The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed the successful call-up of naturalized player Facundo Garces to the national team to prepare for the match against Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Facundo Garces plays for Alaves Club in La Liga (Photo: Getty).
The 26-year-old centre-back hails from Santa Fe, Argentina. He started his career at his hometown club Colon, before moving to La Liga club Alaves in the 2025 winter transfer window.
Since then, Facundo Garces has played 10 matches for Alaves in La Liga. His height of 1.88m and good fighting ability helped the 1999-born midfielder not take much time to integrate with the La Liga club.
The Malaysian press did not clarify Facundo Garces' blood relationship with Malaysia. He is the most talented naturalized player in Malaysian football history.
Facundo Garces is also the most expensive player on the Malaysian team at the moment. He is valued at 1.2 million euros by transfer expert Transfermarkt, more than the combined value of the two naturalized players of the Vietnamese team, Nguyen Filip and Cao Pendant Quang Vinh (each worth 500,000 euros).
According to the New Strait Times, Facundo Garces could make his debut for the Malaysian national team in the second friendly match against Cape Verde today. He is ready to participate in the match against the Vietnamese national team in the second qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup at Bukit Jalil Stadium on June 10.
Coach Peter Clamovski has welcomed Facundo Garces to the Malaysian national team. He believes that his experience playing in South America and Europe will help the Tigers’ defense.
Facundo Garces is a quality addition to the Malaysian team (Photo: FAM).
“Facundo Garces is a fantastic player,” said the Australian coach. “He is a calm player, has leadership qualities and has experience at the highest level. More importantly, he wants to contribute to the Malaysian team and make the fans proud.”
Facundo Garces admitted that he was extremely happy to wear the Malaysian national team jersey. He shared: “Being part of the Malaysian national team is a great honor for me. Since I arrived here, I have felt the warmth, family love and great support from the fans here.
If this is the beginning, I cannot imagine how powerful it is to have the whole country supporting us. I am ready to give my all for the Malaysian team.”
In addition to Facundo Garces, Malaysia also added another player of Argentine origin, Rodrigo Holgado. This striker is currently playing for America de Cali Club in Colombia. This is a great addition to the Tigers' underrated attack.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/malaysia-trieu-tap-ngoi-sao-la-liga-dat-nhat-lich-su-gap-tuyen-viet-nam-20250603112209928.htm
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