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| 2014 AFF Champion: Thailand |
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 Picture football's wildest dreams actually coming true. Could Brazil's already-beautiful 1982 side, with Careca leading the line, have cruised to the title? And what about the United Kingdom sending its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth — Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Jack Charlton, George Best, Denis Law, Jinky Johnstone and Billy Bremner could have beaten Brazil. How about 1982? The United Kingdom could feature Peter Shilton, Kevin Keegan, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Glen Hoddle, Trevor Brooking, Bryan Robson, Alan Hansen and Pat Jennings. Then, in 1994, Ian Rush, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs, Paul Ince and Neville Southall. Consider Argentina fielding Omar Sivori, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Amadeo Carrizo, Nestor Rossi and Ángel Labruna in 1958 — and in that same World Cup, Alfredo Di Stéfano playing with László Kubala, Francisco Gento, Estanislau Basora, Luis Suárez Miramontes and Antoni Ramallets. Could Yugoslavia win the World Cup in 1994 with Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker, Dejan Savićević, Dragan Stojković, Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban, Robert Jarni and Siniša Mihajlović? Imagine Johan Cruyff lining up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Willy van de Kerkhof and Ronald Koeman. They could win the 1984 European Championship. And had France beaten Bulgaria and qualified for the 1994 World Cup Finals, they could have sent a team with Eric Cantona, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Youri Djorkaeff, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Fabien Barthez and Didier Deschamps.
Volume 2 What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and Jamal Musiala in 2026 — could they go all the way with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham? Then imagine Germany winning the World Cup in 2002 had they selected Yıldıray Baştürk, Stefan Effenberg, Sebastian Deisler and Mehmet Scholl. Could Spain have won the 2010 World Cup without Catalan players? Could Catalonia do it alone? And could they have won Euro 2024 with only Basque players? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018 with Luka Modrić, Edin Džeko, Miralem Pjanić, Jan Oblak, Ivan Perišić, Nemanja Matić, Mario Mandžukić and Aleksandar Kolarov ? And imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi actually playing for the same national team in 2006 — it could have happened, if the soccer gods had smiled on us. us.
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 Picture football's wildest dreams actually coming true. Could Brazil's already-beautiful 1982 side, with Careca leading the line, have cruised to the title? And what about the United Kingdom sending its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth — Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Jack Charlton, George Best, Denis Law, Jinky Johnstone and Billy Bremner could have beaten Brazil. How about 1982? The United Kingdom could feature Peter Shilton, Kevin Keegan, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Glen Hoddle, Trevor Brooking, Bryan Robson, Alan Hansen and Pat Jennings. Then, in 1994, Ian Rush, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs, Paul Ince and Neville Southall. Consider Argentina fielding Omar Sivori, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Amadeo Carrizo, Nestor Rossi and Ángel Labruna in 1958 — and in that same World Cup, Alfredo Di Stéfano playing with László Kubala, Francisco Gento, Estanislau Basora, Luis Suárez Miramontes and Antoni Ramallets. Could Yugoslavia win the World Cup in 1994 with Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker, Dejan Savićević, Dragan Stojković, Robert Prosinečki, Zvonimir Boban, Robert Jarni and Siniša Mihajlović? Imagine Johan Cruyff lining up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Willy van de Kerkhof and Ronald Koeman. They could win the 1984 European Championship. And had France beaten Bulgaria and qualified for the 1994 World Cup Finals, they could have sent a team with Eric Cantona, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Youri Djorkaeff, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Fabien Barthez and Didier Deschamps.
Volume 2 What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and Jamal Musiala in 2026 — could they go all the way with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham? Then imagine Germany winning the World Cup in 2002 had they selected Yıldıray Baştürk, Stefan Effenberg, Sebastian Deisler and Mehmet Scholl. Could Spain have won the 2010 World Cup without Catalan players? Could Catalonia do it alone? And could they have won Euro 2024 with only Basque players? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018 with Luka Modrić, Edin Džeko, Miralem Pjanić, Jan Oblak, Ivan Perišić, Nemanja Matić, Mario Mandžukić and Aleksandar Kolarov ? And imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi actually playing for the same national team in 2006 — it could have happened, if the soccer gods had smiled on us. us.
