Malaysia naturalized players should maintain competing abroad: experts

Malaysian midfielder Hector Hevel (number 13) makes a pass during the 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on June 10, 2025. Photo by MalaysiaNT

Karim voiced his opinion after midfielder Hector Hevel and center-back Jon Irazabal returned to play for Malaysia’s biggest club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT). Both were part of seven players of Malaysian descent who successfully naturalized earlier this year and made an impact in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.

"We want our foreign-based national players to continue playing abroad because they benefit from greater intensity and competitiveness, which sharpens them for international duty," Zulakbal told New Straits Times. "Against Vietnam, we saw their quality and composure. If they return to play in the M-League, which lacks the same level of competition, there's a risk they'll become blunt - and that will impact the national team's overall quality."

Zulakbal's view is similar to that of Bae Ji-won, the former fitness coach of Vietnam national team and former coach of domestic club Viettel The Cong. In an interview with VnExpress, Bae suggested that after obtaining Vietnamese nationality, naturalized players should continue playing abroad rather than remain in the V. League. However, currently, no Vietnamese players are playing abroad.

JDT, with their roster of more than 10 foreign players, have the best squad depth in Malaysian football. Zulakbal believes the club's ambition is to succeed in continental tournaments like the AFC Champions League Elite.

"The ACLE has become JDT's main target. They've been investing heavily for several seasons now, but haven't made it past the second round," Zulakbal added. "We've seen them bring in big name foreign players, and with national and naturalized players, they've built a strong side - but the breakthrough still hasn't come."

While Zulakbal praised JDT for raising the standard of their squad and cultivating a winning mindset, he warned that having players like Hevel and Irazabal return to Malaysia rather than playing in Europe could have negative long-term effects on the national team.

JDT have dominated Malaysian football, winning the Malaysia Super League (MSL) for the past 11 seasons. In addition to Hevel and Irazabal, the club's squad includes national team players like goalkeeper Siyhan Hazmi, defenders Matthew Davies and Lavere Corbin-Ong, midfielders Afiq Fazail and Arif Aiman, and naturalized players Mohamadou Sumareh (from Gambia) and Romel Morales (from Colombia).

Hevel, born in 1996, has Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian heritage. He began his career at ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands and later played for Cyprus’ AEK Larnaca, where he won the National Cup and National Super Cup in 2018. After a stint with Andorra and Cartagena in Spain, Hevel joined Guangxi Pingguo Haliao in China last year. Before joining JDT, he was at Portuguese side Portimonense.

Irazabal, also born in 1996, spent his youth career in Spain, at Athletic Bilbao’s academy. He played for lower-league teams such as Sondika, Vitoria and Mirandes, before moving to Azerbaijan’s Sabah in 2022. This season, he scored one goal in 39 matches.

Currently, Malaysia have seven players playing abroad, including Facundo Garces (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Gabriel Palmero (Tenerife, Spain), Dion Cools (Cerezo Osaka, Japan), Endrick (HCMC FC, Vietnam), Imanol Machuca (Velez Sarsfield, Argentina), Joao Figueiredo (Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey) and Rodrigo Holgado (America de Cali, Colombia).