Young Harimaus up for grabs in Europe
By Syafiq AznanFebruary 1, 2024 @ 10:06am
Garcia, a 21-year-old winger who previously spent time with Real Madrid's youth team, has featured once for Barcelona B this year. - Pic credit X @naimgaarcia_
KUALA LUMPUR: Barcelona B's Naim Garcia is not the only young player with Malaysian ancestry plying his trade in Europe.
There are numerous mixed-race players eligible to represent Harimau Malaya.
Thanks to the talent search website, frfuturetalents, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) has a straightforward task in enticing these mixed-race players to take up Malaysian passports and join the national team
According to frfuturetalents, most of these players are born in the Netherlands and play in the local league
Still, some are also part of development squads in England, lower leagues in England, and Italy.
They are young, versatile, and capable of providing long-term benefits to the national squad if they choose to represent the country in the future.
Notable players include Heracles Almelo's 21-year-old midfielder, Sem Scherperman, with Malaysian ancestry through his grandmother, and his teammate, Diego Van Oorshot, who has Malaysian blood through his grandmother.
Go Ahead Eagles defender Mats Deijl, 26, has Malaysian heritage on his father's side.
Wigan Athletic midfielder Christopher John Bernard Sze, 20, born in the United Kingdom, has Malaysian blood through his grandfather.
Striker Ethan Joseph Wheatly, 21, who plays for Manchester United's Under-21 team, has Malaysian ancestry through his grandmother, while Manchester City's Under-15 midfielder Daniel Batty has Malaysian heritage through his mother's side.
Playing with Birmingham City in the Championship, Alfie James Chang is also eligible to represent Harimau Malaya.
Jason van Duiven (18), who plays as a forward for PSV Eindhoven, and his younger brother, Robin van Duiven, representing the club's Under-18 team, have Malaysian ancestry through their grandmother.
Other players include Danish Haady, currently playing for Arenzano FC in Italy, and Daniel Hylmi with GSD Olimpic 1971.
Interestingly, frfuturetalents states that Daniel Hylmi played for Melaka for six months last year and also underwent trials with the Super League side Terengganu.
In the ongoing Asian Cup, Malaysia had 13 naturalised players, including mixed-race, in the team.