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India,
China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, East Asia,
West and Central Asia,
Central Asia
Dutch-Indos/Indonesia-born Dutch All-Time Team
ASEAN Football Federation was founded in 1984. Its member countries included Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and East Timor. Australia is an invited member of the association. They do not participated in the AFF Championship. The region is dominated by Thailand and Singapore. The Dutch East Indies(Indonesia) is the only country that played in the WC Finals when it went to France in 1938. Paulino Alcántara of the Philippines is the most famous player coming from Southeast Asia.
Team
GK: Chow Chee Keong (Malaysia)
Chow Chee Keong was a Malaysian Chinese. He earned his first senior cap as a 15 years old. He played for Aveley F.C. in England when he was a student studying in the UK. He also trained with West Ham. From 1966 to 1970, he was voted the best keeper in Asia for 5 straight seasons. In 1970, he went to play in the Hong Kong league, which was the only professional league in East Asia. In Hong Kong, he played for Jardines, South China, Rangers and Tung Sing. He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.
GK: Neil Etheridge (Philippines)
Born in the United Kingdom, Etheridge came from the youth ranks of Fulham in 2008. He spent his career around the lower division in the UK. From 2015-2017, he played for Walsall. At the time of writing, he played for Cardiff City. He had represented England at the Under-16. In 2008, he accepted an invitation to play for the Philippines, the home nation of his mother.
GK: Pham Van Rang (Vietnam)
Pham Van Rang is considered one of the best goalkeeper in the history of Vietnam. He played Ba Chieu Star in Vietnam. In 1953, at the age of 19, he played his first match for national team. He won the gold medal at the SEAP Games 1959 in Thailand, the only time Vietnam team wining gold medal. In 1966, he played for an Asian all-star selection team against Chelsea, in which the Asians won.
RB: Niweat Siriwong (Thailand)
From 1998 to 2002, Niweat Siriwong played for the Thai national team. He earned over 90 caps between 1998 and 2012. In 2000, he was a part of the team that won the AFF Championship(ASEAN Football Championship). He also went to three AFC Asian Cup: 2000, 2004 and 2007. From 1996 to 2017, he played for various clubs all over Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. He started his career with Big Bang Chula United Football Club in Thailand.
RB: S. Subramani (Singapore)
Subramani started his career at Tanjong Pagar United, where he helped his then club win the Singapore Cup and Singapore FA Cup in 1998, as well as being named S.League player of the year. He had 115 caps for Singapore. He played in every game in both the historic 1998 and 2004 triumphant Tiger Cup campaigns.
CB: Win Nyunt Myo (Burma/Myanmar)
Win Nyunt Myo played for Burma between 1967 and 1977 at the time when Burma was a power in Asia. He represented them at the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, a team coached by Bert Trautmann. He also won the 1972 President's Cup Football Tournament in South Korea.
CB: Chatchai Paholpat (Thailand)
From 1963 to 1980, Chatchai Paholpat played for Bangkok Bank FC. His international career lasted from 1966 to 1974. In 1968, he represented Thailand at the Olympics held in Mexico. Unfortunately, he was remembered for receiving a red card over there.
CB: Daniel Bennett (Singapore)
Born in England, Daniel Bennett moved to Singapore as a 2 years old. He played for a number of clubs in the S-League. In the 2001-2002 season, he played for Wrexham in Wales. Bennett received his Singaporean citizenship under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and started to play for Singapore in 2002. At the time of writing, he has over 140 caps and is the all-time cap leader with Singapore. He won the ASEAN Football Championship three times: 2004, 2007, 2012.
CB: Samad Allapitchay (Singapore)
Samad Allapitchay played for Geylang International and Tampines Rovers, and the Singapore Lions in the Malaysia Cup as a centre-back. He won the Malaysia Cup: 1977, 1980. He was once dubbed "The Rock of Gilbratar" by his national team coach Mick Walker. Between 1968 and 1981, he earned 105 caps.
