S'pore's Faris picked for Nike search finals

Singapore's Muhammad Faris Ramli has been chosen as one of four footballers to represent Southeast Asia at Nike's The Chance talent search's global finals in Barcelona in August.

The 20-year-old winger was chosen from 20 hopefuls during the regional finals in Jakarta, which ended on Tuesday.

He will be among 100 players from 55 countries who will get to train under former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola at the Spanish club's youth academy, which has produced world-class talents like Lionel Messi.

"I'm very honoured to win this and I will definitely do my best in Barcelona," Faris said.

"Hopefully, I will get some good exposure in Barcelona and become a better player."

During the intense training and competition in Barcelona, the players will be evaluated by a top team of coaches and scouts.

The top 16 players from the global finals will earn a four-week training tour to play against academy teams from the likes of Manchester United and Juventus.

Four players will then be selected to train with the British-based Nike Academy, before the best player of them all will be chosen to join the academy full-time for three months next season.

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