Every major tournament produces oustanding talents and new breakout stars and it will be no different when the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup comes around in Si…
Who will be the next Chanatip Songkrasin, Safiq Rahim or Noh Alam Shah?
Football is a game that keeps getting younger and younger, with coaches around the region ready to put their faith in the next generation of talents.
From Luqman Hakim to Sieng Chanthea to Egy Maulana, there are plenty of exciting talents to come out in Southeast Asia, with the AFF Championship being the platform for them to shine and become the next national heroes for their respective nations.
Throughout the tournament, GOAL ranked these players according their performances, before eventually rewarding the best Under-21 with the first-ever Suzuki Cup NXGN trophy.
- GOAL
10Elkan Baggott
Another one with ties to English football, this Indonesian talent is on the books at EFL club Ipswich Town, though he’s currently on loan at National League side King’s Lynn Town until the end of the 2020/21 season.
At 1.94m, Baggott is a towering presence in the heart of the defence and there won’t be many in the region who could stand up eye-to-eye with him. Having joined up with Indonesia for the very first time to prepare for the AFF Championship, Baggott got his debut in November against Afghanistan.
Played a crucial part in the win against Malaysia, not only in shoring up Indonesia's defence, also came up with the towering headed goal to cap a fine performance.
- Goal
9Mukhairi Ajmal
This 20-year-old central midfielder has had an outstanding season in 2021, where he established himself as an integral part of Selangor first team, made his senior national team bow against Jordan and captained the Malaysia Under-23 side to qualify for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
A midfielder in the mould of Frank Lampard, Ajmal is a box-to-box player but definitely excels when he enters the final third of the pitch, timing his runs to perfection to not only be a creator but capable of finishing as well.
A commendable substitute performance against Cambodia earned Mukhairi a starting spot against Laos and Vietnam but was unused in the game against Indonesia.
- Goal
8Sieng Chanthea
Capped for the first time when he was just 16, Chanthea made his international debut for Cambodia against Pakistan in a 2022 World Cup qualifier back in 2019 in which he was impressive and also managed to get on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win.
Currently plays his club football with Boeung Ket in the Cambodian League and Chanthea most recently featured for the Cambodia Under-23 side in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifier, notching a brace against Hong Kong.
Played in all four games for Cambodia, receiving the highest of nod from Keisuke Honda. Despite finishing only fourth in the group, Chanthea did manage to get a goal against Laos.
- Goal
7Luqman Hakim
Still only a teenager, Luqman is already a household name in Malaysia. He burst onto the scene with the Malaysia Under-16 squad and is regarded as one of the major successes of the National Football Development Programme.
Making his senior bow during the failed second-round joint World Cup/Asian Cup qualification campaign in the United Arab Emirates, Luqman shone where some of his more senior compatriots were a let-down. Pacy and brave, Luqman possesses deadly finishing qualities, too.
Got the nod up front versus Laos and looked lively, even if he was unable to find the net. But the spark faded quickly as Luqman looked rather anonymous against Vietnam before sitting out of the Indonesia game.