SW: Soh Chin Aun (Malaysia)
Soh Chin Aun is Malaysian Chinese. He played for Selangor FA between 1970 and 1980 and Malacca FA between 1981 and 1983. He represented Malaysia at the 1972 Olympics and the AFC Asian Cup in 1980. Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not attend. He claimed to have played for Malaysia 324 times, a record not recognised by FIFA.
CB: Datuk M. Chandran (Malaysia)
Datuk M. Chandran was a Malaysian footballer of Indian ethnicity. He was the team captain of the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich. In 1974, he helped Malaysia to finish third at the Asian Games. He also played 15 years for Selangor at home. Chandran was honored with the state title of ‘Dato’, a coveted recognition granted by the royal house of the state of Pahang in 2000, for services to football.
LB: Dusit Chalermsan (Thailand)
In 1989, Dusit Chalermsan started to played with Police United in Thailand. After one season, he moved to BEC Tero Sasana. He also played with Mohun Bagan A.C. in India and with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in Vietnam, where he won the V. League 1 title several times. For Thailand, he played earned 124 caps between 1996-2004.
DM: Witthaya Hloagune (Thailand)
Witthaya Hloagun's footballing career started when Raj Pracha Thailand F.C. in Bangkok. When he moved to Hertha BSC in 1979, he became the first Thais in the German Bundesliga. In 1982, he moved to 1. FC Saarbrücken, winning the Oberliga West in 1982-83. He also played for Gamba Osaka in Japan. He earned 61 senior caps for the Thai national team.
CM: Achmad Nawir (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia)
Achmad Nawir was the captain of the Dutch East Indian national team at the 1938 World Cup. He only played one other international match against Netherlands just before the World Cup Finals. He was a medical doctor by trade. Coincidently, the Dutch East Indies only played one match at the World Cup Finals against Hungary, Curiously, the other captain, György Sárosi, had a doctorate degree. He was one of the few players who played with glasses in the Finals.
CM: Wong Choon Wah (Malaysia)
Wong Choon Wah went to the 1972 Olympics in Munich with Malaysia. In Malaysia Cup competitions, Wong played for Selangor FA, winning the championship five times. From 1972 to 1974, Wong played professional football with South China Athletic Association in Hong Kong. He is a Malaysian Chinese.
CM: Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol (Thailand)
Known as the "Glenn Hoddle" of Thai football, Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol played 176 times for the Thai national team. He spent 20 years playing for Bangkok Bank from 1976 to 1996. With the team, he reached the semifinal of the AFC Cup Winners Cup in 2000. He also spent a single season with Thailand Tobacco Monopoly F.C in 1997.
ST/RW: Suk Bahadur (Burma/Myanmar)
Suk Bahadur was known to be the greatest footballer from his country, which was then a force in Asia during his prime. He was a Gurkha from Shan state Kalaw of Myanmar(Burma). He had represented the state team of Shan. He also played for the Army Team. With Burma, he won Gold Medals at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games(co-winner with South Korea), and Gold Medals Southeast Asian Games at 1965, 1967 and 1969. Bahadur also served as the major for 4th Infantry Battalion (4th Gurkha) of Myanmar Army.
AM: Ronny Pattinasarani (Indonesia)
Ronny Pattinasarani started his careeer with PSM Makassar team in 1968. He moved to Warna Agung in which he played from 1978 to 1982. With Indonesia, he won 31 caps from 1973 to 1981. He won silver medals at the Southeast Asian Games of 1976 and 1981. He won the National Best Athletes Award of 1976 and 1981 in Indonesia.
AM: Therdsak Chaiman (Thailand)
Therdsak is one of Southeast Asia's greatest footballers. For his club football, he played in Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. In 2002, he was loaned out to SAFFC in Singapore and proceeded to win the S.League player of the year. In 2003, Therdsak led BEC Tero Sasana to the final of the AFC Champions League, winning the MVP award. For Thailand, he played 75 times between 1994 and 2002. He won the Tiger Cup in 2002, where he won the MVP award.
