The story behind his football career starts from before he was born.
He is widely known by the nickname 'Messi Jay'
But his father always had a different football legend in mind.
Nearly 30 years ago, Kongpop "Joong" Songkrasin,
a Thai dessert merchant who was passionate about football,
dreamed that his son would one day play like Diego Maradona,
his favourite football player.
He prayed at Rai Khing Temple, wishing his dream would come true.
"When his mother was pregnant with him,
our family already revered Rai Khing, a famous monk.
I prayed at the temple for my unborn son to be as good as Maradona.
Jay was born in October, just like Maradona, and I thought this was it."
"When I was 3-4 years old
my dad would crumple Siamsport newspaper into a ball and tell me to kick it.
I had no idea what it was all about. I was young.
My family owns a sweet shop.
My dad would press out the coconut meat while teaching me
controlling, dribbling, passing, heading and shooting.
These were his exact teaching words. We practiced every day.
It was very boring. I didn't see a point why I had to practice.
I practiced every day, but I was extremely bored.
I did it day in, day out, not knowing whether I liked it or not."
Chanathip was pushed hard by his father
and at times was harshly punished when he slacked off.
"After school he would change into sport clothes
when he was a kindergartener,
he would wear training shoes and Man United kit
and practice controlling the ball in front of our house.
It was the beginning of his football basics.
Sometimes he didn't want to practice. I would tell him
'If you don't want to practice then you have to do your homework
and you can't play computer games'.
I would give him 20 baht after each practice for him to play his games.
It was his incentive."
"My dad is quite a hot-tempered person.
When he didn't like what I did he would slap me.
(My mum would say) 'Hey, why did you slap him?' Something like that."
"Back in the days, FC Anyang played at Supatcharasai Stadium.
When the team didn't perform, their coach would call the players in.
I've never seen it myself, I read it in the papers.
They said the coach would slap each and every one of them.
I took in their method because the Koreans have discipline and strength
and they went to the World Cup."
The tough training produced a boy with extraordinary football skills for his age
but with his physical disadvantage
Chanathip was subjected to countless insults.
They cut him deeply as a child.
Today, Chanathip Songkrasin is a superstar surrounded by fans.
His football excellence is recognised throughout Southeast Asia.
But as a kid, his friends all outgrew him.
Verbal abuse flooded his way.
"My peers outgrew me, but my basics compensated for that.
But when it came to physical size, I couldn't compete.
A coach suggested I make a career out of ball juggling
because I was a juggling champion and I had good basics.
Young players back then overlooked the football basics.
They would just run into each other all games."
Panichayakarnrajdamnern Technological College
partnered with BEC-Tero Sasana,
his first ever professional football club.
Despite the one teacher's insult, teacher Oh gave him his full support.
"Jay can play with both feet.
He is right-footed, but he plays with both feet.
He has great skills. When he has the ball,
it's hard to take it away from him.
His crossing is great. He has a gift in passing the ball.
He can possess the ball well.
His size is no problem for his football."
"When I give the ball to Jay and go forward,
I can be anywhere up front.
When I say 'Jay', the ball will immediately come my way."
With his brilliant football skills
finally he was granted an opportunity from Andrew Ord
a coach for the BEC-Tero Sasana youth team. He was only 18.
"In the first game the coach didn't trust him. Jay played for 20 minutes.
Next game, for half a game. He got to play more and more.
When TOT played against Tero, Jay did well.
All the players knew that despite his size, Jay had the skills.
When Jay had the ball, I'd shout from the stands 'be careful, be careful'.
Peter Butler (former BEC coach) and Andrew Ord
noticed Jay and asked Ajarn Payong (former BEC youth team coach)
'Why won't you take Jay to your team?'"
"He's very committed. He works hard to improve.
After normal training he'd also train with his father in Nakhon Pathom.
His dad would coach him one on one. It showed his thirst to improve."
Chanathip shone through and he was granted a major opportunity
from a man named Somchai "Na Chuay" Chuayboonchum.
He was the one who made Chanathip's name heard across Asia for the first time
at the Under-19 Asian Championship qualifiers.
"When I saw him that day, I had a feeling that he was the one.
He had great technique. He was quick. He was small,
but he could get away from two players in seconds.
I knew he had a future, especially after seeing him play for the youth national team
against South Korea and Japan.
Their players were much taller than him
but he could easily get away from them with no problem.
If Barcelona have Messi, this is our Messi.
Back then I saw him as Messi."
In that tournament, Chanathip and the Junior War Elephants
beat South Korea and drew against Japan and reached the final stages.
Leading Thai football clubs made offers to sign him.
