He has represented Singapore on the pitch, run a podcast and graduated in accelerated time with honours while juggling life as a full-time footballer.
Today, Mr Jared Sean Gallagher (Arts & Social Sciences ’25) is living his childhood dream as a professional midfielder.
Yet, despite his track record, certainty does not come easy. In person, he is measured and unexpectedly self-questioning.
“I have a degree of imposter syndrome,” he shares. “The fact that football is my career still feels surreal.”
From lunchtime matches to Team Singapore
At first, football was simply a way to fit in. When he was eight, his family relocated to Shanghai, where he found himself the new kid on the block.
“Football was really popular, so I started playing to make friends,” he recalls. “I was quite a chubby child. I wasn’t the fastest runner. But I realised I was pretty good at football and I loved winning.”
What began as a social activity gained momentum as he made his parents sign him up for extra training. As a child, witnessing how football galvanised communities during the World Cup fuelled his growing passion — “It felt like I was part of this really cool club that brings people together.”
Football dominated his growing up years, but it was only after returning to Singapore for National Service that it took on real stakes.
“I was at a crossroads then: do I go overseas or remain in Singapore for my studies?” Mr Gallagher shares. “Then in 2021, I was called up to the national Under-23 team. That was when I realised, I’m going to give my all to be a professional footballer.”
Keeping up, pushing limits
By day, he was a full-time student at NUS, where he dived deep into communication. By evening, he was training. In between were flights, matches and long stretches from campus.
“I was fortunate to have very accommodating lecturers and project mates,” he recalls. “I was missing so much school.” Family and school support made it possible to keep up, but something had to give.
“One thing you have to know,” he adds. “I lacked any sort of social life in school.”
Instead, he honed impeccable time management skills: finishing assignments at Changi Airport and catching up on readings outside training.
The pace was relentless, but it came with donning national colours and returning home to supporters. As a midfielder, the engine room of the team, Mr Gallagher thrives on that purpose.
“There’s no feeling like being in the dressing room, going to battle with your close friends, and fighting for a common goal,” he enthuses. “I love my role because I’m supporting the rest of the team to do what they do best.”
Reckoning with failure
With the highs, the lows are inevitable.
Mr Gallagher returns at times to an early match he played against Vietnam in Phnom Penh. Within the first 10 minutes, he lost possession from a routine pass. Singapore went on to lose 7–0.
“The moment became catastrophic for me. I couldn’t rebound,” he admits.
His coach gave a piece of advice that stayed: “Whatever mistake you have made, however catastrophic, is done. Bring yourself back to the next action.”
Building that mental fortitude is a journey in discipline. By 9am, his day is already calibrated. Breakfast is fixed: eggs and fruit. Then gym, mobility drills and training. Winding down starts at 9pm: compression boots, chamomile tea and a candle. A nine-hour sleep is non-negotiable.
“My confidence comes from the things I do every day,” he says. “If I know I’ve done my best, I’m at ease. But if there is even a one per cent chance where I didn’t, the guilt will eat me up.”
Just before kick-off, he has a small ritual. “I repeat a mantra, a message my dad wrote the first time I played for Singapore, ‘Be strong, be positive, be proud, and be myself.’ It’s tattooed on my wrist now,” he says.
Leaving the familiar
Routine gives him control, and ambition pushes him forward.
Soon after graduation, he signed a contract with a League-1 club in Thailand. It was a calculated move away from the familiar. “Singapore is my safe space,” he explains. “I need to push myself further to grow.”
The move has done exactly that — it has forced him to confront a more intense football environment, though opportunities on the pitch have been more limited than expected. But since Phnom Penh, he has grown adept at taking a larger perspective.
“So often in football and in life, we don’t get the desired outcome. But that doesn’t mean that the steps we took were necessarily wrong,” he philosophises. “The present is what matters and I have done everything I could to prepare for this moment.”
A future of possibilities
Mr Gallagher is acutely aware that the runway of a professional athlete is short. What comes after is a question he is not in a hurry to answer.
One possibility lies in storytelling. His podcast featured deep dives with athletes, and his writing had won a “Story of the Year” award from the Football Association of Singapore.
“I love storytelling,” he says. “I started writing to express myself. After NUS, I realised it is something more. There are people with compelling life stories but it takes a passionate storyteller to tell them well.”
For now, his ambitions remain centred on football. “My biggest goal now is to make it to the national team,” he states. “I have big goals that I won’t be letting go of anytime soon. But I’ve also come to realise, it’s not just about chasing goals. What really matters is whether I’m happy with my life, and as a person.”
Five Ways to Motivate Yourself When the Going Gets Tough
#1 Find consolation in stoic philosophers.
For example, Marcus Aurelius: “So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain. The thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”
#2 Listen to The Diary of a CEO
The award-winning show features high-level thinkers who offer candid insights into mindset, decision-making and navigating challenges.
#3 Build a bank of insightful notes
“There is no privilege greater than the pressure to excel.” “Success must be my commitment.”
Instead of relying on motivation in the moment, Mr Gallagher curates a bank of quotes to return to when doubt hits.
#4 Find something that grounds you
For Mr Gallagher, tattooing is a way to ground himself through challenging times. “After the Vietnam match, I got a shamrock and orchid tattooed on my arm. It reminds me of my heritage — my father’s Irish and my mother’s Singaporean Chinese — and that I’m more than my mistakes,” he shares. “In tough moments, I look at my tattoos, each one inked after a setback, and remind myself: you got through that, and you’ll get through this too.”
#5 Get a good cup of coffee
And bring a book along.
Main photo is taken during the National Team training at The Kallang (National stadium) on the eve of a match against India on October 2025. Photo credit: Football Association of Singapore
