Give the world all you’ve got, for you never know how it will reciprocate in kind.

You would think that the success of a goalkeeper is measured by whether his team emerges champions.

So, Singapore just finished its World Cup qualifiers this week. Don’t ask me about it. It was horrendous - as expected.

Nevertheless, our saving grace was our goalkeeper. Although we were slaughtered by the Thais during our last qualifying match, he saved our pride by saving lots of goals. I’m not using hyperbole, even though I’m partial to dramatic flair. He saved a total of 11 goals. 11!

Because of his valiant efforts, Thailand bowed out of the qualifiers and failed to make it to the next round even though they beat Singapore. Hassan’s pride-preserving performance had a ripple effort. He enabled China to proceed to the next round due to a lead over Thailand in terms of goal difference.

You can say that our goalkeeper, Hassan, singlehandedly kept Chinese nationals’ dream alive. Instantly, he was hailed as a hero. The Internet erupted in rapturous appreciation. And it wasn’t all talk and no action either. Many Chinese fans took the initiative to publicise Hassan’s food stall after knowing about it, and some even transferred money to him via QR code. Others urged their countrymen to patronise his stall as a way of giving thanks. His stall was so crowded that it made it to our national daily. Morale of the story? You might not have won the match, but when you play your heart out, your heroics will be recognised by people you least expect. Dig deep, hone your craft and shine on stage.