At long last, after years of waiting, midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal has finally said “yes” to representing the Malaysian national team.

Born in Carbondale, United States, Wan Kuzain has been a familiar name among Malaysian football fans for more than a decade. Although he was born in America, both of his parents are Malaysians, making him 100 per cent Malaysian by blood. He is neither of mixed heritage, a heritage recruit with disputed lineage, nor a naturalised player.

The only thing that prevented Kuzain from representing Malaysia earlier was the fact that he was born and raised in the United States. While his parents are Malaysian citizens, his upbringing and identity were shaped by American culture. English is his first language, not Malay, and he grew up living the American way of life.

It was therefore unsurprising that, a decade ago, Kuzain dreamed of representing the United States men’s national team (USMNT), as that was the country he truly identified with. However, earning a place in the USMNT is far from easy, even though football is not America’s most popular sport. Had he succeeded, he might have been playing alongside Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Sometimes, however, destiny has other plans. Kuzain may have believed that the United States was where he belonged, but perhaps Malaysia was always meant to be his true home. You can take someone out of Malaysia, but it is never easy to take Malaysia out of them.

The ASEAN Cup became a significant milestone for Kuzain as he finally made his debut for Malaysia, years after his name first captured the attention of local supporters. When his heart was set on representing the United States, many Malaysians were disappointed that he chose not to play for Harimau Malaya. Now, he finally arrives carrying a heavy responsibility.

Kuzain joins the national team at a time when Malaysian football is still struggling to recover from the controversy surrounding the seven ineligible players whose documentation was found to be fraudulent. He arrives at a moment when many supporters have turned their backs on the national team, frustrated by off-the-pitch issues. Kuzain now has one opportunity to help improve both situations.

The first challenge is to win back supporters who have distanced themselves from Harimau Malaya because of the seven-player scandal. His impact on the pitch will be crucial. If he performs well, fans may return to the stadium despite the ongoing boycott movement against the national team. They will come to watch Kuzain even if they remain disappointed with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). As the famous football saying goes, “Support the team, sack the board.”

The second challenge is to change the public’s perception of Kuzain himself. To some supporters, he was seen as someone who was unwilling to represent Malaysia. When he eventually accepted the national team call-up, some felt that he had gone back on his earlier stance. Because of that, Kuzain must deliver strong performances to silence those who continue to question his commitment.

A series of impressive displays for Malaysia would help ease supporters’ anger over the seven-player controversy. At the same time, Kuzain himself would become increasingly accepted, and fans would gradually move on from his earlier decision to prioritise the United States over Malaysia.

The writer personally admits to feeling disappointed when Kuzain chose to pursue his dream of playing for the USMNT instead of Harimau Malaya. In the writer’s opinion, FAM should place greater trust in players whose Malaysian roots are unquestionable rather than relying on naturalisation.

That said, it has always been Kuzain’s career, and he had every right to decide his own path. Neither the writer nor the supporters had the right to make that decision for him. Now that he is finally part of the Malaysian national team, all that remains is to hope that he succeeds with Harimau Malaya.

To many of us, Kuzain may have taken far too long to say “yes” to Malaysia. But in God’s plan, perhaps everything has happened exactly when it was meant to — for both the player and the national team.

We may feel that his arrival came too late, but as the familiar road safety slogan reminds us: better late than never — or, in its original spirit, better late than never arriving at all.

May Kuzain shine for Harimau Malaya at the ASEAN Cup. Hopefully, his success will also encourage Malaysian football’s decision-makers to stop placing excessive hope in players whose eligibility remains under scrutiny. Instead, they should place their faith in genuine local talent to restore the pride of Malaysian football.