Family, grit and gloves: The making of 'Spider Girl' Putri Aina

 

INTERVIEW | Born at just seven months and small enough to fit within two adult palms, Putri Aina Husna Subri has come a long way.

Fifteen years later, the baby is now the goalkeeper for Malaysia’s national Under-17 women’s football team.

Putri Aina recently drew attention with her performances at the Srikandi Merdeka Cup in Indonesia, where local football fans nicknamed her "Spider Girl".

She made eight saves in Malaysia’s semi-final against Thailand alone, according to official tournament statistics, as the 10-player Malaysian side came under sustained pressure.

But behind her agility between the posts is a dramatic beginning and a journey shaped by persistence and family support.

The youngest of three children of Subri Abdullah, 49, and Rosliza Che Amat, 51, Putri Aina was born two months premature.

Putri Aina’s father, Subri Abdullah

Recalling her birth, Subri said he initially feared she had not survived.

“I thought she was already gone (had died).

“When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor let me see her in the ward. I went in and saw her in the incubator. She was only the size of two palms,” he said after appearing with his daughter on a KiniTV podcast in Petaling Jaya last Thursday.

Subri said the family was grateful that Putri Aina eventually grew up healthy, active, and physically adventurous.

From tomoi to football

Her sporting interest emerged early. At five, Putri Aina began dabbling in tomoi, or Muay Thai, and her father even considered sending her to Thailand for further training.

“Putri Aina started with tomoi, and at one point I thought of sending her to study or train in Thailand to give her more exposure.

“But my wife did not allow it, and in the end I agreed. It was only after that Putri Aina was exposed to football.

“Coincidentally, I was also active in football at the time and would often bring her brothers to the field to play matches,” he said.

While her brothers played, Subri noticed Putri Aina kicking a ball around by the side of the field.

Putri Aina admitted that football did not immediately appeal to her, especially since she saw the sport as dominated by boys.

Her mother did not encourage her to pursue tomoi seriously beyond doing it as a pastime.

“Then one time I followed my brothers to football training. I still wasn’t that interested in football.

“It was only after I started following my father to training and going to watch football matches that I felt I was beginning to like it. From then on, whenever I happened to be by the side of the field, I would play football,” said the Form Three student at SMK Damansara Utama.

Finding her place in goal

After spotting her potential, Subri began giving his daughter more intensive training and supporting her football development.

Putri Aina in action against Jordan at the Srikandi Merdeka Cup

With opportunities for girls in football still limited at the time, Putri Aina began playing with UTP Kids at Universiti Teknologi Petronas before moving to Akademi Tunas in Perak.

“But at the time, she was playing with a boys’ team.

“Putri Aina has strong hands and feet, so I saw that the goalkeeper position was more suitable for her,” Subri said.

He bought her a pair of goalkeeper gloves and encouraged her to take up the position.

Although only six or seven at the time, he said she was already physically tough.

The family also made a point of supporting her at matches.

“(It is) because she was still a child, and a girl as well,” said Subri, who works as a prison warden in Batu Gajah, Perak.

Putri Aina said becoming a goalkeeper also appealed to her because few girls wanted to play in that position.

“I felt proud. It was better for me to become a keeper than to become a striker,” she said.

She has since been named best goalkeeper at tournaments she competed in since she was as young as eight.

‘Be courageous’

Now playing for KL Havana FC, Putri Aina said courage was one of the most important qualities for a goalkeeper.

While she still feels fear when a ball comes directly at her, she said a goalkeeper has no choice but to commit to stopping an attack.

“No matter what, we have to go and close down the space because that’s the job of the keeper.

“Even if your eyebrow gets split open or something, you still play. A keeper really has to be tough. You can’t be afraid,” said Putri Aina, who counts national women’s team goalkeeper Nurul Azurin Mazlan as her idol.

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- Mkini