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t is not often that a Malaysian player gets mentioned in the same breath as David Beckham. However, Faiz Subri’s feat in winning the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Puskas Award had his Penang coach Ashley Westwood reminiscing about his days playing alongside the world’s most famous soccer player, David Beckham, more than two decades ago.

On Monday night, Faiz Subri became the first Asian soccer player to be honored for his scoring feats at the FIFA World Football Awards after his knuckleball free kick against Pahang from February was named goal of the year.

The set piece produced the kind of bend and swerve once associated with former England captain Beckham, inspiring the popular 2002 film, Bend It Like Beckham.

Westwood, who took over as Penang coach last month, crossed paths with Beckham when he came through the Manchester United youth system, playing in several reserve team games together in the 1994-1995 season. He agreed that Faiz, like Beckham, has a rare skill but could take a few pointers from the Manchester United legend to take his game to the next level.

“I still remember David Beckham tying a tire to the crossbar at the Cliff training ground and practicing for hours and hours in the evening,” Westwood told ESPN FC, a soccer news outlet.

“That’s probably the message for anybody, even Faiz. If you want to get to the top and be consistent, you have to practice and work hard. Even the greats, like David Beckham, did that, day in, day out.”

Faiz returned from Switzerland on Wednesday to a hero’s welcome at Kuala Lumpur International
Airport. Penang will be in preseason action on Friday against Cambodia’s Nagaworld FC, but the reluctant superstar is not likely to play a part.

The challenge for Westwood, who won two I-League titles with Bengaluru FC, is to get Faiz to replicate his Puskas-winning form on a regular basis in the 2017 season. Last year, Faiz was rarely a game-changer as Penang finished 10th in the 12-team league, avoiding relegation in the final weekend of the year.

What is not in question is the prodigious natural talent that the 29-year-old possesses, both from set pieces and in open play.

“Faiz has demonstrated that technique from free kicks once or twice in training in the four weeks since I’ve been in charge,” Westwood said.

“He has a short backlift and gets really good power. He’s a technical player and tends to run effortlessly across the grass. He manages to commit defenders and beat opponents one on one fairly easily, so he’s a good threat.”

“But Faiz has to step up to the next level more consistently. He just has to get a little fitter. He has to apply himself, and he could be a constant threat throughout a game, rather than being in and out of games.”

Last week, a friend sent Westwood an old program from a Manchester United reserve team game against Derby County from Jan. 1995, exactly 22 years ago. The match, in the Pontins League Division One, featured Beckham plus Gary and Phil Neville, with 18-year-old Westwood on the bench.

Westwood agreed that Beckham and Faiz both have the ability to provide a potent weapon when it comes to dead-ball situations.

“They have slightly different techniques. Beckham was someone who would whip it, get it up and over, and down the wall, while Faiz strikes with power and tries to get some movement that way,” he said.

“The whip and technique were what Beckham showed time and time again for England and at Manchester United, Real Madrid and his other clubs.”

Despite being part of the 1995 FA Youth Cup-winning side, Westwood left Manchester United later that year to join Crewe Alexandra. He’d play more than 400 senior games in the English soccer league as a defender, including the 1999-2000 season with Bradford City in the Premier League.

At the FIFA Football Awards earlier this week, Faiz revealed his desire to one day play in Europe. The reality is that the Kedah-born forward is still yet to fully establish himself in Malaysia.

He has twice been called up to national squads but has yet to earn a senior cap, despite a high turnover of players amid Malaysia’s recent decline.

“After this, many young kids will want to be like Faiz and try to emulate the same sort of recognition he has now achieved,” Malaysia coach Ong Kim Swee told ESPN FC.

“This goal does not guarantee a national berth, but I hope it will motivate him to do better for the 2017 season.”

Faiz’s Malaysia Super League campaign begins on Jan. 21 when Penang travels to Selayang Stadium, near Kuala Lumpur, to face Selangor.

Expect the Selangor goalkeeper to pay extra attention when Faiz stands over the ball for his first free kick of the season.
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Jason Dasey is a Senior Editor at ESPN FC, Indonesia’s most popular English language soccer website, which has a SE Asia edition. Twitter: @ESPNFC_ID