After 12 months of fine tuning his skills in the academy, the Smithfield resident recently earned selection in the academy's under-14 team that will travel to Singapore for several matches in October.

The mid-fielder from Westfields Sports High School outclassed more than 40 aspiring footballers to book a position on the team for the upcoming tour.

Coach Tony Basha said he was impressed by Daniel's level of improvement since joining the academy.

``He is strong, skillful, a quick thinker and reads the game very well,'' Basha said.

``He has a real big future ahead of him.''

Currently playing for Guildford County, some might say Daniel was destined to play soccer, with his father making a name for himself with Sydney Olympic years ago.

But it's the Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi that Daniel hopes to follow in the footsteps of, with a dream of one day playing for glamour club Manchester United.

Although Guildford is a long way from Manchester, Daniel is on the right track and will be hoping to impress the talent scouts during his 10 day stay in Singapore later this year.

The academy will also be represented in Singapore by an under 21 team that will compete against the under 18 and 23 Singapore national side and several clubs from the S-League.