Many went – but few succeeded

In the 80s, players like Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and the great Mokhtar Dahari all had chances to feature for English clubs, but the moves never materialise. Mokhtar Dahari, who bamboozled Arsenal in the 1975 friendly in Stadium Merdeka, was invited to play for the Gunners but refused due to his love for Selangor.

Lim Teong Kim moved to Germany and featured for Hertha BSC but only for one season. He then turned youth coach in Germany. While there has been no success in Europe, Chow Chee Keong, Yip Chee Keong and players like Safee Sali have had successful stints closer to home – in Hong Kong and Indonesia.