PETALING JAYA: Junior Eldstal (pic) had to be fit as a fiddle to earn a place in the Harimau Malaya squad.
And the 31-year-old did exactly that and it was good enough for Malaysian football coach Kim Pan-gon to name him for the upcoming friendlies against Solomon Islands on Wednesday and Papua New Guinea (June 20) at the Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak.
The centreback from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) this season who was on loan with Thai club PT Prachuap is glad to have caught the eye of the Korean despite his lack of minutes and tumultuous time in Thailand.
He was so excited with the call-up that he reported for duty earlier, instead of the official date of June 10.
He underwent fitness drills with national fitness coach Park Ji-hyeon for a week, and they have been happy with the results he had shown.
Junior is grateful for the opportunity.
“I joined early because the Thai league finished a month before. I had some great family time in Australia and worked out under a trainer three to four days a week,” said Junior, who has won 16 caps with Malaysia.
“Coach Kim had asked me to come a week early to look at my fitness level prior to the call-up, and after looking at the results, he was happy.
“I will not go into much detail about what happened on my loan deal in Thailand, but I was treated unfairly, and it was a tough time mentally for me.
“I’m glad that I worked hard to maintain my fitness as I knew there would always be a chance to be called up.”
Many had wondered why Pan-gon selected Junior, who only made three substitute appearances in the Thai League with Prachuap.
And many fans felt that others merited a call-up instead of him but Junior is unfazed by it.
“I don’t read any comments, I try to focus on playing football and give my best for my family. After over 10 years of representing my country, I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. They know my worth.
“I have been a part of the senior national team and the Under-23s for over 10 years, although I’ve missed some call-ups.
Junior will have a fight in his hands as Pan-gon has selected a bevy of centrebacks like JDT trio Shahrul Saad, Matthew Davies and Feroz Baharuddin and Sabah’s Dominic Tan.
“We have a great pool of talented players who will only push and drive each other to be better. Many in the squad have played several games together, which is key in the friendly matches.”
As for his club’s future, he said that he might return to JDT or stay for another season in Thailand but with a different team.
“With the loan ending, there is a possibility of returning here but the doors are also still open in Thailand. For now, I’m focused on the national training camp.”
