Dau: Fiji are not here to watch others play

Not since Roy Krishna burst onto the scene two decades ago has there been more hype – and hope – around a young Fijian talent than is the case right now with Maikah Dau.

It’s fitting then that, at club and international level, there has been a passing of the torch from the nation’s greatest ever player to a starlet who already has all the tools to perhaps one day succeed him.

While Krishna, at 39, is in the twilight of his career, his club and Fiji teammate Dau is breaking records and barriers at warp speed.

Having made his club debut with Nasinu as a 14-year-old, he scored his first senior goal a year later before signing for the newly-formed Bula FC, where he became the youngest player in the OFC Pro League.

Twelve months ago, the versatile central midfielder captained Fiji at their maiden FIFA U-17 World Cup™ before earning his first senior international cap, at just 17, this past June.

Then in September, Dau lined up alongside Krishna – Fiji’s all-time caps leader and top scorer – at the five-nation Prime Minister’s Cup tournament. Both were on target for the Bula Boys in their opening fixture as they went on to claim top honours at the Melanesian meeting.

Now Dau is once again returning to the international arena as the leading light of a Junior Bula Boys side heading back to the U-17 World Cup in Qatar. Speaking to FIFA from Dubai, as the nation complete their final preparations for the tournament, Dau said that they are looking to lean on last year's experience as they prepare to face Morocco, Spain and then China PR in the group stage.

“Looking back on last year it was just a wonderful experience. We stayed in the same hotel as England, USA and Zimbabwe, so we got a chance to take pictures with them and also learn about their clubs back at home.

“This time we also know that all the teams we will play are good sides and really competitive. We also know that we haven’t come here to see other teams, but to see ourselves [play well].

“That means that the targets are to improve as a team and also as individuals, both on and off the pitch.

“So we're coming out here to showcase the quality we have and also put in the game what we have learned from training so that we can also express ourselves on the pitch.”

Those training sessions have been recently led by a different coach, as Sunil Kumar, the man who led the side at Qatar 2025 and secured qualification for the current edition, accepted a club posting in Papua New Guinea late in the team’s preparations.

With the senior national coach, Stephane Auvray, stepping in to steer the side in Qatar the transition has been fairly seamless according to Dau, who is reunited with the mentor who also led things at club level for both himself and Krishna, with Bula FC.

“It all happened quite quickly just before we left Fiji but there’s been no problem in adaptation for us because even when Coach Sunil was in charge, Coach Stephane was also there helping us.

“The boys have definitely learned a lot learned from Coach Stefan and that’s definitely the case for me personally because I was with him during the OFC Pro League with Bula.

“Having the chance to play there with Roy [Krishna] as well was amazing and he has taught me so much about [football] and how to handle all the demands of the game.”

While Dau is fortunate to be able to lean on that kind of mentorship as he takes his first steps in the professional game, he has also had expert guidance from the very beginning.

Born into a football family, his father, Lorima Dau, earned 27 caps for Fiji and was involved in the FIFA World Cup™ qualification cycles for both the 2006 and 2010 editions of the global showpiece.

With that kind of family lineage, Dau knew from a very young age that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and, having already done that, he’s keen to now to fly the Fijian flag on even bigger stages.

“My dad is basically retired now, although he still plays in some veteran’s tournaments, but I grew up watching him play for the national team and that motivated me to keep pushing and also try and find my own path to success.

“Sometimes I still feel a bit shocked or amazed that everything has happened at this young age with getting so many opportunities to play senior club football, play for the national team and now at a second U-17 World Cup.

“It’s definitely an honour and I want to keep expressing myself, whether that is in a more central or a more advanced midfield role. But I also know that I have to keep working hard.

“Then, maybe one day I’ll have the chance to play professionally outside of Fiji, maybe in Australia or even beyond.”