EVEN WHEN COMPARED to some of his illustrious predecessors, BG Pathum United and Thailand winger Jaroensak Wonggorn -- at just the age of 28 -- has already crafted a creditable career for himself so far.
Winning the ASEAN Championship and featuring at the AFC Asian Cup are among his notable achievements. He even scored twice against Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly last year.
More recently, Jaroensak became the latest in a select group of Thai footballers to earn a shot in the J1 League -- widely regarded as Asia's most-competitive domestic competition -- where he followed in the footsteps of iconic compatriots such as Chanathip Songkrasin, Teerasil Dangda and Theerathon Bunmathan to name but a few.
Jaroensak may have since returned to his home country but that does not mean there is less on the list of his career targets.
On the contrary, now that he is back a different player to the one that departed for Osaka at the start of this year, there is plenty more for him to achieve.
JAROENSAK IS USED to his fair share of obstacles.
Unlike many of the stellar names that came before him, he neither came through at, nor was snapped up at an early age by, the traditional powerhouses of Thai football.
To put things into perspective, the first three clubs that Jaroensak played for -- Air Force Central, Pattaya United and Samut Prakan City -- all no longer exist.
Yet, even while playing for some of the lesser lights in Thai League 1, Jaroensak relished the challenge of proving his worth.
His breakthrough campaign came in 2020-21 when -- at the age of 23 -- he racked up a staggering tournament-high 14 assists from the wing, proving impossible to ignore as he was named the league's Rookie of the Year and in the Best XI, even while facing stiff competition from a plethora of star imports.
By the end of 2021, he had won his first senior cap for Thailand. His first big move -- to BGPU -- would come the following June.
It may not have been a straightforward journey but Jaroensak could now claim to be among Thai football's elite, rubbing shoulders with players he once looked up to.
THEY SAY YOU should never meet your heroes. Jaroensak will be the first to argue that is not necessarily true.
Another one of the hurdles he had to overcome in his career was his slight frame and relatively-diminutive stature. Even then, Jaroensak -- at 1.67 metres -- still stands eight centimetres taller than his childhood idol Chanathip.
Not that it ever hindered Chanathip, given he is widely regarded as Southeast Asia's best player for over the past decade or so.
Chanathip's sheer talent played a part, but it is his other characteristics that Jaroensak -- now a teammate for both club and country -- is most eager to emulate.
"Definitely, Chanathip was my idol when I was young," Jaroensak told ESPN in an exclusive interview. "Chanathip shows us that physical size does not matter in football.
"I'm also small. I've learned that, if you have a winning mentality and a warrior mindset, you can overcome any obstacle.
"Size is really immaterial."
While their playing styles are not identical, it is easy to see similarities that have helped Jaroensak equally thrive: speed, elusiveness and sheer tenacity.
CHANATHIP WAS THE first Thai to feature in the top tier of Japanese football. He would go on to break the J1 League's domestic transfer record in 2022 when Kawasaki Frontale forked out a reported US$3.8 million to sign him from Consadole Sapporo.
Theerathon would become the first player from his country to win the J1 League when he was part of Yokohama F. Marinos' title-winning squad in 2019, while Supachok Sarachat -- having directly followed in the footsteps of Chanathip -- is still featuring for Consadole, even if they are now in the second tier after suffering relegation last year.
All of them have spoken about the improvement in their game that came with further honing their craft in Japan.
Back in January, it was Jaroensak's turn as he joined Cerezo Osaka on a six-month loan deal, where he even found himself sharing a dressing room with ex-Manchester United and Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa.
Likewise, Jaroensak believes he is better for the experience, where he even scored in a J.League Cup tie against FC Imabari.
"Fitness levels, physicality, the intensity of training and the tactical aspect -- these are all things I learned more of in Japan," he explained.
"In terms of leadership, the experience in Japan also definitely helped.
"The experience I now have is something I definitely want to share with the younger generation.
"If Thai football can adapt to these qualities that Japanese football has, we'll definitely step up as a country."
THOSE WERE THE same sentiments that Chanathip once shared to ESPN while he was still on the books of Kawasaki.
He always knew he would eventually return to Thailand and had the desire to pass on his knowledge to the next generation.
Younger ones such as Jaroensak have certainly benefitted from it, and Chanathip will likely look on proudly as a more-youthful teammate such as Jaroensak -- who once looked up to him -- is now similarly devoted in nurturing the next batch of up-and-coming talent.
The maturity that Jaroensak shows, both on and off the field, belies the easy-to-make assumption that he is himself one of the more-inexperienced members of the team -- which is forgivable given his youthful looks, as well as the fact that it has only been five years since his big breakthrough.
At the age of 28, Jaroensak is not only approaching the peak of his powers but one that should be playing a major role in his team's fortunes.
For BGPU, there are multiple pieces of silverware up for grabs this season, a number that has been increased by their participation in the continental AFC Champions League Two and regional ASEAN Club Championship.
Perhaps the one they want the most, however, is a first Thai League 1 title since 2020-21, especially after seeing Buriram United win four in a row since.
Not that Jaroensak is allowing their ambitions to be limited to a single front.
"I'm very excited for this season, be it in the Champions League, Shopee Cup [ASEAN Club Championship] or even the Thai League," he said.
"As you can see, our football this season is upgraded. It's a bit more aggressive with more intensity, so I'm really looking forward to it.
"Obviously, the main objective is to win every single tournament we're competing in this season but, before that, we would like our football to be entertaining football - more attacking, for the fans as well as the overall chemistry and morale of the team.
"When we start playing entertaining, attacking football that the fans like, hopefully that would lead to us winning a trophy."