PETALING JAYA: Blessed with a great physique and height, expectations are high for Haqimi Azim Rosli (pic) to be the next ‘Number 9’ for Harimau Malaya.
The 21-year-old striker, who is 1.85m tall, has been earmarked as the next big talent for Malaysia thanks to his performances with Kuala Lumpur and also the Malaysia Under-23 team.
Haqimi broke onto the scene in 2022 when he came on as a substitute in several matches, showing the ability to switch sides in the attacking third, playing as a flanker and sometimes as a centre-forward.
He featured for Malaysia in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup that year, gaining four caps and scoring one goal.
Haqimi played 23 games in all competitions last year, starting in eight of them, scoring just a goal and making two assists.
But he remains a prospect, with many believing that he could be the next one to replace Darren Lok as the number nine in the future.
“When Bojan (Hodak) was the coach in Kuala Lumpur, he preferred to play me on the right flank but there were times I was played up front. With the Malaysia Under-23, I am usually played as a centre-forward,” he said.
“The no. 9 is my favoured position. I love playing upfront because I believe I can use my height and close control attributes to good use.”
With that in mind, he hopes to impress national coach Kim Pan-gon as he is one of the 33 players selected for the Harimau Malaya centralised training camp starting on March 8 to prepare for their third and fourth Group D matches of the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 round two qualifiers.
