KUALA LUMPUR – National U23 footballer Annil Vigneswaran has made a bold move by rejecting an offer from Johor Darul Ta’zim II to continue expanding his career with SV Waldhof Mannheim in Germany’s third tier.
The versatile 20-year-old defender, recently called up for Harimau Muda selection by coach Juan Torres Garrido, trained with the Southern Tigers for the past two weeks after missing out on Garrido’s final list for the ongoing U23 Asian Cup in Qatar.
Speaking to Scoop, Annil said the offer was arranged by Kiko Insa, a former JDT player who is now a football agent.
He further said that while he enjoyed training with some of the country’s best players at the club, he chose to reject the offer to fight for a senior team spot at Mannheim.
“I was invited by Kiko Insa to attend the training sessions with JDT II after missing out on the chance to represent the national team for the U23 Asian Cup. I thank the club for the opportunity to train with the best and for the good offer.
“Their facilities were world class, and even their academy players have so much skill and potential in them to become world-class players. However, I still have a one-year contract with SV Waldhof Mannheim, and I also wanted to fight for my place and try to elevate myself within the time frame based on my contract.
“I’ve been trying my luck in Europe for the past five to six years, and I don’t feel like giving up on my goals easily. I wanted to challenge myself for another year or two and see how far I can go.
“We can’t predict the future. Right now, I want to focus on my European career and give my best in everything I do,” said Annil when contacted.
At the same time, Annil also said that the Southern Tigers would be his top choice if he were to ply his trade in Malaysia, citing that he aimed to play at the highest level with a top club.
“JDT have won 10 Super League titles in a row and also play in the Asian Champions League (ACL) on a consistent basis, hence it will be a dream come true for me if I happen to play for them in the future.
“But I’m not going to limit myself to only JDT as I’m ready to play for any club that plays in the ACL. For me, I look at the ACL as the biggest competition in the Asian region, and of course, it’s every player’s dream to play in the tournament.
“Buriram United FC from Thailand are another team that I adore, and I would love to play for, but for now, I prefer not to be too ambitious and just focus on building myself up through a step-by-step approach,” Annil added.
Annil, who began his youth career in the Netherlands with Ajax at the age of 10, previously played for another German third-division side, SV Sandhausen.
He was also with German clubs SGV Freiberg and Freiburger FC between 2021 and 2022.
Annil was also a member of the national youth team under coach Brad Maloney for the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2021. – April 18, 2024