This article originally appeared on Vulcan Post.
Call a GrabCar, meet a football legend?
That’s what happened to Sam, a Singapore-based student who called a GrabCar — the private car arm of Malaysian taxi-booking startup GrabTaxi — to head to school. In a screenshot that was later shared by local joke community SGAG, his driver was none other than Noh Alam Shah, one of the football legends of Singapore.
This realisation sparked discussion on forums and in the comment sections of various social media platforms, with many taking this as proof that footballers in Singapore don’t make enough money. Alam Shah is currently playing in the S.League, where players are said to make around $5,000 – $12,000 a month. With his years of experience on the Singapore National Team — during which he was the top individual scorer in the 2007 AFF Championships and overall top scorer in AFF Championship history, Alam Shah’s salary is bound to be in the higher range.
So is it fair to say that the low wages offered by Singapore’s football industry has forced him to ferry passengers around for a living? Not quite. While the salary range of Singapore’s S.League may be lower than that of other professional leagues that we’re familiar with, driving a GrabCar is hardly a sign of destitution.
Perhaps, like many private car owners, he’s just looking to make a quick buck on the side. After all, if world famous DJ Deadmau5 can drive an Uber, why can’t a Singapore football legend drive a GrabCar?
So if you’re a Singapore football fan that needs a ride somewhere, you may want to try GrabCar. Who knows, you might get lucky and meet Fandi Ahmad one day.
