Outstanding midfielder Aporosa Yada, who scooped the Golden Ball award and won the Digicel Fiji FACT with Lautoka has dedicated the achievement to his mum Masilina Malakai.
The 21-year-old from Navosa said his mum is not only his pillar of strength but also his mentor in life.
“Winning this tournament was very important to me because I wanted to return to my family with the trophy. It’s a special win for me because this is the first time that my mum couldn’t make it into the tournament. She has been caught up with some work in the village but she has been listening to the commentary on the radio.”
“When I came for the tournament, my mum said it’s not always about winning or losing but it’s about teamwork, dedication and learning from every game we play. I also remember the sacrifices she has made in bringing me up so it motivated me to give my best and make her proud.”
“She is my mentor in life and is always supportive of my football journey. Before every match, I always try to call and talk to her for guidance and she always tells me to be humble and respect the team players and what the coaches say and that’s the only way to learn and win.”
Yada, who is also the younger brother of Blues defender Eperli Leiroti and son of former Lautoka marksman Josefata Malakai, revealed that winning the Golden Ball award was a surprise to him and is thankful to the Lautoka team players and management.
“Every game I play, I just give my best and I don’t do this for awards or anything but it’s just for the love towards football.”
“I didn’t even know that there was any such award until they started to do the announcement after the match and my name got called out.”
“It wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates. They always opened up opportunities for me to score and I also thank the Lautoka officials for believing in me and giving me full game time and through that I was able to receive this award.”
Yada scored two goals in the tournament and added that he is hopeful to make the cut into the Digicel Fiji Under 23 team for the OFC Olympic Qualifier in August.
“If I get the call, I’m ready to represent Fiji. It’s been part of my dream.”
“We have a lot of national team players in Lautoka so I just follow in their footsteps and try to represent Fiji internationally.”
“It won’t be easy to get selected in the Under 23 team because there are a lot of young boys who will be competing for a spot in the team.”
