Danger from Malaysia's 2 million euro striker

Joao Figueiredo is playing for Türkiye's top club, İstanbul Başakşehir.

With impressive form and diverse playing experience, Figueiredo is a big threat to the defense of the “Golden Star Warriors”. Valued at over 2.1 million euros by Transfermarkt and playing for İstanbul Başakşehir, a leading club in Turkey, the striker born in 1996 promises to create a big turning point for the Malaysian team.

Level

João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He is versatile, able to play as a centre forward, a second striker, or even on the wing. Standing at 1.80 m tall and with an ideal physique, this striker grew up in the Atlético Mineiro training academy, before experiencing many tournaments in Brazil, Lithuania, Greece, UAE, and now Türkiye.

He joined İstanbul Başakşehir from Gaziantep in February 2023 for 700,000 euros and quickly established himself. In the 2024/25 season, Figueiredo scored 12 goals in 48 matches for Başakşehir, averaging 0.25 goals/match, along with 1 assist.

In his most recent match in the 2024/25 Turkish Super League, he played in Başakşehir's 0-2 loss to defending champions Galatasaray. Figueiredo was called up to the Malaysian national team after being naturalized on June 4, thanks to his Malaysian blood through his grandparents.

With experience playing in tough leagues like Türkiye and Greece, Figueiredo is expected to make a difference for Malaysia. Since the 2019/20 season, since moving to Greece to play for OFI Crete, Figueiredo has achieved a scoring + assisting efficiency of over 10 times/season.

The 2021-2023 period saw the Brazilian striker flourish in Türkiye. In his first season at Gaziantep (on loan), Figueiredo scored 3 goals in 21 matches (0.14 goals/match). His performance was not high due to the time it took to adapt to a more competitive league. But in the 2022/23 season, after signing an official contract with Gaziantep, he exploded with 11 goals and 4 assists in 36 matches (0.31 goals/match), playing 4,915 minutes.

That form helped this striker be brought to İstanbul Başakşehir in the summer of 2023. In the 2023/24 season, Figueiredo scored 7 goals and 1 assist in 30 matches (0.23 goals/match) in the Turkish Super League. In the 2024/25 season, Figueiredo scored 12 goals in 48 matches.

Figueiredo's goalscoring performance has improved season after season. From a start with few opportunities in Brazil, he gradually established himself in smaller leagues such as Lithuania and Greece. When playing in the UAE and Turkey, his performance stabilized at 0.23-0.31 goals/game, with the 2022/23 season at Gaziantep being the peak (11 goals/36 games).

In the 2024/25 season at Başakşehir, he maintained his form with 12 goals in 48 matches, proving his ability to adapt to a competitive environment like the Süper Lig. This season, the Malaysian striker also played 6 matches in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, scoring 2 goals.

Figueiredo is a formidable striker.

Concerns with Vietnam

Figueiredo's strengths lie in his versatility: he can score with both feet, is a good header (8 headed goals in 2023/24), and is effective in the penalty area (26/37 shots in the box).

In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Figueiredo is a big threat to the Vietnam team. Vietnam's defense, with central defenders like Bui Tien Dung and Thanh Binh, is often weak in aerial combat and one-on-one marking, making it easy for Figueiredo to exploit.

Figueiredo’s ability to drift wide and play short can also stretch the Vietnamese defence, creating space for other naturalised players like Imanol Machuca or Rodrigo Holgado. Figueiredo’s playing style is very flexible. He can move centrally as a number 9, drop deep as a second striker or drift wide to stretch the opposition defence.

This versatility makes him an unpredictable threat, especially in the context of Malaysia building a modern style of play under coach Peter Cklamovski. Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik also admitted that naturalized players like Figueiredo make tactical analysis more difficult, due to the unpredictability in Malaysia's style of play.

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Source: https://znews.vn/hiem-hoa-tu-chan-sut-2-trieu-euro-cua-malaysia-post1559632.html