Simon says family is everything

By ROBINSON LEKA
PAPUA New Guinea international Emmanuel Simon says he is ready for his first grand final as Lae City captain when they face Vitiaz United in Port Moresby on Saturday.
A decade after entering the country’s premier football competition, he has built a reputation as one of the best midfielders in the country and he has credited much of his success to his family and teammates.
Born on Dec 25, 1992, at Lae’s Angau Memorial Hospital, Simon is the eldest of three children to parents Simon and Jenna Lucas.
The 28-year-old, from Buang and Mumeng, Morobe, grew up at 2-Mile where he spent most of his childhood playing for his Lae Football Association club Centas.
“My father runs a small business where we live at 2-Mile, selling spare parts for vehicles – that’s how we got by.
“My mom took care of me and my sisters.
“My family has always supported me when it comes to soccer – my dad and mum were always there.
“I’m always grateful for where I am now because of them.”
Simon started his football career in 2010 as a pioneering player for Besta United where he spent three seasons before a short stint with Hekari United.
He then moved to the Lae City Dwellers (now Lae City) under foundation coach Peter Gunemba.
At the representative level in 2011, then 19-year-old Simon debuted for PNG in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup qualifiers.
In 2013, he earned another call-up for the U23 qualifiers in New Zealand.
While a mainstay for the national junior side, Simon got a call-up to play for the national team against Singapore in 2012.
He has since cemented his place in the national side with his most recent appearance at last year’s Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
When asked who he looked up to in football, Simon – without a second to waste – said: “Christiano Ronaldo and David Muta.
“Ronaldo is one of the hardest-working players in the world and he’s got to where he is because of his commitment.
But in terms of domestic football, I’ll always look up to Muta. “You can always tell that Muta is methodical in everything he does on the field and he’s also a very good person off it.
“Every time you see Muta play, you won’t catch him off guard because he’s always focused and that’s what I like about him most.”
Simon said he was ready to lead his new-look side after a premature exit in this year’s Oceania Football Confederation Champion’s League.
After losing a few key players, including fellow PNG internationals Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba, Simon has moved up the ranks at City and will be an integral part of their attack in Saturday’s Kumul Petroleum National Soccer League grand final.
“Doing everything with commitment and always getting the job done is the attitude that I’ve adopted and this weekend will be no different,” he said.
“The relationships we’ve built at City has played an important part in our football.
“Nothing much has changed since I became the skipper because we all know what is expected of us on and off the field.
“We’ve been learning a lot from our new coach Bob Morris this season and the team have pulled together to get this far.”