But in the end he chose the Fire Dragons, BEC-Tero.
On 17 March, 2012,
Chanathip Songkrasin played his first professional game for BEC-Tero
under the management of Andrew Ord
against Muangthong United in the Thai League season-opener.
"I didn't think I would get to play.
The traffic was heavy so I took a motorcycle taxi to the stadium.
I saw my name in the starting line-up.
I played as a winger back then.
Andrew had played me out wide and I would cut inside.
I was nervous, so, so nervous.
In the seventh game of the 2012 season
BEC-Tero played Thai Port away from home.
18-year-old Chanathip caught attention when he took the ball,
escaped from the keeper and dribbled it into the back of the net.
That season, Chanathip led Tero to finish third in the league.
The performance of this boy whose height was below 160 centimetres
impressed Winfried Schafer (former Thailand coach).
He was called up for the King's Cup squad.
Later on he stunned Southeast Asia with an incredible dribble past Singaporean defenders
in the 2012 Suzuki Cup final.
He asked which position I played. I told him I played left wing.
I told him what I knew in English. He said "okay, okay"
and smiled and walked away.
Shortly after that, it was the King's Cup and he called me up again.
But there was a mistake. He called from abroad and mistook me for Jay Chakrit.
I was very close to Chakrit.
When he returned he told the staff, "Jay, Jay, small, small".
And then he called me. And I went in.
I didn't think I'd get to play.
Winnie gave a kid like me a chance to play against Vietnam.
I played 45, no, 60 minutes.
And I played against Singapore in the final.
I knew I had to perform.
"You have to admit that coach Winfried,
then Thailand national team head coach,
saw it in him. He watched him play and saw his future.
So he called him up to the national team."
"Jay is a good player. He makes the difference to the team.
I didn't expect him to come this far.
But when I saw him in the national team kit for the first time
and I saw him play
I knew he would go far."
"Ped [Niweat Siriwong, former Thailand national team] told me,
'You're good. I've never seen anyone this good'.
I still remember it until today.
It feels good. But I don't think I'm that good.
After his first showdown in the 2012 Suzuki Cup final, Chanathip was confident.
He'd moved on from a rookie to a national team star.
Under the supervision of (former Thai coach) Kiatisuk Senamuang
Thailand finished fourth in the Asian Games.
He helped BEC-Tero win their first league cup in 12 years.
And he led Thailand to 2014 Suzuki Cup glory.
'Messi Jay', this name is known across Asia, but he won't stop there.
In 2015, Chanathip faced a tough time.
He played heavy schedules for his club and the national team.
He could not save BEC-Tero from relegation.
He had to move to Muangthong United in 2016.
And worst of all, he missed the chance to move to FC Tokyo.
"What could I do? I think it was destined to be this way.
No player wants to lose. I always wanted to play for Tero until the end.
It's what I said in interviews since I was young. I never wanted to move.
But all of a sudden, I picked up the phone,
and the next day I moved to Muangthong."
"Yes it was FC Tokyo or something. They were coming.
But BEC-Tero decided I wouldn't go. [I thought] it's fine. I'll just do my job."
Jay Chanathip might have lost a major opportunity to play in the J.League for FC Tokyo
but playing alongside his national teammates (at Muangthong) improved him.
Game after game, he produced impressive performances. He brought out impressive performances
in 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Asia's biggest names.
He also helped Thailand win a second consecutive ASEAN Championship
and snatched his second best player award.
His talent and consistent performances in all levels
convinced newly-promoted J.League side Consadole Sapporo
to offer him an 18-month loan deal.
He'll be the first Thai player in history
to play in Japan's top-flight. And he is ready.
"Chances don't come around often.
If I missed this one I don't think I'd ever make it.
It might close other doors as well. I wanted to go."
"(Thai great) Piyapong Pue-on played for South Korean team Lucky Goldstar.
Before leaving, Piyapong wasn't as good as Jay is now. But he was gifted.
With his gifts, his hard work and his disciplined training
Piyapong exceeded the expectations. It's pretty much the same as Jay."
"He can definitely play there and it has nothing to do with his physique.
He can play if he is given a chance.
He's the type of kid who does not let a single opportunity slip."
"His target his high.
I once teased him, saying 'maybe you should not go to Japan.
Thailand is enough. Your job, your salary, your fame, you know it'.
He said no and fired back, 'what did you train me for? I want to go.
This is my dream'."
Nobody knows how far Chanathip can go.
But surely, he is currently undisputed as Southeast Asia's best player.
"I will play. And I will start the games. I won't be anyone's substitute."
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