By Wang Meng Meng

IT IS not often that a 14-year-old would have decided what he wants to do in life.

Not so Suh Myeong Won. The South Korean teenager has it all mapped out - and will even tell you how far he wants to go.

'I want to be world famous,' declared the striker, who has netted six goals in as many games in the ongoing Asian Youth Games football tournament.

He took his first step towards stardom by signing with English Premier League club Portsmouth's age-group squad three months ago.

While most of his cohort tend to be bashful when interviewed, he is an intriguing mix of opposites. He can be chatty, yet reserved; he spoke through team manager and interpreter Cho Jun Hee.

He dreams big but speaks in a hushed voice. He admires Didier Drogba and Robin van Persie and the Premier League stars' influence can be seen in his play.

Standing at 1.77 metres and weighing 69kg, Myeong Won has raw physical power on tap like Drogba. But he has allied this with balletic grace as he sheds markers with ease.

Yet, he insists that his main strength is 'communication', which has helped him work well with his teammates.

Apart from Park Ji Sung (Manchester United) and Lee Young Pyo (Tottenham), South Korea's other exports to England - Lee Dong Gook (Middlesbrough), Seol Ki Hyeon (Wolves, Reading and Fulham) and Kim Do Heon (West Brom) - have hardly set the scene ablaze.

But the prospect of failure does not daunt Myeong Won.

He said: 'Nothing in life is easy. This is the path I'm taking and I will do everything I can to be successful.'

Born in the small coastal city of Dangjin, he is not sure what his father, Gi Suk, does for a living while his mother, Shin Ok Joo, is a seamstress. Sister Cho Won, 11, completes the family line-up.

Myeong Won first displayed his talent at Gaesung Elementary School as a seven-year-old. At 12, his breakthrough came with the Cha Bum Kun Foundation prize at a tournament for sixth graders.

The award is named after South Korea's all-time national scorer and is given to the country's best young player. Park Ji Sung was a former winner.

It came with a booty of US$1,000 (S$1,450) and, according to Myeong Won, 'loads of sportswear'.

He recalled: 'When Cha gave me the prize, he told me never to forget that it takes hard work to reach the top.

'Also, a top player must be humble and never elevate himself above the team. Those words have stuck with me.''

His progress continued when he moved to Shin Pyong Middle School. Portsmouth came a-calling in April and, although the offer came as a shock, he did not hesitate to leave his family behind.

He said: 'From the age of seven, I have travelled with the school team for summer and winter tournaments. I've experienced what it felt like to be away from home.'

He stays with an English family, is given an allowance and has been placed at StJohn's College, a boarding school in Portsmouth, where his education is paid for by the football club.

At Portsmouth, he found the right-hand drive a culture shock and needed a hand-held electronic translation device to help him with conversational English. Yet, the only foreigner in Pompey's Under-14 squad feels at home.

'The football is no different from that in Korea,' he noted. 'It's fast and aggressive. I like that.'

Once South Korea's AYG commitments are over - they face China in today's semi-finals - he will return to Dangjin for a short reunion with his family.

Then it will be back to England on Aug 13. The thought brings a smile as he cannot wait to resume his football education at Portsmouth. For it is just one of many steps towards becoming world famous.

This story was first published in The Straits Times.