Thailand football superstar Teerasil Dangda will spend the next two weeks on trial at Spain’s Atletico Madrid. The Muang Thong striker scored 24 goals in 29 games to help his team win the Thai Premier League last season. He was also a key player in the recent AFF Suzuki Cup where he finished as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals and helped the War Elephants to the final, which they lost to Singapore.
This is not the first time the 24-year old-striker has been invited to Europe. Manchester City, owned by Thaksin Shinawatra at the time, invited the then 19-year-old Teerasil to train with the team, back in 2008. Teerasil, however, is now a more complete player, having honed the raw talent that he displayed in Manchester five years ago.
Atletico Madrid is currently second in La Liga—nine points behind first place Barcelona and seven ahead of third place Real Madrid.
Teerasil will spend two weeks training with the likes of striker Radamel Falcao, who is rated among the best strikers in the world. Last season, the 26-year-old Colombian scored 24 goals in 34 games in his first season in Spain.
With the Thai Premier League not starting until March, this is the perfect chance for Teerasil to show any doubters that a skillful Thai player can make the leap to a more competitive, skillful league. And if Teerasil can’t do it, then it will be a long wait until Thai fans see a Thai player in one of Europe’s main leagues.
