong Kim Swee’s trust on Nazmi Faiz during the clash against Indonesia in the SEA Games group stages was repaid with an immaculate performance by the 17-year old. Despite the massive atmosphere, Nazmi kept his cool and proceeded to dominate the dynamics of the midfield battle as Malaysia came out triumphant with a 1-0 victory. Yes, Syahrul Azwari did score the winning goal. But it was the tireless performance from Nazmi that inspired the team in midfield.

3. Terrific First Touch

Whether we like it or not, one aspect that has been lacking in Malaysian players is the first touch. When a long ball or even a short pass is heading towards us, all we need to do as midfielders is receive it cleanly before launching it back to another player upfront. But we always tend to falter with our first touches. Yes the pitch condition can be blamed at times but it’s also essential for the Malaysian players to improvise on their first touches.

Nevertheless, Nazmi has shown plenty of promise with his touches. They are clean, and mobile and that’s probably the reason why he built such a formidable partnership with Baddrol Bakthiar in midfield during the SEA Games campaign. His capabilities of sitting in deep and distributing the balls allowed Baddrol to take up a more advanced role, being influential in that hole behind the main striker. It’s absolutely encouraging to see such qualities in a young player like Nazmi.

4. A very good vision

I think the modern Football places great emphasis on midfielders and we have definitely seen their importance in the ‘tiki-taka’ style of Barcelona. How Xavi and Iniesta dictate the play. How Busquets sits in deep, disrupting opposition attacks. It’s the latest style in Football and Nazmi Faiz has one of the most important attribute in order to evolve into a breathtaking midfielder, which being the vision in midfield.

Whether to take a shot or even come up with a defence-splitting pass, Nazmi has the ability to come up with something different in midfield. That goal against Bahrain was an absolute cracker while I also believe that Malaysian fans have now been accustomed to seeing defence-splitting pass from the 17 year-old. If there was a reason why Nazmi Faiz would go far in the trade of football with proper guidance, this quality has to be it.

Nazmi’s brilliant strike against Bahrain last night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RvzmgC2_ZGs

5. Tireless midfielder with plenty of energy in the bag

They often say that every team needs a breath of fresh air in midfield and Nazmi is that kind of a player. While he constantly seeks to build attacks from deep in midfield, Nazmi doesn’t hesistate to run back down to defend and disrupt opposition attacks. In that match against Indonesia during the group stages, it was evident enough to see that Nazmi was one of the main guys involved in breaking the Indonesian attack, inspiring the team to keep a clean sheet. Football is all about pass and move, something that is pretty obvious in Nazmi’s style of play. You will find him on the left side of midfield and in a split of second, he will be on the right side, finding for a perfect empty position to receive the ball. Brilliant tactical awareness combining with plenty of energy to produce an efficient midfielder.

A lot of thing is already being said of the young midfielder but it’s essential for him to ignore those praises and continue developing himself. The talent is absolutely indubitable. What remains to be seen now is whether Nazmi will be able to carry on his impressive performances and train hard to elevate his capabilities. For now, he definitely appears to be the ‘Next Big Thing’ in Malaysia at least.