SINGAPORE -- From the moment he won his first senior cap at the age of 18, Ikhsan Fandi shaped as a prospect who could potentially be Singapore's focal point in attack for the next decade and more.
Eight years on, that has largely proven to be the case.
With an impressive 20 goals from 41 international matches, Ikhsan is already 6th on the list of Singapore's all-time scorers -- and the highest of all active players.
His national team ratio of 0.53 goals per game is only bettered by one person in Lions history. Almost fittingly, that happens to be his legendary father Fandi Ahmad, widely regarded as the greatest footballer the country has ever produced.
Yet, there is almost an argument to be made that his record might have been even better.
The occasional injury has robbed Singapore of his formidable presence over the years. At the most-recent ASEAN Championship at the end of last year, club commitments meant that he missed out on featuring at Southeast Asia's premier international tournament for a third consecutive edition.
But over the next week, as Singapore continue their quest to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time ever -- with their previous appearance in 1984 coming by virtue of being the host nation -- Ikhsan is firmly back in the thick of the action for back-to-back meetings with India.
And, where others might shy away from the pressure, Ikhsan welcomes the responsibility -- and any accompanying burden -- of being the Lions' main man up front.
"I've always believed I'm one of the best, if not the best, striker [in Singapore] at this current time," he told ESPN with nary a hint of arrogance, but rather a steely determination, in his demeanour.
"If I'm fully fit and scoring goals, then I should be the main man, but we have so much quality in the team. We have so many options up front -- Farhan [Zulkifli], Shawal [Anuar], Ilhan [Fandi] -- everybody can contribute something different to the team.
"In the end, we just want to win. That's most important but, if I can play my part in assisting or scoring goals, that would be great.
"We all know we have a chance to make history -- to qualify [for the Asian Cup] -- and we aim to take six points from India.
"No disrespect to the opponents but this group is very 'doable'. I think the players believe we can go through and that's very important. It starts from there and now it is just the time to put in the work and try to get the results, starting with [Thursday's] home game against India."
Missing out on international action in the past has also given the 26-year-old a greater appreciation of such occasions.
Even more so given the magnitude of the achievement potentially awaiting Singapore.
"Every time I get called up is an honour," said Ikhsan. "I know football is not forever and, as much as possible, I need to make every opportunity count.
"For my personal goals, the team's goals and the country's goals. It's very important I cherish every moment. As much as possible, I just want to help the team win games and bring joy back to the stadiums.
"It [qualifying for the Asian Cup] is a big goal for the nation. I think we'll be history makers.
"We always say to take it game by game but we all know the bigger picture is to qualify. It doesn't matter how we get it done. First, we have to win [on Thursday] and then we go away and fight for [the maximum] six points [against India]."
Although the current Lions squad boasts two centurions in Hariss Harun and Safuwan Baharudin -- on 142 and 126 caps respectively -- Ikhsan is already the fifth-most experienced member at present, only behind the aforementioned duo, Izwan Mahbud and Shawal.
Nonetheless, the fact that he is almost a decade younger than the quartet leaves him in a position of responsibility that he embraces, especially with some fresh faces introduced in recent times -- including the newest trio of Jonan Tan, Ong Yu En and Raoul Suhaimi.
"I feel like I've been here for quite some time already," the Ratchaburi man added.
"I feel like I'm the middleman between the young players and the senior players, so I tend to relay some messages between both sides.
"I hope I can take up more responsibility in the group and be a role model for the team - always do my best, give good energy and set a good example for the young ones coming through like Jonan, Ong Yu En and Raoul."