The first sign that Charyl Chappuis has matured came before the interview began.
"Don't be afraid to ask me the tough questions," Chappuis insisted.
The second sign came when Chappuis pushed ahead of the questions and dove into criticism of his play.
"I always thought it was other people's fault, why I don't play or I don't perform well," Chappuis told ESPN. "But actually, it's mine, and I'm looking only at myself now."
Once a golden boy of Thai football, Chappuis -- who arrived at Port FC at the start of 2020 -- says he wants to let his football do the talking.
Unlike other cases of prospects who were waylaid by fame and fortune, the Thai midfielder was not so much distracted as he was struggling to come to terms with his newfound star status.
"Four to five years ago, it was just football -- every single moment," he said. "I was just one of the players. Then the fame started, especially after 2014. It was crazy. I was never expecting that off the field and that was kind of difficult."
Success meant being the focus of attention.
"If you play just one bad game, people start to talk that you're not focusing on football anymore or that you're not fit enough, but I know the last couple of years were my fault."
As a teenager, Chappuis was part of a prodigious Switzerland side that won the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, playing alongside the likes of Granit Xhaka and Ricardo Rodriguez.
He moved to Thailand -- his mother's country of birth -- in 2013, where he won the domestic treble in his first year with Buriram. He decided to play for the Thai national team and starred as they won the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2014 -- ending 12-year drought as the champions of Southeast Asia.
That was the moment life changed for Chappuis as he recalled how hordes of fans greeted the team's return; lining up all the way from Don Mueang airport to Siam Paragon in the city centre.
After those highs, came the lows.
Injuries ruled him out of action for a lengthy layoff and reduced some of his physical skills. It resulted in a change of position to a deeper-lying role. The coronavirus pandemic -- which brought to football in Thailand and worldwide -- delayed his progress even further.
"I missed 16 months of my career with my cartilage injury, now I'm missing more through COVID-19 ... I just want to enjoy football," said the 28-year-old. "I know if I play a few good games like last year, everyone will start to talk about me again. That's the benefits of being Chappuis, it's not always negative.
"But this is my goal. I want to really prove everyone wrong, especially -- with the fame -- many people start to hate."
Chappuis is now at peace with being in the public eye and said he is focused on proving he deserves to play for Port and possibly again for Thailand.
"I want to show everyone that football is my life. I'm proud to have worn the Thailand jersey and I want to do it again," Chappuis said. "I know I can still be one of the best players in Thailand. I'm pretty sure of that and I will do everything to be back to my best. Small steps, big dreams."