ST: Teerasil Dangda (Thailand)
At the time of writing, he plays for J1 League club Sanfrecce Hiroshima on loan from Muangthong United. In 2007, he was signed by Manchester City, but he never played for them. Instead, he was sent on loan to Grasshopper Club Zürich. He also spent a season on loan with Almería and became the first Thai to play in La Liga. For Thailand, he won the 2016 AFF Championship. He was AFF Football Championship Top Scorers in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
ST: Kiatisuk Senamuang (Thailand)
Known as "Zico, Kiatisuk also earned 131 caps and scored 70 goals for Thailand between 1992 and 2007. He won three ASEAN Football Championship Champions (1996, 2000, 2002). He played for clubs in Malaysia, Singapore, England and Vietnam as well as clubs in Thailand. In the 1999-2000 season, he joined English club Huddersfield Town, but never featured for a single game. Nevertheless, he was one of the few Southeastern players ever to have joined a club in Europe.
ST: Piyapong Pue-on (Thailand)
Piyapong Pue-on was a member of the Thai air force and played for the Royal Air Force Team from 1979 to 1984. He joined FC Seoul, then known as the Lucky-Goldstar FC, in August 1984, where he won the league title in 1984 as one of their key players. He also played for Pahang FA in Malaysia. He was capped 100 times for Thailand.
ST: Fandi Ahmad (Singapore)
Fandi Ahmad is the greatest footballer from Singapore. He played for Malaysia Cup state sides Singapore FA, Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, and won titles with all three, including two Doubles in 1992 and 1994, and the Golden Boot in 1988. Fandi also played for Niac Mitra (Indonesia), Groningen (Netherlands), Geylang United (Singapore) and SAFFC (Singapore). From 1979 to 1997, Fandi made 101 appearances for Singapore.
ST: Paulino Alcántara (Philippines)
Born in the Philippines of a half-Spanish, half-Filipino, Paulino Alcántara made his debut for Barcelona FC in Spain at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club. He also scored 100 goals in 69 matches, making him the club's highest goalscorer. He was selected for the Philippine national football team in 1917 and represented his country at the Far Eastern Championship Games. In 1921. he was selected to play for Spain. he scored 6 goals in 5 games for Spain.
Honorable Mention
Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia), Abdul Ghani Minhat (Malaysia), Syed Ahmad (Malaysia), Lionel Lewis (Singapore), Noh Alam Shah (Singapore), V. Sundramoorthy (Singapore), Majid Ariff (Singapore), Indra Sahdan Daud (Singapore), Aleksandar Đurić (Singapore), Mirko Grabovac (Singapore), Chanathip Songkrasin (Thailand), Teerasil Dangda (Thailand), Worrawoot Srimaka (Thailand), Vorawan Chitavanich (Thailand), Pichai Kongsri (Thailand), Totchtawan Sripan (Thailand), Maulwi Saelan (Indonesia), Bambang Pamungkas (Indonesia), Soetjipto Soentoro (Indonesia), Nol van der Vin (Indonesia), Tan Mo Heng (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Henk Zomers (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Sutan Anwar (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Lê Huỳnh Đức (Vietnam), Lê Công Vinh (Vietnam)Phạm Huỳnh Tam Lang (Vietnam), Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam), Javier Patiño (Philippines), James Younghusband (Philippines), Trakoon Jirasuradet (Thailand)
Squad Explanation
-- The comparison between players in the region is difficult. I only selected the famous players from each country. I tried my best to spread the team around.
-- Pham Van Rang (Vietnam) got the third keeper spot ahead of others because he was the only Vietnames footballers under serious consideration.
-- Chow Chee Keong (仇志強) is sometimes considered to be the greatest goalkeeper from all of Asia. He was the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century. He starred in the Hong Kong league, which was almost liked a mini-version of the NASL in Asia.
