PETALING JAYA: A ex-Sri Pahang Football Club player Mohammad Gopi Rizqi recently captured online attention after it was revealed that he has resorted to selling drinks at a Ramadan bazaar in Pontian, Johor to support his family.
The 36-year-old, whose real name is R. Gopinathan, won the Malaysia Cup twice and clinched a Football Association (FA) Cup title all the while he was playing for Pahang for seven seasons.
The former footballer currently sells drinks and kuih with his wife Nor Hidayah Roslan, 38, as he did not receive his salary for eight months, according to Berita Harian reported.
Gopi said he did not expect a picture of him selling drinks would go viral all over social media.
“Alhamdulillah, sales of ‘mata kucing’ and corn flavoured drinks, as well as traditional kuih, have been great, and at the same time, they took the opportunity to take pictures with me,” he was quoted as saying.
The father of two admitted that he had to pull through in his current situation to financially sustain his family.
As of now, Gopi holds a ‘D’ category Coaching License and is willing to impart his knowledge of the game to students around Pontian if provided the opportunity to be their coach.
“However, at the same time, I intend to expand my existing business as the main source of income to support my family’s needs,” he was also quoted as saying.
