The central defender, who played for the Harimau Muda B and Harimau Muda A teams, took a five-year hiatus from football to focus on his studies.
“When I was in the Harimau Muda A team, I was basically just playing football and barely studying,” Wee told FMT in an interview.
He then made the difficult decision to put his studies first and pursued a degree in accounting and finance at Help University and the Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
“After five years of not playing competitive football, I had all but given up on a footballing career. I felt I was too far behind my Harimau Muda friends, some of whom now play in the Malaysian Super League,” said the 25-year-old.
Wee returned to Malaysia after completing his studies and entered several open football tournaments with some friends, including the China Gothia Cup where Wee’s team were runners up in the Under-25 category.
“We played against teams from other countries, and it was very competitive and it made me realise how much I missed football.”
An opportunity for a return to full-time football came in the form of the Petaling Jaya Rangers FC. The Air Asia-owned outfit competes in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Cup, the third tier of Malaysian league football after the Malaysia Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Premier League (MPL).
“I’m really thankful to (AirAsia group CEO) Tony Fernandes and (AirAsia chairman) Kamarudin Meranun for giving me a second shot at my dreams.”
Now, with sufficient first-team football time under his belt, Wee is looking to make a leap to the higher echelons of Malaysian football and is undergoing trials with several MSL and MPL teams.
“I know that if I didn’t further my studies, I could be further along in my footballing career, but I don’t have any regrets. Now I feel better prepared for life and a life after football.
“I agree with Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim that education helps make youths better individuals in life, whether they become footballers or opt for other professions.”
Last year, Tunku Ismail, who also owns Malaysian football giants, Johor Darul Takzim (JDT), launched a nationwide project to educate Malaysians through football. The project’s slogan is “academics come before football”.
“Education really opens doors and nowadays, football is not limited to the pitch. As role models, modern-day footballers must be able to present themselves well and set a good example,” said Tunku Ismail, who is also Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president.