-- We had three Indonesian goalkeepers under consideration. Nol van der Vin (Indonesia) played in the Dutch league back in the 1950's. I have limited information on Maulwi Saelan (Indonesia), who is widely considered to be the best ever from Indonesia. Tan Mo Heng represented the Dutch East Indies at the WC Finals in 1938. He is the only member of that team who played for Indonesia after independence.
-- Alphonse Areola has been asked to play for the Philippines. No keeper from Southeast Asia has played at that level. In 2018, Didier Deschamps took him to the 2018 World Cup Finals, where he was an unused sub in the World Cup winning team. He is probably the first full blood Asian to win the World Cup. David Silva who was half Japanese must be the first Asian to win the World Cup.
-- I created a Dutch-Indos/Indonesia-born Dutch All-Time Team. None of the players there is eligible here. They never played for Indonesia.
-- Neil Etheridge (Philippines) got the third keeper spot ahead of Lionel Lewis of Singapore because he is one of the few Southeast Asian national team players who had a career in Europe.
-- The Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)is the only Southeast Asian team that went to the WC Finals. Henk Zomers, Sutan Anwar and team captain Achmad Nawir were relatively unknown. They only played two international matches ever. Achmad Nawir made the team as a symbolic gesture.
-- Daniel Bennett (Singapore) is the cap record holder for Singapore, in an era where Singapore did well in AFF Championship.
-- Suk Bahadur played in an era when Burma/Myanmar was among the best team in Asia. Aung Tin was a well-known keeper of his era.
-- Cambodia had a strong team in the early 1970's, but I know nothing about them.
-- I discovered a Thai defender named Trakoon Jirasuradet (Thailand) who played in the NASL with Miami Toros. He was born in 1948 and attended the Florida International University before he played in the NASL.
-- I want to find space for Dollah Kassim. Instead, I took two Thai attackers, Teerasil Dangda and Therdsak Chaiman.
-- Paulino Alcántara had played for the Philippines. So he is eligible. Marcelino Gálatas never played for the Philippines. He was capped once by Spain in 1927. So he is not eligible.
Formation
Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India,
China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, East Asia,
West and Central Asia,
Central Asia
Dutch-Indos/Indonesia-born Dutch All-Time Team
ASEAN Football Federation was founded in 1984. Its member countries included Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and East Timor. Australia is an invited member of the association. They do not participated in the AFF Championship. The region is dominated by Thailand and Singapore. The Dutch East Indies(Indonesia) is the only country that played in the WC Finals when it went to France in 1938. Paulino Alcántara of the Philippines is the most famous player coming from Southeast Asia.
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| Dutch East Indies at the WC Finals in 1938 |
GK: Chow Chee Keong (Malaysia)
Chow Chee Keong was a Malaysian Chinese. He earned his first senior cap as a 15 years old. He played for Aveley F.C. in England when he was a student studying in the UK. He also trained with West Ham. From 1966 to 1970, he was voted the best keeper in Asia for 5 straight seasons. In 1970, he went to play in the Hong Kong league, which was the only professional league in East Asia. In Hong Kong, he played for Jardines, South China, Rangers and Tung Sing. He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.
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| Chow Chee Keong |
Born in the United Kingdom, Etheridge came from the youth ranks of Fulham in 2008. He spent his career around the lower division in the UK. From 2015-2017, he played for Walsall. At the time of writing, he played for Cardiff City. He had represented England at the Under-16. In 2008, he accepted an invitation to play for the Philippines, the home nation of his mother.
GK: Pham Van Rang (Vietnam)
Pham Van Rang is considered one of the best goalkeeper in the history of Vietnam. He played Ba Chieu Star in Vietnam. In 1953, at the age of 19, he played his first match for national team. He won the gold medal at the SEAP Games 1959 in Thailand, the only time Vietnam team wining gold medal. In 1966, he played for an Asian all-star selection team against Chelsea, in which the Asians won.
