Picture former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey donning the yellow jersey of Tampines Rovers, playing against Geylang International at the Clementi Stadium.
That could very well be a distinct possibility after the 36-year-old refused to rule out the possibility of playing in the S.League in the 2015 season.
Heskey, who scored the opening goal in the 3-1 victory during the Castlewood Group Liverpool Masters’ on Saturday evening at the Jalan Besar Stadium, was frank when asked about the possibility of playing in Singapore.
“God knows, it’s very difficult to play in this weather,” he told reporters after the game. “But you never know. I’m open to suggestions. I’ve got my agent to look after all these things, so why not?”
“I last played in April, and I haven’t played since. I still got a little bit of time to get fit, if need be. I can still play, it just depends on what comes about.”
Should Heskey agree to play for one of the clubs in the S.League, he would be signed under the marquee player scheme, a strategy aimed at boosting the profile and standard of the league while attracting more fans to the stadiums.
The scheme has received mixed results, with the likes of Tanjong Pagar’s Monsef Zerka, Home United’s Lee Kwan Woo and Balestier Khalsa’s Goran Ljubojevic having key contributions to their respective clubs, while the likes of Tampines Rovers’ Miljan Mrdakovic, for example, has failed to take the league by storm.
Heskey, who was also a marquee signing himself for the A-League, sees the importance and value of the strategy, but knows that getting it right might not be so easy.
“It [marquee players scheme] gives you a little bit of a buzz, draws the crowd and helps you promote the league in the respective countries of the marquee players,” he said.
“It gathered a lot of momentum when me, Shinji [Ono] and [Alessandro] Del Piero went, and it took them to another level. It does add that impetus.
“But you got to pick the right marquee players, because we’ve seen marquee players go over in different countries and not do so well, and that’s when you go back to square one.”
Still, despite the chance that marquee signings might not be ideal at times, the idea of having former English Premier League stars to play in the S.League is too good to refuse, which is something Heskey acknowledged.
“I don’t see why not, the likes of the Barclays Premier League is one of the most watched leagues [in Singapore],” he said. “If you had three marquee players coming from there, I can imagine it gathering a lot of momentum.”