Jakarta - Persiba Balikpapan player Muhammad Ilham's journey to success as a professional footballer had to go through various limitations before leading his team to third place in the PNM Liga Nusantara 2024/2025 season after competing closely against PSGC Ciamis.
However, for Ilham, this victory was not just the result of hard training on the field, because there is a long story of struggle that began since childhood in Samarinda, where he was raised by a mother who sold ketupat skin to meet the family's needs.
Darmawati, Ilham's mother, told of her son's hard work in trying to be independent from an early age.
With difficult economic conditions, she could not afford Ilham's dream of becoming a footballer. However, his mother still gave her full blessing to her son's choice.