Malaysia add three naturalized players to national team for Asian Cup qualifiers

Among them is midfielder Hector Hevel, who was born in 1996 with Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian heritage. Hevel began his professional career at ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands, where he was promoted to the first team between 2014 and 2017, making 11 appearances in the Eredivisie.

From 2017 to 2020, he played 113 matches for AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, where he won both the Cypriot Cup and Super Cup in 2018. He later joined FC Andorra in Spain's third division, helping them gain promotion to the Segunda División before moving to Cartagena in the same tier. In early 2024, he played for Guangxi Pingguo Haliao in China's second division before signing with Portimonense in Portugal, where he has scored one goal in six appearances this season.

Left-back Gabriel Palmero, born in 2002, has played eight matches for Tenerife B in Spain's fourth division during the 2024–2025 season. He started at Las Palmas academy and later went on loan to teams like SD Tenisca and Segoviana to gain experience at the youth level.

The third addition is goalkeeper Christian Abad Amat, born in 2006, who is currently with reigning Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. Considered a future star for both club and country, Amat was previously trained by Valencia from 2016 before joining Elche’s academy in 2021 and eventually making the move to Malaysia.

All three players joined the national team on March 19. Their arrival had been anticipated, as new head coach Peter Cklamovski had previously stated during a March 13 press conference that at least three naturalized players would be added to the squad. Their addition brings Malaysia’s squad to 30 players.

Sergio Aguero (number 16), a naturalized Argentine midfielder, plays for Malaysia in their 0-0 draw with Singapore at the ASEAN Cup 2024 group stage. Photo by FAM

Alongside the three new additions, the current national team call-up list also features several other players of mixed heritage, including those with roots in Australia, Barbados, China, England, Belgium, Spain and Finland. In addition, the squad include four naturalized players with no Malaysian blood, originally from Brazil, Colombia and Gambia.

Midfielder Syamer Kutty Abba welcomed the inclusion of Hevel and Palmero, saying it would raise the level of competition and improve the team's overall quality. However, head coach Cklamovski's selections have sparked debate, especially regarding Natxo Insa and Mohamadou Sumareh, whose age and recent form have raised questions, New Straits Times reported.

Malaysia are currently training at the Johor Darul Ta’zim headquarters. They have no scheduled friendly matches before facing Nepal at home on March 25 in their opening match in the final round of 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.