I wish I could have played for my second home, Malaysia – Marlon James

By SENG FOO

VINCENTIAN Marlon Alex James enjoyed his playing stint in Malaysia so much that he would’ve been keen to represent the country during his prime.

The 43-year-old, who played for Selangor MK Lands, Kedah and ATM during his time in Malaysia, was one of the most prolific forwards in Malaysian Super League history.

He won the Golden Boot twice, once during Kedah’s historic Double Treble era and the other with ATM, despite being at the advanced age of 37 at that time.

During an interview with Astro Arena host Dayang Zainatull Aqma, he said Malaysia left such a lasting impact that it would’ve been his honour to represent the country.

“I have always said Malaysia is my second home [so] I would have definitely loved to play for them.

“Unfortunately I had already played for my national team [Saint Vincent and the Grenadines], so I cannot represent another team,” he told Dayang.

However, James felt he did play for Malaysia in a way during his encounters with Singaporean team LionsXII, who competed in the M-League from 2012 to 2015.

“When I played for ATM, two of the biggest teams I played against were LionsXII and Kelantan, and I could always see the rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia.

“So when ATM played against the Lions, it was like Malaysia versus Singapore and I felt like I was playing for Malaysia,” he said.

James also revealed he had been following the Harimau Malaya’s international games, praising the team’s performances under national head coach Tan Cheng Hoe.

“I must say I am proud of the current national team.

“I have seen them play in the [FIFA World Cup] qualifying games and they have been really, really impressive.

“I had never seen Malaysia play such good football,” he added.