PETALING JAYA, June 4 — Better late than never.
National player, Dion Cools turned 26 today but he is willing to wait a bit longer to receive a meaningful birthday present - helping Harimau Malaya to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
"I hope we can qualify and everything will be perfect...that would be the real birthday present for me then,” he told reporters when met at a training session here today.
The Belgium-based player also admitted that he preferred taking the centreback role as it helps him have a clear view of the situation on the pitch.
"Sometimes when I play on the right back, it’s a bit hard to help the left side but if they need me to play on the right, left or any place, I will always try to perform in a good way,” he added.
After joining the national team at the eleventh hour twice, first in the second round of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and then the AFF Cup in Singapore last year, Cools is happy to join training camp early this time around.
The SV Zulte Waregem player believes that it would certainly help him tremendously in getting to know more about the structured plan laid out by head coach, Kim Pan Gon ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers final round at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium next week.
Not only that, Cools said his early arrival at the training camp would also come good for Pan Gon and company to gather all players at one time as well as ensure that the training sessions run smoothly.
Despite having cemented his place in the first 11 in two back-to-back friendly matches against Brunei and Hong Kong recently, the Kuching-born player, however, does not believe he had earned the spot yet as there is still tough competition from his teammates.
With the national team having recorded recent wins against Brunei, 4-0, and Hong Kong, 2-0, Cools said the mood around the national team was certainly positive but was quick to remind his teammates that the real challenge begins next week.
Malaysia will take on Turkmenistan on June 8, followed by Bahrain (June 11) and Bangladesh (June 14) in Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers final round. — Bernama
