Filippino-British goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is set to make history as English Premier League’s first Southeast Asian player after securing promotion to the top-flight league in England on Sunday.
Etheridge’s Cardiff City finished second in the Championship table following a 0-0 draw against Reading, nine points behind champions Wolverhampton Wanderers, thus earning themselves an automatic qualification for English Premier League next season.
A product of the famed Chelsea academy, Etheridge spent six seasons with Fulham but failed to make a league appearance for the London club. He moved to Oldham Athletic in 2014, before joining Charlton Athletic a year later.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper later joined Walsall, where he would make 93 appearances in all competition, before getting snapped up by Cardiff last year. This season, he played all but one league game for the Welsh club.