If an onlooker didn’t know any better, he would think Tarunn Kannan was covering every blade of grass at every football match, defending as well as scoring goals.
He has his twin brother Taressh to thank for that.
The 18-year-olds are part of a 27-member Singapore Under-19 team currently competing in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia.
The tournament began on July 16 and will run till July 31. Singapore will face Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei in the group phase.
If you didn’t know the brothers personally, you would have trouble telling them apart – both are lanky with similar mop-top haircuts.
But watching them play, the difference is clear enough. Tarunn is a centre-back who stands at 1.84m, while Taressh is a striker who’s a centimetre shorter. While both are adept at their roles, their playing styles are quite different.
“We started playing football like most other kids under the block when we were about seven years old,” said Tarunn. “Our father had a Sunday league team as well, so we used to go down and watch them. Later we started playing for the team.”
The twins didn’t realise their potential until they were 11 years old, said Taressh.
“We realised we were good at the sport when we were in Primary 5 and representing Jurong West Primary School. I was the top scorer that season and we emerged West Zone champions,” he said.
Throughout their journey, the twins, who are both Arsenal supporters, have been inseparable.
They were both awarded scholarships to Queensway Secondary School after being scouted by the school’s coach.
Currently, they are pursuing their NITEC certification in the automotive work-study diploma programme at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) West.
They currently play for Tanjong Pagar’s Under-21 Centre of Excellence team.
Though the brothers have always played together on the same team growing up, Tarunn made the Singapore U-19 team before Taressh, which left the former slightly disappointed.
“I was called up to the team in early June for the first training camp, in preparation for the AFF Championship. Taressh joined the squad for the second training camp in Bangkok at the end of the month,” said Tarunn.
Taressh said: “One of the strikers had to leave the squad due to National Service, so the coaches were looking for a replacement. Tarunn suggested my name and the coaches got my father to send them my highlight reels, and I eventually got picked.”
While both aspire to play for Johor Darul Ta’zim FC in the Malaysian Super League – and of course, the Singapore senior team – for now, they are focused on completing their Higher NITEC and pursuing a diploma at a polytechnic.
“We owe everything to our dad and coaches who have guided us to this point; especially our dad who has been the biggest pillar for us – driving us to matches, telling us our mistakes on the pitch and helping us improve,” said Tarunn.
Their father Kannan Marimuthu, 49, said: “I could see that these boys since young were not the most interested in academics but more so in football. When I realised they had the skill and talent, I had to support them and push them to go as high as they can.”
“I’m happy they themselves have come to understand that academics also matters. I am proud of their growth.”
