Kuala Lumpur: Former national footballer T. Gopinath Naidu, who was part of Malaysia’s football scene in the 1990s, died yesterday at the age of 50.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the sad news was shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) through a post on its official Facebook page. The post expressed condolences and extended sympathies to the family of the late T. Gopinath Naidu, who was a member of the national squad in the 1990s and had also played for Kuala Lumpur from 1992 to 1994, and Perak in 1996.

Fondly known as the ‘Kuala Lumpur Wonder Boy’, Gopinath played a key role in helping ‘The City Boys’ secure consecutive FA Cup titles in 1993 and 1994. His performance on the field earned him opportunities to train and play internationally with English club Aston Villa and German side Bayern Leverkusen.

However, recurring knee injuries forced Gopinath into early retirement at the age of 25 in 1999. During his time with the national team, he represented Malaysia at the 1994 Asian Games in Hi
roshima, Japan, and participated in the qualifying rounds for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.