RB: Niweat Siriwong (Thailand)
From 1998 to 2002, Niweat Siriwong played for the Thai national team. He earned over 90 caps between 1998 and 2012. In 2000, he was a part of the team that won the AFF Championship(ASEAN Football Championship). He also went to three AFC Asian Cup: 2000, 2004 and 2007. From 1996 to 2017, he played for various clubs all over Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. He started his career with Big Bang Chula United Football Club in Thailand.
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| Niweat Siriwong |
Subramani started his career at Tanjong Pagar United, where he helped his then club win the Singapore Cup and Singapore FA Cup in 1998, as well as being named S.League player of the year. He had 115 caps for Singapore. He played in every game in both the historic 1998 and 2004 triumphant Tiger Cup campaigns.
CB: Win Nyunt Myo (Burma/Myanmar)
Win Nyunt Myo played for Burma between 1967 and 1977 at the time when Burma was a power in Asia. He represented them at the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, a team coached by Bert Trautmann. He also won the 1972 President's Cup Football Tournament in South Korea.
CB: Chatchai Paholpat (Thailand)
From 1963 to 1980, Chatchai Paholpat played for Bangkok Bank FC. His international career lasted from 1966 to 1974. In 1968, he represented Thailand at the Olympics held in Mexico. Unfortunately, he was remembered for receiving a red card over there.
CB: Daniel Bennett (Singapore)
Born in England, Daniel Bennett moved to Singapore as a 2 years old. He played for a number of clubs in the S-League. In the 2001-2002 season, he played for Wrexham in Wales. Bennett received his Singaporean citizenship under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and started to play for Singapore in 2002. At the time of writing, he has over 140 caps and is the all-time cap leader with Singapore. He won the ASEAN Football Championship three times: 2004, 2007, 2012.
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| Daniel Bennett |
Samad Allapitchay played for Geylang International and Tampines Rovers, and the Singapore Lions in the Malaysia Cup as a centre-back. He won the Malaysia Cup: 1977, 1980. He was once dubbed "The Rock of Gilbratar" by his national team coach Mick Walker. Between 1968 and 1981, he earned 105 caps.
SW: Soh Chin Aun (Malaysia)
Soh Chin Aun is Malaysian Chinese. He played for Selangor FA between 1970 and 1980 and Malacca FA between 1981 and 1983. He represented Malaysia at the 1972 Olympics and the AFC Asian Cup in 1980. Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not attend. He claimed to have played for Malaysia 324 times, a record not recognised by FIFA.
CB: Datuk M. Chandran (Malaysia)
Datuk M. Chandran was a Malaysian footballer of Indian ethnicity. He was the team captain of the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich. In 1974, he helped Malaysia to finish third at the Asian Games. He also played 15 years for Selangor at home. Chandran was honored with the state title of ‘Dato’, a coveted recognition granted by the royal house of the state of Pahang in 2000, for services to football.
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| Datuk M. Chandran |
LB: Dusit Chalermsan (Thailand)
In 1989, Dusit Chalermsan started to played with Police United in Thailand. After one season, he moved to BEC Tero Sasana. He also played with Mohun Bagan A.C. in India and with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in Vietnam, where he won the V. League 1 title several times. For Thailand, he played earned 124 caps between 1996-2004.
DM: Witthaya Hloagune (Thailand)
Witthaya Hloagun's footballing career started when Raj Pracha Thailand F.C. in Bangkok. When he moved to Hertha BSC in 1979, he became the first Thais in the German Bundesliga. In 1982, he moved to 1. FC Saarbrücken, winning the Oberliga West in 1982-83. He also played for Gamba Osaka in Japan. He earned 61 senior caps for the Thai national team.
CM: Achmad Nawir (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia)
Achmad Nawir was the captain of the Dutch East Indian national team at the 1938 World Cup. He only played one other international match against Netherlands just before the World Cup Finals. He was a medical doctor by trade. Coincidently, the Dutch East Indies only played one match at the World Cup Finals against Hungary, Curiously, the other captain, György Sárosi, had a doctorate degree. He was one of the few players who played with glasses in the Finals.
