Kuala lumpur: Striker Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak was almost moved to tears after receiving his maiden call-up to the Harimau Malaya squad for the centralised training camp ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Cup. Hadi, who plays for Japanese club Vencedor Mie United Club, described the call-up as the greatest recognition of his career after waiting so long for the opportunity.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hadi expressed his gratitude to national interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, noting the significance of the trust placed in him after enduring a challenging professional journey. This journey included unpaid salary issues during his time with former club PDRM FC and an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2021. "I want to thank coach Tan Cheng Hoe for believing in me, and I want to repay his trust. This is one of the proudest moments of my career because it has always been my dream to play for the national team, let alone receive my first call-up. If given the chance, I want to give my very best," he told reporters after a training session.

Commenting on the competition for a spot in the starting line-up, Hadi stated his readiness to engage in healthy competition throughout the training camp. He added that the opportunity to join the national squad had further motivated him to demonstrate his ability. The former national Under-23 player, who represented Malaysia at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam, explained that leaving Malaysia and being away from his family to pursue his career in Japan was a difficult decision, yet necessary to keep his dream of becoming a professional footballer alive.

For his personal target at the 2026 ASEAN Cup, Hadi Fayyadh aims to give his full commitment in every match to help Malaysia progress as far as possible in the tournament. Meanwhile, Johor Darul Ta'zim II defender Ahmad Aysar Hadi Shapri expressed his readiness for the challenge after being named as the replacement for experienced defender Dominic Tan. Ahmad Aysar, unfazed by his first national team call-up, said he was proud of the opportunity and prepared to contribute after previously being placed on the standby list.

For the 2026 ASEAN Cup, which runs from July 24 to August 26, Malaysia has been drawn in Group B alongside Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.