Owen Teo hated playing football when he first kicked the ball at 6 years old
It wasn't a fun game when you are a pint-sized kid getting pushed around by "giants"
"I didn't like it at the start, because my size didn't compare to anyone else, and I thought I had no chance to play with others. They were like giants when I was small. I'd always be pushed around and I would never be able to play properly."
Yet he would not let the bullies break him. Owen focused on improving his football skills so he can one day challenge his bullies on the pitch fair and square, even if it meant waiting patiently for a growth spurt.
"I tried to stand up for myself but I realised he (the bully) was much bigger. So, I just let him keep on with the bully. He kept bullying me, it's okay. The next year, we played football against each other, that is when we became the same height, that is when we got to play football equally."
While he was practising and waiting to grow as tall as his bullies, Owen realised that size doesn't matter. "It's how you play and how you cooperate with the team."
Could this little Owen from Malaysia be the next Cristiano Ronaldo?
