Benjamin Davis has officially become the first Singaporean to play for a top-tier English football club.



The 18-year-old had defaulted on his country's mandatory National Service (NS) to turn his dream into a reality.



Davis replaced Luca De La Torre at 89th minute as his team, Fulham, went down in defeat to Southampton during the Carabao Cup match.

89' A big moment for young Ben Davis, as he makes his first team debut. 👏



[0-1] #FULSOU pic.twitter.com/Co6MSV8FjA — Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 27, 2019

The midfielder, who signed a contract with Fulham Football Club in July 2018, had applied to defer the NS but his application was rejected on the grounds that it did not “meet the criteria for long-term deferment from full-time NS”.

Singapore's Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen had said the other factors that led to his rejection was Davis' lack of commitment towards Singapore.

Fulham's Ben Davis is a wanted man in Singapore.

Davis who is pan Asian - his mother is a Thai national while his father an English - had registered as an English national to play for the English Premier League side's under-18 squad.



His family had moved to Singapore in 2009, becoming citizens of the Southeast Asian country.

The player is now wanted for offences committed under Singapore's Enlistment Act and faces fine of up to S$10,000 and/or 3 years jail time.

Fulham manager Scott Parker, however, said he was pleased that the younger players had an opportunity to be involved in the match.

"This football club's known to give young players an opportunity and it's certainly something I believe in.

"I want every young player at this football club to understand that if they do things the right way, work hard, they'll get an opportunity," he had said.



Singaporeans, are you proud with Davis' achievements? Or not?

Cover image sourced from Yahoo! News Singapore.