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| Achmad Nawir |
Wong Choon Wah went to the 1972 Olympics in Munich with Malaysia. In Malaysia Cup competitions, Wong played for Selangor FA, winning the championship five times. From 1972 to 1974, Wong played professional football with South China Athletic Association in Hong Kong. He is a Malaysian Chinese.
CM: Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol (Thailand)
Known as the "Glenn Hoddle" of Thai football, Chalermwoot Sa-ngapol played 176 times for the Thai national team. He spent 20 years playing for Bangkok Bank from 1976 to 1996. With the team, he reached the semifinal of the AFC Cup Winners Cup in 2000. He also spent a single season with Thailand Tobacco Monopoly F.C in 1997.
ST/RW: Suk Bahadur (Burma/Myanmar)
Suk Bahadur was known to be the greatest footballer from his country, which was then a force in Asia during his prime. He was a Gurkha from Shan state Kalaw of Myanmar(Burma). He had represented the state team of Shan. He also played for the Army Team. With Burma, he won Gold Medals at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games(co-winner with South Korea), and Gold Medals Southeast Asian Games at 1965, 1967 and 1969. Bahadur also served as the major for 4th Infantry Battalion (4th Gurkha) of Myanmar Army.
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| Suk Bahadur |
Ronny Pattinasarani started his careeer with PSM Makassar team in 1968. He moved to Warna Agung in which he played from 1978 to 1982. With Indonesia, he won 31 caps from 1973 to 1981. He won silver medals at the Southeast Asian Games of 1976 and 1981. He won the National Best Athletes Award of 1976 and 1981 in Indonesia.
AM: Therdsak Chaiman (Thailand)
Therdsak is one of Southeast Asia's greatest footballers. For his club football, he played in Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. In 2002, he was loaned out to SAFFC in Singapore and proceeded to win the S.League player of the year. In 2003, Therdsak led BEC Tero Sasana to the final of the AFC Champions League, winning the MVP award. For Thailand, he played 75 times between 1994 and 2002. He won the Tiger Cup in 2002, where he won the MVP award.
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| Therdsak Chaiman |
At the time of writing, he plays for J1 League club Sanfrecce Hiroshima on loan from Muangthong United. In 2007, he was signed by Manchester City, but he never played for them. Instead, he was sent on loan to Grasshopper Club Zürich. He also spent a season on loan with Almería and became the first Thai to play in La Liga. For Thailand, he won the 2016 AFF Championship. He was AFF Football Championship Top Scorers in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
ST: Kiatisuk Senamuang (Thailand)
Known as "Zico, Kiatisuk also earned 131 caps and scored 70 goals for Thailand between 1992 and 2007. He won three ASEAN Football Championship Champions (1996, 2000, 2002). He played for clubs in Malaysia, Singapore, England and Vietnam as well as clubs in Thailand. In the 1999-2000 season, he joined English club Huddersfield Town, but never featured for a single game. Nevertheless, he was one of the few Southeastern players ever to have joined a club in Europe.
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| Kiatisuk Senamuang |
Piyapong Pue-on was a member of the Thai air force and played for the Royal Air Force Team from 1979 to 1984. He joined FC Seoul, then known as the Lucky-Goldstar FC, in August 1984, where he won the league title in 1984 as one of their key players. He also played for Pahang FA in Malaysia. He was capped 100 times for Thailand.
ST: Fandi Ahmad (Singapore)
Fandi Ahmad is the greatest footballer from Singapore. He played for Malaysia Cup state sides Singapore FA, Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, and won titles with all three, including two Doubles in 1992 and 1994, and the Golden Boot in 1988. Fandi also played for Niac Mitra (Indonesia), Groningen (Netherlands), Geylang United (Singapore) and SAFFC (Singapore). From 1979 to 1997, Fandi made 101 appearances for Singapore.
ST: Paulino Alcántara (Philippines)
Born in the Philippines of a half-Spanish, half-Filipino, Paulino Alcántara made his debut for Barcelona FC in Spain at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club. He also scored 100 goals in 69 matches, making him the club's highest goalscorer. He was selected for the Philippine national football team in 1917 and represented his country at the Far Eastern Championship Games. In 1921. he was selected to play for Spain. he scored 6 goals in 5 games for Spain.
