Teja Singh AKA IndiaPakdee is one of TikTok’s biggest football influencers

ปากดี (pakdee) in Thai means smart-mouthed or sharp-tongued, which is a word many have used to describe me [laughs .] Since I am also Thai-Indian, I kept it on the nose with this very literal name: smart-mouthed Indian.

I wouldn’t say it’s one person. I think it has more to do with the environment I grew up in. Every Thai-Indian kid knows that football is basically the official sport of our subculture. Unfortunately for me, when I was in school, I wasn’t good at football. Because of this, I didn’t have a lot of friends. But deep down, I knew I wanted to be a footballer. Eventually, I trained and got better, and once I got to a certain level, everything changed. Many of my classmates started to invite me to play with them, and suddenly, I had more friends than I could ask for.

I really can’t say. I know with some of my friends, it’s a whole lineage – fathers and grandfathers all rooting for the same team. For me, it was more of an intrinsic calling. Learning about football and aligning myself with Manchester United – the two are forever intertwined for me. I just knew from the start the Red Devils were the team I wanted to cheer on.

It’s hard to say. I think Nottingham Forest FC have a good shot at taking home the trophy this year; their performance has been commendable. Manchester United, on the other hand, I mean, we all know the state of the team at the moment. Our boys have seen better days. Personally, I’d like to see it go to anyone but the ‘red ducks’, Liverpool FC.

This one’s easy – David De Gea. He played for Manchester United for 12 years straight, having moved to an Italian football club in 2023. To me, he will always be a legend – one of the best goalkeepers of our generation. I met him at The Athenee Hotel on Wireless Road. He even let me give him a hug, it was quite an emotional moment for me. The player I’m looking forward to meeting the most is Wayne Rooney. I don’t think I need to make any introductions for this man. He is the GOAT – one of the greatest English football players of all time.

You’ll have to ask my older brother, as he’s the one who usually scrubs through online football forums to see where players will be popping up. Once a tip comes in, I don’t waste time – I’m on the highway in a matter of minutes. I really don’t care where they are in Bangkok. A hotel, a mall, even the airport – it’s always worth the trip. To be able to shake hands with these titans I’ve looked up to my whole life on TV, is really a dream come true.