SINGAPORE -- The pressure of playing for the biggest club in Southeast Asia's most-competitive league can be overwhelming for many.
The same can be said for attempting to qualify for the continent's showpiece event that comes around only once every four years.
Even more so if you are just 22.
But for Ilhan Fandi, the need to be able to handle lofty expectations has been around ever since he decided to follow in his family's famous footsteps and pursue a career as a professional footballer.
Never mind that his father Fandi Ahmad is undisputedly the greatest player in Singaporean football history. Older brothers Irfan Fandi and Ikhsan Fandi also both did not take long to become full Singapore internationals, meaning Ilhan always had plenty to live up to.
Assured in his own ability yet grounded, Ilhan matter-of-factly expresses a belief that he "hasn't achieved anything yet".
For casual observers, who may not be as critical as he is of himself -- which is admittedly an admirable trait -- that may not necessarily be true.
The year he turned 20, Ilhan lit up the Singapore Premier League after a mid-season move to Albirex Niigata (S). He recorded a goal and assist on debut, would net thrice in his first four games, and would then notch a first career hat-trick in just his 6th game for the club.
He would become one of an exclusive group of Singaporean players to earn a move to Europe and, even though -- by his own admission -- his time in Belgium with Deinze was not ideal, the fact that he even got that far highlights his sheer ability.
Ilhan's next port of call has been closer to home in Thailand. After a season with BG Pathum United, he caught the eye enough to earn a loan move this season to Buriram United, the powerhouses who have won the past four Thai League 1 titles.
Like at Deinze, Ilhan has faced intense competition for a starting berth in a star-studded Buriram outfit.
Still, with added maturity gleaned from his time in Belgium, Ilhan relishes the challenge with the view that there is no better place at the moment for him to gain more experience.
"When I went to Belgium, I didn't play too much so that was a test for me mentally," he told ESPN. "I learnt a lot and, physically, I grew. And also, to understand not only football, but life -- what you can and cannot control.
"I know I've matured a bit more. Now, even though I'm not playing too much at Buriram, I still feel good. It's important to stay sharp and train well because I have to always be ready.
"Honestly, I've been enjoying my time at Buriram. I'm at the biggest club in ASEAN now, which is a big privilege. In the last game against FC Seoul [in the AFC Champions League Elite], I came on for about 20 minutes and I think I did very well.
"Hopefully, this will be the start. After this [international] window, hopefully I get more chances to play.
"You can see all the big names at Buriram. Training is of a good intensity and you always have to show up. I have to improve and learn from all these superstars.
"You just mentioned Suphanat [Mueanta], Theerathon [Bunmathan], Supachai [Jaided] -- to work with all these players on a daily basis is really good. If you see them in training, it's just remarkable.
"They've very good players and even better persons. For me, and other Singaporeans, we should aspire to play in Thailand. I think that's always the first step."
Ilhan's opportunity should come. It seems inevitable given Buriram are challenging on five fronts -- with three domestic trophies up for grabs, as well as the continental ACL Elite and the regional ASEAN Club Championship.
One of Ilhan's targets is to be celebrating success in as many of these tournaments come the end of the season.
Another one of those is what is keeping him occupied over the next seven days.
Singapore have never qualified for the AFC Asian Cup on merit, with their sole appearance back in 1984 coming by virtue of them being the host nation.
Yet, two games into the third and final round of qualifying for the 2027 edition, the Lions currently find themselves joint-top of Group C on four points ahead of a double-header with India over the next week.
The chance to make history is well within Singapore's reach, with their cause undoubtedly aided by the luck of the draw.
While the likes of India and Hong Kong did feature in the most-recent Asian Cup, they are -- on paper -- teams that Singapore have a better chance of seeing off as compared to some others such as Syria and Lebanon, the two biggest teams to miss out on automatic qualification from the previous round.
"I think, with this group, qualifying for the Asian Cup is a very realistic target for us," Ilhan admitted. "With the quality we have, we should be able to do it and we're top of the table but we can't be overconfident.
"The ball is round and anything can happen.
"I'm really excited for the two games against India. It's two very big games. We have one goal, which is to qualify for the Asian Cup."
And although Ilhan does not care to look too far ahead of these two immediate targets, he does have one longer-term objective that a big season would put him on the right path towards.
"I just want to enjoy my football," he replied, when asked where he could see himself in five years.
"First things first, now obviously is [to do well] with the national team and qualify for the Asian Cup. Then, this year with Buriram, I want to win all the trophies possible.
"After that, I just want to play more and my goal is always still to go back to Europe and give it one last shot."