Seventeen-year-old Andrew Murray Jr. has not descended from the clouds ever since he received news of his selection by John Barnes and the Digicel Kick-start Clinic to train for a week at Sunderland’s Academy of Lights in England.
After recording a magnificent double strike to lead the national team past Fruta Conquerors in the first stage of the Digicel Kick-start Clinic in Guyana, Murray said that although he had been hoping to gain one of the spots, he was totally blown away when he was informed of his selection.
“I tried real hard in the clinic because I know that when an opportunity like this comes, you have to take it and make the most of it and that is what I tried to do.
“But when I heard last Saturday, it was unexpected and I was so surprised and very happy that I did not really believe it until I saw it in the papers,” he added.
“Every morning I wake up now and it’s like I get this unbelievable feeling, like I am the happiest man in the world, right,” he said.
He said that he benefited a whole lot from the Kick- start Clinic and the experience of meeting John Barnes, adding that having the right attitude and good discipline were among the key lessons that he learned from him.
The Alpha United player said that he approached the Kick- start Clinic with a lot of confidence after coming off an outstanding seven-goal performance in the Cellink Plus Premier League last year.
Murray began playing football at age 12 and has been creating a storm locally ever since.
It is a bit surprising that Murray’s talent lies in his feet rather than in his hands.
His father Andrew Murray Snr. was the national welterweight champion of Guyana.
Murray senior, had a distinguished career as a boxer.
The high point of his career was his August 1995 fight for the World Boxing Association welterweight title when he lost in four of a scheduled 12 rounds to Ike Quartey of Ghana.
But he still managed a number of impressive wins in a 35-fight career where he chalked up 27 wins (17 kayoes), seven losses and one draw. For most of the senior Murray’s career he was managed by the shrewd Odinga Lumumba.
Andrew Murray snr. at one time held the Commonwealth, Latin American and Central American welterweight titles and it is not surprising that the gifted, young footballer is also passionate about boxing in the hopes of following in his father’s footsteps.
He has already had a very productive stay in the under-15 division where he won the Golden Gloves Championship in 2002.
And Murray plans to focus on these two disciplines, and aims to pursue one of them at the international level.
“I realized that I have the talent and all that I am trying to do right now is to stay focused and aim big because that is the only real way that I can achieve betterment for myself and my family.”
Murray said that as soon as he returns from England he intends to apply all that he has learnt towards gaining a permanent position on the senior national side where he can go a step closer to his dream of playing professional football for an international team.
His goal of making the Golden Jaguars may already be taking shape as he has been invited to join the team’s practice sessions.
Murray said that it is truly an honour to represent his country and also to be among eight of the Caribbean’s best young players.
Murray hopes to make an impression on the coaches while training at the Academy of Light by taking full advantage of the fact that he is the only forward selected among seven other midfielders.
He expressed his gratitude to John Barnes for choosing him, his local coach Wayne Dover, club manager Odinga Lumumba, his mother and other relatives along with the entire Albouystown community where he resides.
