Malaysia hides powerful "secret weapon" before match against Vietnam

Over the years, Malaysia has used many naturalized players in attack such as Paulo Josue, Sergio Aguero and Romel Morales. However, these players have not created any big breakthroughs.

Malaysia is about to successfully naturalize striker Rodrigo Holgado (Photo: Getty).

That is why Malaysia decided to play big right before the match with Vietnam. They are preparing to naturalize striker Rodrigo Holgado. The striker was born in 1995, in Argentina and has a Malaysian grandmother.

At the moment, Rodrigo Holgado is playing for the top club in the Colombian national championship, America de Cali. After 44 appearances for this club, the 30-year-old striker has scored 17 goals.

According to the Malaysian press, the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) is still keeping secret the naturalization process of Rodrigo Holgado. Some sources said that the naturalization process is going relatively smoothly. This player can debut for Malaysia in the match against the Vietnamese team.

Expert Zulakbal Abdul Karim believes that Rodrigo Holgado is Malaysia's "secret weapon". He shared: "I have read information about the player Holgado being targeted for the national team. I am not sure if he can debut for Malaysia in the match against Vietnam but it seems that the coaching staff is trying their best to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

We still don’t have a reliable striker. The team has had to use midfielders to replace the striker but we clearly need a true striker. Malaysia must qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup and I see the coaching staff leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal.

For me, this is an acceptable step. We must qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup at all costs. The Malaysian team is not perfect but the top priority right now is to qualify for the Asian Cup.

Holgado is playing in Colombia and is considered the secret weapon of the Malaysian team before the match against the Vietnamese team (Photo: NST).

Holgado is playing in Colombia. He will face the challenge of a long flight, adapting to the team, the weather, the football culture and the national coaching system. It will not be easy.

Now is the time for the national team's coaching staff to speed up Holgado's adaptation process. I believe we have the right experts to help him integrate smoothly. If everything goes well, Holgado can become a surprise factor. Maybe the Vietnamese team doesn't know much about him yet."

The match between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at Bukit Jalil Stadium on June 10. The winner of this match will have a great chance to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/malaysia-giau-kin-vu-khi-bi-mat-loi-hai-truoc-tran-gap-tuyen-viet-nam-20250523113757059.htm