Malaysia has once again missed the chance to acquire a brand-new naturalized star valued at nearly 50 billion VND.

Coach Peter Cklamovski felt let down as he was unable to list Nacho Mendez in the Malaysia squad for the upcoming Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers in October.

Nacho Mendez is the latest player to complete the Malaysian naturalization process this past summer; the Spanish-born footballer has played over 200 matches in La Liga 2 and is currently valued at around 1.5 million Euros (nearly 50 billion VND).

According to the recently published official list of 29 players, Nacho Mendez, one of JDT’s standout midfielders, is absent. This means Cklamovski will have to wait longer for the chance to work with the 27-year-old star.

Notably, this is the second consecutive time the Australian coach has been unable to use Nacho Mendez during national team call-ups. In the September friendlies against Singapore and Palestine, Cklamovski also had to exclude him due to "fitness issues" after the player had been consistently playing for JDT across competitions.

At that time, the Australian strategist shared: “Nacho Mendez is experiencing some fitness concerns. He is one of the players with the highest number of matches in the domestic league, so he needs proper recovery time.”

After missing the August call-up, Cklamovski expressed his eagerness to work with Nacho Mendez in October. He revealed having had several discussions with the midfielder, and both are excited about the prospect of contributing to the Malaysian Tigers.

“I have spoken with Nacho a few times. He is very enthusiastic about joining the team and showing his love for Malaysia. I hope to be able to use him in October,” Coach Cklamovski stated at the end of August.

However, that plan has been indefinitely postponed as Nacho Mendez did not appear on the roster for the two Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Laos. Thus, the Spanish-born player has yet to make his debut for the Malaysian national team since naturalization.

Despite Mendez’s absence, Malaysia’s midfield remains deep. Familiar names like Nazmi Faiz, Afiq Fazail, Nooa Laine, Stuart Wilkin, and Sergio Aguero (a Brazilian-born naturalized player) are all included. Additionally, Endrick Dos Santos, currently playing for Ho Chi Minh City Police, has been called up and promises to be an important factor in the Malaysian Tigers’ gameplay.

According to the schedule, Malaysia will face Laos twice, on October 9 away and October 14 at Bukit Jalil, as part of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Cklamovski’s team currently holds a five-match winning streak against this opponent, and despite missing some key players, the Malaysian Tigers aim to maintain their unbeaten run.

The absence of Nacho Mendez is clearly a disadvantage, but amid Malaysia’s ongoing pressure from the naturalization investigation, Coach Peter Cklamovski remains optimistic. For him, every challenge is an opportunity to discover new talents and help the Malaysian team prove their true strength on the road to the 2027 Asian Cup.