Malaysia finalizes list to play Vietnam: Many surprising decisions

The Malaysian team has announced the list of 23 players preparing for the match against Vietnam in the second match of Group F of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Rodrigo Holgado is Malaysia's most notable naturalized striker - Photo: FTM

Surprise is the first feeling when looking at the list of the Malaysian team. To prepare for the 2 friendly matches with Cape Verde, coach Peter Cklamovski has called up more than 30 players to the Malaysian team (the list changes constantly). Among them, there are at least 8 players playing abroad and many new players, newly naturalized.

Call up many new naturalized players

Notably, some brand new naturalized players include: Facundo Garcés (Alaves) - a central defender of Argentine origin currently playing in Spain. Jon Irazabal - a defender of Spanish origin currently playing for Sabah (Azerbaijan).

And three strikers João Figueiredo (İstanbul Başakşehir, Türkiye), Rodrigo Holgado (America de Cali, Colombia), Imanol Machuca (Vélez Sarsfield, Argentina).

In addition to the new naturalized players, the Malaysian team also has Dutch midfielder Hector Hevel (Portimonense, Portugal).

This player is eligible to play for Malaysia, and played in the opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (won 2-0 against Nepal). Not to mention many other "Malaysian expatriate" players who have played for the Malaysian national team before.

But do not use

With such a strong squad, the Malaysian team is considered to have undergone a strong "transformation". The total transfer value of the above 30 players is up to more than 14 million euros, nearly 3 times that of the Vietnamese team.

However, the list of 23 Malaysian players to play against Vietnam was surprisingly short-listed as many players that the Malaysian team urgently naturalized were not present. Specifically, names such as Facundo Garcés, Jon Irazabal, João Figueiredo, and Imanol Machuca were all absent. The reason for this absence is currently unknown.

One of the notable naturalized players in the list of 23 Malaysian players playing against Vietnam is Junior Eldstål (Swedish origin, JDT Club). Next is the naturalized player of Finnish origin Nooa Laine, who obtained Malaysian citizenship in 2023. Another familiar naturalized name retained is Endrick (a Brazilian-born player currently playing for Ho Chi Minh City Club).

Up front, Malaysia has three naturalized players: Romel Morales (Colombian), Paulo Josué (Brazilian), and Rodrigo Holgado (Colombian). Both Morales and Josue are familiar names, with only Rodrigo Holgado being new to the Malaysian team.

In the list of 23 Malaysian players, there are 9 names that have participated in the ASEAN Cup 2025. 15 players are mixed-race or naturalized, including: Daniel Ting (England), Matthew Davies (Australia), Junior Gunnar Putera Eldstål (Sweden), Gabriel Felipe Arrocha (Spain), Nooa Laine (Finland), La'Vere Corbin-Ong (Canada/England), Dion Cools (Belgium), Hector Hevel (Spain), Stuart Wilkin (England), Quentin Cheng (Australia), Dominic Tan (Singapore), Endrick (Brazil), Morales (Colombia), Paulo Josue (Brazil), and Rodrigo Julian Holgado (Argentina).

Malaysia team lineup against Vietnam

Goalkeepers: Syihan Hazmi, K. Hafiz, Sikh Izhan Sikh Azman

Defenders: Daniel Ting, Matthew Davies, Shahrul Saad, Ubaidullah Bin Shamsul Fazili, Junior Gunnar Putera Eldstål, Dominic Tan.

Midfielders: Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Nooa Laine, Nazmi Faiz Mansor, La'Vere Corbin Ong, Dion Cools, Hector Hevel, Stuart Wilkin, Quentin Cheng, Mohd Syamer Kutty Bin Abba.

Forwards: Faisal Halim, Endrick, Arif Aiman, Morales, Paulo Josué, Safawi Rasid, Rodrigo Julian Holgado

Back to topic

NOSTALGIA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/malaysia-chot-danh-sach-dau-viet-nam-nhieu-quyet-dinh-gay-bat-ngo-20250607134812173.htm