PETALING JAYA: Young Malaysian striker Luqman Hakim Shamsudin (pic) has officially left Europe and returned to Asia to join Japanese Division 3 League team Yokohama SCC for the 2024-25 season.
The presence of the 22-year-old player was announced by the club on their official social media account.
Yokohama SCC is a pathway for young players to rise to the main squad of Yokohama.
It is hoped that the move to Japan will help Luqman regain his touch as he did not have much playing time in Europe previously.
In Europe, Luqman joined KV Kortrijk in Belgium before moving to Iceland’s First Division club Njardvik FC, but his contract had to be terminated early because he only played a few games and was often on the bench.
“I am very pleased to be present in Yokohama and hope I can give the best to the team this season. It feels great to be part of the Yokohama family,” he said.
The migration to Japan is expected to boost his performance and be selected for the national U-23 squad preparing for the Under-23 Asian Cup Championship that will take place in April in Qatar.
Luqman has 11 caps with the national youth squad and managed to score three goals in addition to being a runner-up with the team in the AFF Under-19 Cup in 2019.
