Every now and then, the winner of Best Player in a competition got people thinking and asking questions like “Why him?” It is true that everyone has their own opinion, but sometimes many people just couldn’t believe that the award went to the person whom, according to them, did not deserve it. For instance, ask any Indonesians on the topic of Best Player of the Indonesian Super League 2014.
However, the 2014 AFF Championship’s Best Player elect seemed to have successfully calmed any critics and drowned any raising questions regarding his quality.
Chanathip Songkrasin has simply stolen the show as he brought Thailand to their 4th South East Asian title. The attacking midfielder played an instrumental role on Thailand’s offense which exemplified his technique and intelligence. His contribution has made Thailand to be a rapid and aggressive team.
Many people might have overlooked Chanathip’s quality by judging on his posture. With only 1.58 cm tall, Chanathip would’ve easily be considered as inconsiderable for the fast-moving and pugnacious modern football. But he managed to deny those criticisms by hoisting up his self-confident as well as his skills.
He turned his pocket-size figure as an advantage. His small steps enable him to move quicker with the ball on his feet. His short comportment makes him sturdier and harder to bring down, especially when he is running.
In his 476 minutes involvement throughout the competition, Chanathip has created more chances than any other players, totaling up to 21 chances. Out of 14 goals in total for Thailand, he was involved in 4 of them by providing 2 assists and scoring the other 2. He also made the most successful dribbles in the competition with 19 in total.
“Messi Jay”, as he is nicknamed in his country, completed 222 passes with a remarkable 86% accuracy. In average, he made up to 37 successful passes per match.
He might has only scored 2 goals for Thailand in the competition. But those goals surely meant quite a lot for Thailand’s campaign in the knockout phase. The first goal against the Philippines in the second leg semifinal opened up the score line and brought Thailand ahead. While his second goal against Malaysia in the second leg final practically sealed the deal for The War Elephants to win the trophy.
We believe that there’s very little doubt on Chanatip’s appointment as Best Player. As some of you are trying to find an argument on why it shouldn’t be Chanathip, here is some statistical facts on him in the 2014 AFF Championship (click on image to enlarge).
