A legend of the local game, Hariss Harun has been dominating the centre of the park since he burst onto the scene as a 17 year old.
He has since had an amazing career – training at the famed La Masia, captaining Johor’s premier club JDT and captaining the Singapore national team.
We spoke with Hariss at a recent adidas event where the three stripes were promoting the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the regional football tournament which kicks off in December. Hariss shared his aspirations for the competition, his position on the pitch and his connection to his football boots.
As a captain of the national team for many, many years, what has been the most rewarding and also challenging aspect of leading the national team?
Every boy here in Singapore who plays footballer and loves football, dreams of playing for the national team. I think I’m very blessed to fulfill a childhood dream to play and captain the team. It’s something I was honoured to take on.
It has also been a challenge too, especially in the last couple of years. Our results haven’t been that great. So as a captain, I think that’s where the challenge comes in – to keep the team positive. Especially when you don’t get the results or the performance hasn’t gone the way we like, there’s a lot of negativity surrounding the team.
We always have to find ways to bounce back and keep the confidence in the camp. That’s my role as captain.
Tell us more about the current Coach (Ogura)
He’s been a breath of fresh air. He demands a lot from the team and that’s what we really need at this point in time especially with a lot of younger players coming in. But (their experience) shouldn’t matter as he demands that we run with and without the ball. He demands a certain style of play and it’sn very refreshing for the national team and this bodes well for the younger players too.
Early in your career you played at La Masia in a competition. What aspects of the set up impressed you there, looking back at that experience? And what do you think we can adopt from the legendary Barcelona academy for Singapore?
La Masia is a massive training centre. When I was a 17 years old kid stepping into the compound itself, I just felt “wow”. It had a wow factor. There’s the buildings where the offices, the classrooms are, just for the academy and players. They have several pitches there. The magnitude, the scale of it is just wow.
There are a lot technical players coming through La Masia. They don’t rely too much on strength or physicality. It’s all about the positional awareness, technical skills and their game intelligence.
They give importance to this, no matter how small or big you are. This is crucial for the game. So I think here, there is something we need to focus on as well, you know, not too much the physicality because intelligence is a part of football – whether you are 17 years old or 35 years old.
I think that’s something that Singapore football can look closely and try to emulate.
The upcoming Mitsubishi Electric Cup. What are your goals for the team and yourself?
You always want to win the tournament. Historically, it’s always been a special tournament for us because we’ve won it four times. We have good history except for recent years. Though we were in the semi-finals for the first time in a long time in 2021.
If the players hit right form at the right time, I believe and I’m optimistic that we can do something. But having said that we have to acknowledge the challenge that lies ahead of us. The countries around us have improved in leaps and bounds. Their players are playing at a much higher level.
But if we can find a formula that works for us, we always have a chance.
Your new teammate, Kyoga Nakamura. How impressed have you been with him?
I’m very impressed. We know him from the Singapore Premier League and we know his quality. We saw in the recent friendlies his strengths and the quality that he has. So I think we’re really happy to have him in the camp. I’m sure he will play a big part in the cup.
You’ve been a very dominant centre midfielder. What makes a good centre midfielder?
I’m blessed to have had a good support system around me. From the players to the coaches, they all make my job easier.
It’s always important to know your role. I’ve been under so many different coaches. They have different philosophies, different styles. So it’s important to first understand what they want out of you. As a centre midfielder, you are basically the heartbeat of team. You have to do a little bit of attacking, a little bit of defending. A lot of the play goes through you.
There’s an old saying “If win the midfield, you win the game”.
You wear the adidas Predator, it’s all about control. So what advice do you have for aspiring centre midfielders to improve their game?
You have to be effective with and without the ball. You always have to be “behind the ball” in the sense that you are ready to help in defense, to circulate the ball and help create chances for your team at any time.
The adidas Predator has been a classic boot. What do you love about it?
The Predators have been classy from day one. The Predator lineage has been impressive if you look at the players that have worn them over the years. Zidane, Beckham, Del Piero.
When adidas asked which boot I’d like to play in, I didn’t have to think. From the time I wore them, they felt right. They felt comfortable.
Fold over tongue, regular tongue or laceless?
It doesn’t really matter for me. The boots are the boots and it gives me whatever I need in the game and I’m happy to wear any variant.
Fans in Singapore looking to book tickets for the Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 can do so by clicking this link.
