KUALA LUMPUR: Muhammad Haziq Azeman, 13, a finalist of the 2016 Kem Bola Astro-Barcelona, passed away at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre on Thursday.
He was suffering from third stage cancer.
The second child of three siblings, Haziq was diagnosed with T Lymphoblastic Lymphoma last February, and his death was confirmed by his grieving father, Azeman Md Rashid, 40.
Haziq had just completed his first round of chemotherapy a couple of days ago, and was supposed to undergo more treatment.
Haziq, fondly known as Haziq Messi, was laid to rest at the Felda Kota Gelanggi 3 Muslim Cemetery in Jerantut, Pahang after Friday prayers.
Earlier, the Form One student of Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah, Cheras, was among 16 budding, young players from Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore selected to undergo training in Barcelona in December, 2016.
Haziq began playing football at the age of just six years old, turning out for Tunas Lagenda FC (TLFC) since 2013, which is managed by former national star Bakri Ibni.