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| Paulino Alcántara |
Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia), Abdul Ghani Minhat (Malaysia), Syed Ahmad (Malaysia), Lionel Lewis (Singapore), Noh Alam Shah (Singapore), V. Sundramoorthy (Singapore), Majid Ariff (Singapore), Indra Sahdan Daud (Singapore), Aleksandar Đurić (Singapore), Mirko Grabovac (Singapore), Chanathip Songkrasin (Thailand), Teerasil Dangda (Thailand), Worrawoot Srimaka (Thailand), Vorawan Chitavanich (Thailand), Pichai Kongsri (Thailand), Totchtawan Sripan (Thailand), Maulwi Saelan (Indonesia), Bambang Pamungkas (Indonesia), Soetjipto Soentoro (Indonesia), Nol van der Vin (Indonesia), Tan Mo Heng (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Henk Zomers (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Sutan Anwar (Dutch East Indies/Indonesia), Lê Huỳnh Đức (Vietnam), Lê Công Vinh (Vietnam)Phạm Huỳnh Tam Lang (Vietnam), Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam), Javier Patiño (Philippines), James Younghusband (Philippines), Trakoon Jirasuradet (Thailand)
Squad Explanation
-- The comparison between players in the region is difficult. I only selected the famous players from each country. I tried my best to spread the team around.
-- Pham Van Rang (Vietnam) got the third keeper spot ahead of others because he was the only Vietnames footballers under serious consideration.
-- Chow Chee Keong (仇志強) is sometimes considered to be the greatest goalkeeper from all of Asia. He was the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century. He starred in the Hong Kong league, which was almost liked a mini-version of the NASL in Asia.
-- We had three Indonesian goalkeepers under consideration. Nol van der Vin (Indonesia) played in the Dutch league back in the 1950's. I have limited information on Maulwi Saelan (Indonesia), who is widely considered to be the best ever from Indonesia. Tan Mo Heng represented the Dutch East Indies at the WC Finals in 1938. He is the only member of that team who played for Indonesia after independence.
-- Alphonse Areola has been asked to play for the Philippines. No keeper from Southeast Asia has played at that level. In 2018, Didier Deschamps took him to the 2018 World Cup Finals, where he was an unused sub in the World Cup winning team. He is probably the first full blood Asian to win the World Cup. David Silva who was half Japanese must be the first Asian to win the World Cup.
-- I created a Dutch-Indos/Indonesia-born Dutch All-Time Team. None of the players there is eligible here. They never played for Indonesia.
-- Neil Etheridge (Philippines) got the third keeper spot ahead of Lionel Lewis of Singapore because he is one of the few Southeast Asian national team players who had a career in Europe.
-- The Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)is the only Southeast Asian team that went to the WC Finals. Henk Zomers, Sutan Anwar and team captain Achmad Nawir were relatively unknown. They only played two international matches ever. Achmad Nawir made the team as a symbolic gesture.
-- Daniel Bennett (Singapore) is the cap record holder for Singapore, in an era where Singapore did well in AFF Championship.
-- Suk Bahadur played in an era when Burma/Myanmar was among the best team in Asia. Aung Tin was a well-known keeper of his era.
-- Cambodia had a strong team in the early 1970's, but I know nothing about them.
-- I discovered a Thai defender named Trakoon Jirasuradet (Thailand) who played in the NASL with Miami Toros. He was born in 1948 and attended the Florida International University before he played in the NASL.
-- I want to find space for Dollah Kassim. Instead, I took two Thai attackers, Teerasil Dangda and Therdsak Chaiman.
-- Paulino Alcántara had played for the Philippines. So he is eligible. Marcelino Gálatas never played for the Philippines. He was capped once by Spain in 1927. So he is not eligible.
-- In 2021, I added Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam) and Chanathip Songkrasin (Thailand) to honorable mentions. They have emerged since I started the blog.
Formation
