Shuki didn't expect childhood dream of Bangladesh debut to arrive this quickly
Shuki Itofusa fulfilled a childhood dream on Friday when he came on as a second-half substitute for Fahamedul Islam to make his Bangladesh debut in the ASEAN Cup opener against Malaysia, later admitting he never imagined the chance would arrive quite so quickly.
"Since childhood, it has been my dream to wear the national team shirt and play on the field in that shirt. I am very happy to have turned that dream into reality," the 22-year-old said after Saturday's recovery session.
Bangladesh were already trailing 2-0 when Shuki entered, and conceded a third in the 52nd minute before eventually losing 3-0.
Despite the scoreline, he and fellow debutants Zidane Yousuf and Farhaan Ali Wahid offered rare signs of life as Bangladesh pushed for chances after the hour mark.
Shuki was not entirely satisfied with his own display, saying he still needed to sharpen his fitness and conditioning while contributing more directly through goals and assists in the matches ahead, starting with Monday's game against Singapore.
Head coach Thomas Dooley had spent the camp searching for a reliable goalscorer, long a problem area for Bangladeshi football, and included Shuki in his 23-man squad after watching him closely following his move to domestic side Fortis FC.
Born in Saitama, Shuki's father Ataur Rahman hails from Narayanganj while his mother, Shizu Itofusa, is Japanese, with the family based in Japan.
He took Bangladeshi citizenship specifically to pursue his dream of representing his father's country.
Language remains a work in progress, with Bengali spoken only by his father at home, but Shuki said his teammates had made him feel welcome.
"My teammates use English or simple gestures, which I can understand to some extent, and some of them always check on me," he said.
He added that being away from his family did not trouble him, viewing his international career as a shared ambition.
"If I can succeed while being away from my family, it will bring happiness to my family and many other people," he said, ahead of the Singapore match on September 28.