Naturalized Malaysia forward Bergson da Silva has ruled out any future career move to Liga Indonesia, stating that he has never considered playing in the country due to his comfort at Johor Darul Ta’zim and within Malaysian football.
Bergson da Silva Dismisses Liga Indonesia Links
Speaking in an interview with PSSI TV, the 35-year-old striker addressed speculation regarding his club future following his transition to international duty with Harimau Malaya. “Tidak. Tidak. Saya tidak pernah membayangkan itu,” Bergson said, noting that his five-to-six-year progression in the region unfolded rapidly and left him entirely settled in Malaysia, as reported by viva.co.id. Seperti yang saya katakan, karier lima hingga enam tahun di sini terjadi cukup cepat.
Jadi saya tidak pernah membayangkan itu karena saya senang berada di Malaysia,
tambahnya.
Bergson Secures Citizenship After Five Years in Malaysia
Bergson’s path to the Malaysian national team stems from a multi-year stint in the Malaysia Super League. The Brazilian-born player—born Bergson Gustavo Silveira da Silva in Alegrete on March 9, 1991—initially joined Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on loan from Fortaleza in March 2021 before the club made his transfer permanent. After completing the mandatory five consecutive years of residency required for naturalization through standard pathways, he secured citizenship and earned selection for Malaysia at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
Tournament Production and Controversy at Gelora Bung Karno
During the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, Bergson emerged as Malaysia’s leading goalscorer with four goals, trailing only Indonesia’s Mitchell Baker in the tournament’s scoring charts. Despite his prolific form at club level with JDT—where his market value is valued at Rp5,65 miliar—Bergson was held scoreless during Malaysia’s 0-0 group stage draw against Indonesia at Jakarta’s Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno on September 28, 2026, where he started and was eventually ditarik keluar pada menit ke-88 digantikan Syahmi Safari. Following Malaysia’s elimination from final contention despite a 6-0 victory over Singapore on October 1, 2026—while Indonesia advanced after defeating Bangladesh 9-2—Bergson criticized the tournament’s scheduling and officiating via social media, questioning match stoppage times and logistical arrangements, including a post on Instagram TNT Brasil where he wrote Posting juga di situ bahwa mereka memberikan tambahan waktu 2 menit,
Lalu tiba-tiba diubah menjadi 7 menit dan mereka mencetak 2 gol terakhir dalam 1 menit,
serta sindiran bahwa Hahaha omong kosong apa ini? sepanjang turnamen mereka (Indonesia) diuntungkan terus. Mereka memainkan seluruh pertandingan di Jakarta dan malam hari. Sementara itu, tim-tim lain main di Bandung dan sore hari dengan jadwal main dua kali sehari
dan Bukankah itu konyol?
. Terlepas dari segala kontroversi dan kritik pedas yang dilontarkan kubu seberang, Timnas Indonesia tetap melaju mantap untuk menantang raja Asia Tenggara, Thailand, di partai final pada Senin 5 Oktober 2026 mendatang, sementara warganet Malaysia ancam boikot produk RI.
Squad Adjustments Ahead of the Third-Place Fixture
Head coach Tan Cheng Hoe confirmed that the squad will travel without captain Dion Cools, who departed due to urgent family matters, and winger Faisal Halim, who remains sidelined with an injury. “Setelah pertandingan melawan Singapura beberapa hari lalu, Dion tidak akan bersama kami untuk pertandingan mendatang karena dia memiliki urusan keluarga yang perlu segera diselesaikan,” Tan Cheng Hoe said, as cited by Astro Arena and reported by viva.co.id. Kami menghormati keputusan Dion dan berharap yang terbaik untuknya. Pada saat yang sama, kami berharap para pemain lainnya siap untuk pertandingan melawan Vietnam,
pungkasnya. The team finalized preparations in Jakarta ahead of the Monday kickoff, with the match resulting in a Harimau Malaya victory of Malaysia Vs Vietnam 1-0 to crown them Juara 3 FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
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