PETALING JAYA: A lack of solid wingers was an issue for Selangor in the Super League last season but they have brought in Alvin Fortes (pic) to arrest the problem.
The 29-year-old, born in Rotterdam, Holland, is the latest formidable name and third import added to the Red Giants roster for the new season.
In 2013, Fortes had even caught the eye of Dutch football legend Patrick Kluivert, who chose him as one of two winners out of 250 players in the Nike Change programme to play in England.
Malaysia will be his 10th destination, having also played in other countries like Finland, Turkey, Greece, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan.
In fact, before heading to Selangor, Fortes had played two seasons in the Thai League with Nongbua and Ratchaburi in 2022 and 2023, making 13 appearances with Nongbua and 22 with Ratchaburi and scoring 11 goals.
Selangor head coach Tan Cheng Hoe believes Fortes will be an asset on the wings for the team.
“Last season, the squad lacked a pure winger who could contribute to our offensive strength,” said Cheng Hoe.
“Having Fortes will allow us to deal with difficulties on either side, particularly when competing on the Asian stage later.”
Fortes’ addition to the Red Giants comes following the introduction of defender Umarbek Eshmurodov of Uzbekistan and Chilean striker Ronnie Fernandez.
Cheng Hoe will be hoping for Fortes to shine when the club make their debut season in the AFC Champions League Two.
“With his experience in the Thai league, I hope Fortes will not take long to adapt to playing here,” he said.
Fortes, who made his professional debut with Dutch side RKC Waalwijk against Den Bosch in the Eerste Divisie in the early days, is looking forward to making his mark with Selangor.
“Selangor are a big club with great training facilities, and they performed well to finish second in the league last season.”
“I believe this is the best club for me to continue my football career,” said Fortes, who spent two seasons with Dila Gori in Georgia, playing in 2018 and 2019.
In was in Georgia that he enjoyed the best years when he scored 16 goals.
