#rajaknows
The word “Raja” is very synonym for all Malaysians as it means the “King” who is duly respected by the entire nation. But there’s another “King” in the world of football in Malaysia, and he’s none other than Rajagobal or widely known as King Raja by football fans around Malaysia.
Rajagobal or RG started out as a football player who played for PKNS Selangor Selangor and Sabah in the 1970s and 1980s. He has donned the Harimau Malaya jersey in the early 1980s and has played alongside the mighty Mokhtar Dahari (Supermokh) – who is one of the inspiration behind the birth of 1972FC.
Always believed the midfield as the integral part of any game, RG is well known for his ability to deceive opponents and bring his team on the offence. More than his playing career, King Raja became the household name in the entire nation when he began his coaching career.in early 2000s.
Harimau Malaya who was once the powerhouse of ASEAN football in 1970s (mightier than South Korea & Saudi Arabia), has seen its status declined over the years and progressively decreased fans flocking in to the stadium to watch their own national team play. Instead; Brazil, England & Italy were part of their life when it comes to football, and their own national team were left out in the cold.
When the bad became worse, only one savior who took up the challenge to revive the beaten tigers, and none other than King Raja! First up, he took over the Harimau Muda team (National U-23) and brought the team to their first SEA Games gold medal in 20 years; beating the odds of Thailand and Vietnam who were the favorites in everyone’s eyes. The underdogs didn’t stop thereafter, streak of successes to follow next as he was promoted to be the coach for Harimau Malaya (National Team) and the team won the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2012 (the most prestigious cup in SEA region) under his tutelage. Without hesitation, he was honored with “Datuk-ship” title and was called Datuk Rajagobal by the entire nation.
Without realizing, these successes is soon to backlash his own involvement as the national coach as the fans were even more hungry for more “next level” successes and wasn’t favorable of the “experiments” done by him for the team. King Raja resigned as the national coach in 2013 when his contract ended with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in December.
After 2 years absence in the football scene, King Raja is finally back after signing a deal with Sarawak for the 2015/2016 season. He, who was very much missed by the fans, will for sure bring some spice back to the footballing scene and prove his worth as a respected coach and footballing icon in Malaysia.