PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian football team can turn to naturalised midfielder Endrick dos Santos again for some inside knowledge to give them an edge against Vietnam in their final Group F Asian Cup qualifier tomorrow.
The 31-year-old Brazilian-born, who is now a key player for Ho Chi Minh City in the Vietnamese League, was a mainstay in the Harimau Malaya’s 4-0 win last year which was recently overturned.
His familiarity with the opponents was a big help to his teammates in finding breakthroughs in that match. And Dos Santos is ready to play a pivotal role once more to help Malaysia end their campaign on a positive note.
He said he was well acquainted with several members of the Vietnam team, thanks to his exploits in their country’s league.
“Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelson Bezerra) is back in the team, and we know about his goalscoring ability for both club and country.
“Hendrio Araujo is also a good playmaker, so it will be nice to compete against him in midfield,” he said.
“I had three club teammates named in the preliminary squad, but they did not make the final list - some due to pending naturalisation documents and others due to the coach’s decision.”
Despite Malaysia’s elimination from the Asian Cup due to two of their earlier wins being overturned for fielding ineligible players, Dos Santos remains proud to represent the national team.
“It is always an honour to represent Malaysia, and I’m happy to be included in the call-ups,” said the left-footer, noted for his creativity and silky dribbling skills.
“Like everyone here, I was saddened by what happened.
“But as professional players, we put everything aside and focus on representing the country well and try to bring some happiness to the fans.”
