After recovering from cancer and exactly 453 days after making his last appearance with the National squad, the one and only, Brendan Gan was recalled to the Harimau Malaya squad ahead of the upcoming King's Cup tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand this week.

For the record, the Club captain of Selangor FC made his last appearance with Harimau Malaya when they defeated Thailand 1-0 in the 2022 World Cup / 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers last June 2021 in Dubai, before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

After 12 months of battling and undergoing rehabilitation as part of his recovery process, Brendan Gan returned to lead the Red Giants on the 19th of June 2022 during the Super League (LS6) match against Sarawak United at the MBPJ Stadium, Kelana Jaya. The awaited comeback became even sweeter when he himself scored the opening goal to start off a glorious night for the Red Giants who won the match comfortably 7-0.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the 34-year-old continued to earn his place in the Selangor starting line-up and has featured in 14 consecutive matches to date where he has managed to score three goals and registered an assist in the Super League and FA Cup this season.

These excellent and consistent performances has convinced the current country's Head Coach, Kim Pan-Gon to list him back in the 25-man squad that will start the tournament against the host team, Thailand on September 22nd. The winner of this match will be scheduled to play the winner of the match between Trinidad & Tobago and Tajikistan on 25 September 2022. The losing team will play in the 3rd and 4th place matches on the same day.

During an interview, the player who made his debut in 2016 shared his happiness by saying that it was an honor for him to be given the opportunity to wear the national team jersey again after going through many challenges that he had to face in the span of more than a year.

"It is a great honor for me to return to the national team after going through many challenges before. So, it is very exciting for me to come back and do my best for the national team. Hopefully, we will play well in the King's Cup in Thailand", he said.

Based on the current FIFA ranking, Malaysia is currently ranked 148th, while Thailand is ranked 111th, Trinidad & Tobago is ranked 101st and Tajikistan is ranked 105th in the world. For the record, Malaysia has won this cup four times in 1972, 1976, 1977 and 1978 in the history of the King's Cup tournament.

Also getting their senior national team call-ups are two more teammates from the Red Giants which is Sharul Nazeem and Mukhairi Ajmal.

Congratulations to the all selected players and good luck for the tournament. Demi Kebanggaan!