Brothers on the ball: Declan (left) and Ryan Lambert could be sharing the pitch in Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers in March. — KL City
PETALING JAYA: Having a pair of ‘’twin towers’’ in the national football team can be a huge lift. Fans remember the exploits of siblings Aidil and Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak, and what a difference they made to the Harimau Malaya.
Now they can look forward to another twin combo in the form of the Lambert brothers – Ryan and Declan – strutting their stuff together for Malaysia. That is, if midfielder Ryan, who is on loan with Kuala Lumpur from Johor Darul Ta’zim, finally breaks into the national team this year.
While fullback Declan has been a regular for the country, having featured in the recent AFF Cup, Ryan – who has impressed consistently with the City Boys since 2021 – has yet to receive a call-up. The 26-year-old Ryan, who achieved a passing accuracy of 84 percent with the City Boys, said the long wait for a spot in the national team had been frustrating but he remained hopeful.
“I’ve turned that frustration into motivation and used it as fuel to improve my game every day, to show that I deserve a chance,” said the KL-born Ryan, born to an English father and Malaysian mother.
“For me, it’s about staying focused on what I can control - that is to continue giving consistent performances and proving my value.”
With the national team going through a revolution of sorts under new coach Peter Cklamovski, Ryan knows what are needed for him to get into the side.
“It’s a combination of consistency, adaptability and understanding of the vision of the new national team set-up. I must show that I can add value to the team.”
As for Declan, who also joined JDT earlier this season before returning to KL on loan, he intends to keep his regular spot despite Malaysia’s failure to reach the semi-finals of the AFF Cup.
“I thought we deserved better in the AFF Cup, as we played well and were unlucky not to reach the last four,’’ he said.
He added that he was excited about the prospect of working under new coach Cklamovski.
‘’As he has worked with Ange (Postecoglou) before and given his years of experience in Japan, I’m optimistic that he can raise the standard of Malaysian football.’’
If Ryan does finally earn his national spot, he and Declan could be sharing the pitch in the 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers in March.
