Now recharged, Adisak ‘Ultraman’ Kraisorn eyes further success with Muangthong

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Fondly known for his trademark Ultraman celebration, Junpiter Futbol recently caught up with Adisak Kraisorn who was in town for a much-needed break after his exertions for club and country…

Growing up, Adisak Kraisorn idolised Brazilian playmaker Ricardo Kaka so much that he turned out as a midfielder for his school’s football team during his teenage years.

However, things would change when one of the forwards in the squad was ruled out for the long-term after picking up an injury. This led to the then 17-year-old being deployed further up the pitch by his coach, who recognised Adisak’s eye for goal.

Speaking to Junpiter Futbol after he had savoured local fare such as bak kut teh and tze char over dinner, Adisak recalled rather sheepishly what had happened then.

“When my coach told me that he needed me to play as a striker, I initially told him no,” he said.

“He asked me why? I told him that I looked up to Kaka then and I didn’t want to play anywhere else (on the pitch) but as a midfielder. He was good on the ball and I wanted to be just like him.”

The rest as they say, is history.

Muangthong United’s Adisak Kraisorn in Thai League action.

Making his professional bow with Muangthong United in 2009, Adisak would go on to make a name for himself as the main man upfront. Till date, he has represented the likes of Buriram United, BEC Tero and most recently, Thai Port FC.

However, Adisak – who has four Thai League titles to his name – was the first to admit that he did not have the best of seasons with Port, scoring just once in all competitions.

“Overall, I don’t think I did well,” Adisak reflected.

“This could be down to the number of games I played for Thailand and Port last season… Maybe 40 to 50 in total and it was really tiring. This (recent) trip (to Singapore) was important as it allowed me to relax and be well-rested for the upcoming (Thai League 1) season.

“Hopefully this will translate in much better performances when I return to parent club Muangthong for the upcoming season.”

On the international front, the 1.83m forward has also risen through the ranks since making his senior debut for the War Elephants in 2013.

Lifting the AFF Suzuki Cup (now known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup) twice, he was also the tournament’s top scorer in 2018 with eight goals.

In the same year, Adisak recorded a six-goal haul against Timor Leste at the Rajamangala Stadium in a Group B clash – marking his return to action after an anterior cruciate ligament tear in pre-season.

“It’s always good to score goals,” the 31-year-old, who looks up to Teerasil Dangda, said.

“It was such a crazy feeling… Before that, I had a major injury and was out for a couple of months but when I scored those goals, I was really happy and it made me more confident as a footballer.”

Adisak with his trademark ‘Ultraman’ goal celebration.

Explaining his trademark Ultraman celebration whenever he finds the net, Adisak said that he was inspired by the superhero’s ability to come back fighting whenever he went down.

“When I was young, I would watch Ultraman on the television on weekends and always thought that he was superb,” Adisak enthused.

“Like ‘Leesaw’ (Teeratep Winothai), this gives me a nickname and helps people remember me as someone inspiring. When I travel for holidays, I even have fans coming up to me to take a photo together with that pose.”

However, a penalty miss from Adisak deep inside injury time of their semi-final tie against Malaysia that year saw the latter advance at the expense of Thailand.

Describing that moment as ‘disappointing’, he shared that he had sleepless nights thereafter.

“I thought I had scored when I saw the goalkeeper go to his go left, only for me to sky my effort,” Adisak recalled.

“I felt really sad to have gotten such negative feedback and criticism. Even when I was at the beach in Krabi for holiday), I ran into Malaysian fans who took the opportunity to mock me for that miss.”

Adisak lifting his second AFF Suzuki Cup trophy in Singapore.

Having played against numerous ASEAN countries now, Adisak observed that Singapore currently have better players than before, but was quick to point out that it may not be enough.

“Singapore may be four-time champions of ASEAN, but I do feel like the quality (of their squad) may not be better as countries in the region are getting better,” he said.

“Look at Vietnam. They are improving rapidly and is almost on the same level as Thailand now. That said, I see potential in Singapore and hope to see them challenging for honours in the near future.”

He also singled out players such as Ikhsan and Irfan Fandi, as well as goalkeeper Hassan Sunny and naturalised South Korean attacker Song Ui-young as key figures of the Lions side.

Closer to home, Adisak rates Supachai Chaided as well as the half-brother duo of Supachok Sarachat and Suphanat Mueanta highly.

“To me, the Supachai is one of the wonder kids at Buriram (United) and I certainly feel that he has what it takes to play overseas in future,” he said.

“As for Suphanat, he is already playing in England with Leicester City while Supachok has joined J.League outfit Consadole Sapporo on an initial six-month loan deal. All these can be credited to the academy system at Buriram, who have a strong record of grooming players for the national team.”

A recharged Adisak Kraisorn with Junpiter Futbol in Singapore.

With Adisak closing in on 50 caps for Thailand, he simply wants to play as long as his body allows.

“Of course, I hope to be able to hit 100 caps and score more goals for the country,” he added.

“I had offers from clubs in Korea and Malaysia which did not materialise, but who knows? I might get a chance to play (for a club) in Singapore in future!”