On Oct 20, Annil inked a one-year contract with SV Waldhof Mannheim 07, a club competing in “3. Liga”, the third tier of Germany’s football league.
The deal will see the versatile 20-year-old midfielder take his place in the club’s Under-21 squad.
Annil’s journey began as a seven-year-old in Kajang under the watchful eye of his father, lawyer R Vigneswaran, a football enthusiast.
Vigneswaran enrolled his son in Little League, a youth academy in the Klang Valley area.
At age 10, Annil attended a training camp with Dutch football giants, Ajax Amsterdam. After completing the programme, he returned to Malaysia and spent the next four years in the Kuala Lumpur youth soccer team.
Life-changing move to Germany
Annil got his first big break at age 15, signing for German club SC Freiburg’s Under-19 squad.
He said the initial stages of his journey were fraught with difficulties.
“The initial year proved challenging due to the language barrier and loneliness. I struggled to communicate and often found myself alone.
“However, with time, I made friends and slowly learnt the German language,” Annil told FMT.
Comparing the two countries, he said: “Germany is about discipline and organisation, but for me, the people and the food in Malaysia still the best.”
Surprise call-up
In October 2021, Annil received a surprise call-up to the Malaysian national Under-23 football team despite not having participated in any of its training camps.
Unperturbed by criticism surrounding his selection, Annil said he was honoured to represent the country at the Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, two years ago under coach Brad Maloney.
“Being called up for the Asian qualifiers filled me with pride,” he said.
Annil holds the senior national team in high regard and hopes to represent it someday. He is happy its pool of talented players is moving in the right direction under head coach Kim Pan-gon.
“I need to perform well for my club before I can expect to be called up, but I am confident it will happen in due time.”
Charting a European path
Annil said that he had been in talks with several clubs in Austria and Germany but opted for Waldhof due to its stature and the assistance the club gave him in his visa application.
“Signing with this team made me proud, as I have made a lot of sacrifices and worked hard to get this far,” said Annil.
Annil has set high goals for himself, hoping one day to play in German football’s top tier, the Bundesliga.
“I urge young players to aim high. Never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. The key is to put in the effort, work hard and always give your best,” said Annil.
He intends to help other young Malaysian players succeed in Germany through his recently established company, DW Consultancy.