SEA Player Focus – Players to Watch, September 2019

Thailand

Name: Cleiton Silva

Age: 32

Nationality: Brazil

Position: Striker

Club: Suphanburi FC

Background: Already in his 9th season in Thailand, Cleiton Silva is a certified league legend. The Brazilian rose to fame with minnows Osotspa in 2010 and have since won four domestic trophies with Muangthong United and Chiangrai United. Nicknamed "The Thai League Ronaldo" for his looks and electrifying style of play, Cleiton was the league's top scorer twice (2012 & 2016).

Reason to Watch: Cleiton gave Suphanburi FC the lead over Ratchaburi FC after just 12 seconds. His side finished the gave 3-0 winners, jumping a point above the relegation zone. Cleiton's opener is the joint-second fastest goal scored in a Thai League game. The star striker looked motivated throughout the 90 minutes and will surely be hungry ahead of Wednesday night battle with PT Prachuap FC.

Indonesia

Name: Fadil Sausu

Age: 34

Nationality: Indonesian

Position: Central Midfielder

Club: Bali United

Background: Fadil is a senior figure in Indonesian football, and he spent the majority in Borneo Islands clubs such as Bontang FC (2009-2011) and Mitra Kukar (2011-2013) He also the product from Persisam's youth academy, now known as Bali United since 2014. Fadil is the first ever captain for Serdadu Tridatu and the armband still his until today.

Reason to Watch: He has a good vision, can read the game and maintains the tempo. He also has good accuracy with his free-kicks, as he does recently helping Bali United to draw in Surabaya with his signature direct free-kick goal and helped keep his club on top fo the table. He's not a 'destroyer' as he doesn't have a great physique., but he's quick to steal the ball. Even now he's 34 years old so many fans still to watch him with the national team and are interested to see his journey to potentially earn his first trophy with the club.

Vietnam

Name: Nguyen Thanh Chung

Age: 22

Nationality: Vietnam

Position: Center Back

Club: Hanoi FC

Background: A graduate of Hanoi FC academy, Chung was promoted to the first team in 2016 season at age 19. Since then, he has played almost 100 matches for the team in all competitions. He also was a part of Vietnamese national team that reached quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Malaysia

Name: Syafiq Ahmad

Age: 24

Nationality: Malaysia

Position: Striker

Club: Johor Darul Ta'zim

Background: He previously played for Kedah under Tan Cheng Hoe, who is currently the Malaysian National Football manager. His talent was discovered since he joined Kedah from Penang FA. He then won Malaysian Cup in 2016 and FA Cup with Kedah in 2017. He netted his first national senior squad goal in 2-1 defeat against Lebanon for 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualification.

Reason to Watch: He has special ability in scoring goals. Heading is his best trait. His first goal for Malaysia is a thunderous header against Lebanon. Recently. his two goals against Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates also come from his header. His signature goal will always be a big threat to the goalkeeper. This young talent will conquer Malaysian football.