In a decisive match against Vietnam’s national team, Malaysia naturalizes a Brazilian 'killer' with 209 goals.

Malaysia is hurrying to finalize Bergson’s citizenship paperwork to boost their offensive power, with high expectations placed on the prolific goal scorer before facing the Vietnamese squad.

Malaysian football is gearing up strongly for the rematch against Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers by planning a large-scale squad reinforcement. Coach Peter Cklamovski confirmed that the naturalization of two quality foreign players is nearly complete, aiming to register them before FIFA’s deadline to participate in the match on March 31.

The centerpiece of this plan is striker Bergson da Silva, regarded as one of the best foreign players in the history of the Malaysian Super League. Born in 1991, Bergson previously played for Brazil’s U20 team and developed through prestigious academies before joining Johor Darul Ta'zim in the 2020/2021 season, marking the start of an incredible career surge.

Since joining JDT, Bergson has contributed to 209 goals with 177 scored and 32 assists in just 175 matches — a remarkable efficiency rarely seen in Southeast Asia. In the 2024-2025 season alone, he set a record with 43 goals in 43 games, becoming an almost unstoppable scoring machine. These numbers have helped him maintain his status as the league’s most dangerous striker despite being 35 years old.

Bergson’s form shows no signs of decline. This season, the Brazilian forward has netted 17 goals in 16 matches and scored 27 times in 34 games across all competitions. This remarkable consistency makes Coach Cklamovski regard him as the main “scoring weapon,” especially as Malaysia expects to miss seven naturalized players due to an ongoing FIFA-related dispute.

The Australian coach revealed that Bergson is eager to represent the national team and hopes to make a special impact. If his passport is completed on time, the striker will be eligible to play, having lived and played in Malaysia for more than five years, meeting FIFA’s naturalization criteria.

Alongside Bergson’s case, Malaysia is also proceeding with the naturalization of defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco from Kuala Lumpur City, while temporarily sidelining the older group of naturalized players involved in a legal dispute at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). These changes indicate Malaysia is restructuring its squad toward a more legitimate and stable direction.

Despite facing setbacks with Arif Aiman Hanapi likely missing out due to injury, Malaysia is clearly banking heavily on Bergson’s scoring ability. With his outstanding goal statistics and consistent performance over many seasons, the Brazilian striker is expected to be a game-changer in the important upcoming match in Hanoi.