Eighteen-year-old Paarveen Waran finally realised his dream of playing professional football in Europe when he made his debut in the starting eleven for Vizela Football Club in Portugal’s Division 1 on Aug 9.
His entry into Portuguese football was a pleasant experience for the 1.94m tall defender when he was named in the starting line-up to play their opening match against GD Chaves. Parveen played for 45 minutes in the match which ended in a goalless draw.
According to his father Shanmugesh Waran, Paarveen later described his 45 minutes on the pitch as “something that will be etched in my mind forever”.
“It was a dream come true for him,” Shanmugesh told FMT.
Paarveen’s footballing career began in the junior division when he won a place in Perth Glory, a top team in the Western Australian city in 2018.
While in Perth Glory, he also played for the Western Australia state team, even taking on the role of skipper in 2022.
A training stint with Singapore Lion City Sailors the following year landed Paarveen a place in Johor’s JDT Under-17 team.
Shanmugesh said the Johorean scouts had spotted Paarveen when JDT played a friendly match in Singapore.
“They offered him an under-17 contract followed by a full contract to play for its Under-23 team,” he said. Paarveen accepted the challenge.
JDT offered to renew Paarveen’s contract at the end of last year, but he declined as he felt that his chances of fulfilling his European dream were brighter if he played in Perth.
“It was a difficult decision to make but he was passionate about going back to play in Australia. The playing style here (in Australia) is more suited for European soccer,” Shanmugesh added.
It helped that his family was already settled in Australia. Shanmugesh, 46, who works as a power engineer, had moved his family to Perth in 2009, but they remain Malaysian citizens.
Upon his return to Perth from Johor, Paarveen joined the Olympic Kingsway, another top Australian team.
“This was where talent scouts from Portugal spotted him in February and saw his potential. They offered him a two-week trial at FC Vizela. The scouts’ report on him impressed Vizela officials who wanted him to play for them. He had to wait until July 1 to sign his contract as he only turned 18 then,” Shanmugesh added.
Not a prodigy, all pure hard work
Shanmugesh was unequivocally frank when he stated that his son was no child prodigy, nor was he born with special talents for soccer.
It is all pure hard work, strong support from family members, and his undying passion to play professional soccer in Europe.
“Honestly, my wife and I were there giving all the financial support and encouragement. He showed much promise, and he has this urge to improve himself under difficult circumstances. It wasn’t easy but he never gave up, and neither did we,” Shanmugesh said.
“We sent him to a couple of top football development academies, namely TFD Ben O’Neil followed by 2 Half Football Development which helped him to improve his football development. We were confident that he would one day achieve his dreams,” he added.
In a brief text message, Paarveen said he had always looked up to French footballer Raphael Varane who had played for Manchester United and Real Madrid.
“I would attribute my success so far to the hard work and sacrifices of my parents and my strong mentality,” he said.
Paarveen sees his debut as a dream fulfilled. “I try not to think too much and just enjoy the moment,” he said.
“The team manager was happy with our performance, but we need to push harder to win titles. This is only the beginning for me, I have a long way to go,” he added.
