Naturalized player Mintah vows to fight for Malaysia

Mintah - Ảnh 1. — Ghanaian striker Jordan Mintah (number 28) is ready to lead the Malaysian team's attack - Photo: New Straits Times

Naturalized striker Jordan Mintah of the Malaysian national team has declared his readiness to carry the attack in the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, especially the key match against Laos.

The 30-year-old striker, who plays for Kuching City and was born in Ghana, was called up to the national team immediately after completing his naturalization process in August. Mintah's arrival is seen as a timely boost after the team suffered a heavy loss.

Previously, Malaysia lost seven important naturalized players, including Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, due to a ban from FIFA for falsifying documents during the naturalization process.

Mintah’s confidence was further boosted by his goal in Kuching City’s 1-0 win over Sabah at the Likas Stadium on Saturday. Speaking after the match, the striker said that the spirit of giving his all for the country was key.

“I swear to do my best, and we all have to work together to bring the national team forward. We will fight for the country, so we have to give 100% and make Malaysia proud,” Mintah stressed.

Head coach Peter Cklamovski has named Mintah among three new faces called up for the clash with Laos, along with Declan Lambert and Ramadhan Saifullah.

However, Malaysia also faces some difficulties in terms of personnel in the back line. The team will be without two experienced goalkeepers, Azri Ghani and Haziq Nadzli, due to health reasons. To fill this gap, Malaysia has announced the call-up of Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman and Suhaimi Husin to replace them.

The third match of Group F of the Asian Cup qualifiers between Malaysia and Laos will take place in Vientiane on Thursday (October 9). The two teams will then have a rematch at Bukit Jalil Stadium on October 14.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cau-thu-nhap-tich-mintah-the-se-chien-dau-cho-malaysia-20251007093524752.htm