Malaysia's response
Before Malaysia welcomed Vietnam, public opinion in this country was divided about the massive wave of naturalized players.
After Malaysia beat Vietnam 4-0 , with 9 "foreign" players in the starting lineup, the attitude of the media and fans changed. Most were excited about what coach Peter Cklamovski's team showed.
One of the strongest supporters of the "revolution" in Malaysian football is Tunku Ismail Idris – owner of Johor Darul Ta'zim and Crown Prince of Johor state .
Johor Darul Ta'zim is the pioneer club in naturalization, contributing to Malaysia faces such as Romel Morales (Colombia), La'Vere Corbin-Ong (England) and captain Matthew Davies (Australia).
“There are some people who doubt us, that’s okay. We are doing something new,” Tunku Ismail Idris said about Malaysia’s important win in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The 40-year-old general advised the players to ignore the criticism and focus on football, promoting the image of Harimau Malaya.
“We are trying to take Malaysian football to the next level. This is like a revolution. Whatever we build, it will be meaningless without results,” Tunku Ismail Idris stressed.
There are some people who doubt us, they are not used to that. Let your performance speak more than what they think.”
Tunku Ismail Idris did not forget to thank the naturalized players, led by Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado and Corbin-Ong.
“If we change Malaysian football, it is all thanks to you. You are the warriors. This is our home!” .
World trends
Indonesia has entered the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, potentially becoming the first Southeast Asian representative to participate in the biggest football festival on the planet.
It was Indonesia's success that prompted Malaysia to implement a stronger naturalization policy, after being eliminated from the group stage of the ASEAN Cup.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is also developing naturalization. Thailand is not out of the game, with the new face Marco Ballini - a 2 meter tall Italian center back; or before that, James Beresford (England), Nicholas Mickelson (Norway), William Weidersjo, Patrik Gustavsson and Kevin Deeromram (Sweden)...
Cambodia used to call Japanese players Hikaru Mizuno, Takaki Ose , Yudai Ogawa ; or Nick Taylor (USA), Andr e s Nieto (Colombia), Abdel Coulibaly (Ivory Coast)...
Japan, who just beat Indonesia 6-0 , are currently number 1 in Asia. To achieve this, in the 1990s, the Blue Samurai naturalized a number of Brazilian players, notably Wagner Lopes and Ruy Ramos.
Wagner Lopes' goals helped Japan qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history in 1998. He was also on the squad for the tournament in France.
Recently, Chinese football has naturalized many players of Brazilian origin and some have been called up to the national team.
In the era of globalization, naturalization is no longer a strange thing. France has many players of African origin, including Michael Olise, born in England, or Eduardo Camavinga from Angola.
One of the prides of Portugal, the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League champions , is young talent Geovany Quenda, born in Guinea-Bissau . Chelsea have already bought the 18-year-old player.
Spain won EURO 2024 with French-born centre-backs – Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand. Recently, “La Roja” had Dean Huijsen who played for the Dutch youth teams.
Meanwhile, Germany has long had pillars of Polish or Turkish origin. In the recent Nations League, coach Nagelsmann called up Waldemar Anton of Uzbek origin.
Currently, the biggest hope for Italy's attack is Argentine-born Mateo Retegui. At EURO 2020 (held in 2021 due to Covid-19), the Azzurri won thanks to leader Jorginho from Brazil, the same country of origin as center-back Rafael Toloi and left-back Emerson Palmieri.
Recently, coach Thomas Tuchel tested the England defense by giving debut to Trevoh Chalobah of Sierra Leonean origin.
In many cases, naturalization brings competition and victory. From there, federations earn sponsorship and have a budget to develop youth training.
Brazil's recent hiring of Carlo Ancelotti, the first foreign coach in the modern era, has created a big buzz and attracted sponsors.
What do sponsors need most? Answer: winning football!
Source: VTV
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/malaysia-thang-viet-nam-4-0-bong-da-va-xu-the-nhap-tich-2410452.html
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