KUALA LUMPUR 12 Sept: National footballers should not merely admire the prowess of the late Datuk Mokhtar Dahari; instead they should emulate his fighting spirit and discipline.

The national legendary footballer Santokh Singh, said that Mokhtar is known as a player who has a strong fighting spirit and is not easily deterred every time he was in action.

“Mokhtar also prioritises discipline. If our practice started at 5pm, he would be on the field as early as 4pm,” he told Selangor Kini.

He said this when met during the Award Night of 20 veteran footballers organised by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) in conjunction with the ‘SuperMokh’ musical at Istana Budaya which is being played from September 8 to 21.

Mokhtar’s prowess was displayed in ‘SuperMohk’, directed by Hans Issac and Harith Iskandar, about his journey in the football arena of Malaysia.

Through the musical, the audience travelled through the ordeal Mokhtar went through until he was called a legend and he was considered to be at par with foreign superstars at the time.

The musical was also witnessed by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who was watched the musical with thousands of people.

Santokh also urged footballers to not make money the reason they play and instead learn from the passion and spirit shown by Mokthar.

He urged every footballer to improve their discipline, sportsmanship and dedication on the field so that they become quality players.

“In my opinion, football players now are not disciplined and dedicated enough when they are in training or on the field.

“Today, I feel that players do not perform at optimum levels,” he said.

Santokh Sing is a defensive player who is feared by opponents and is brilliant in preventing the advance of opponents.

He was teamed up with the Team Captain of Malaysia, Datuk Soh Chin Aun, who is considered to be compatible, making the Malaysian defense strong and impenetrable.

NS