Today, Shukri Mutalib is 177 caps old, and has seen action at many levels of the game, but not the World Cup or the Olympics.
And he is determined to add to his profile next year's World Cup, which means he will give his all in the match against Germany.
"I can never forget the day I was selected for the Athens Olympic Qualifiers for it made me a much better player after that. It was quite an experience and although we failed, it lit a fire in me which will only be satisfied if I play in the Olympics or the World Cup," said Shukri.
There were many near misses for this lad, as he helped Malaysia to a bronze in the Asian Games, which was the best as well as the worst moment for him as Malaysia gave away the 2010 Olympics ticket to Pakistan on a 2-0 score.
"That was the closest I got to playing in the Olympics and it came a year after we missed the cut for the 2010 New Delhi World Cup (losing to New Zealand 2-1 in the Invercargill Qualifier final)," said Shukri.
"And tomorrow (today) I get another chance to help the country, and after many disappointing moments in my career, I aim to get it right this time.
"It will be tough against the Germans, and even though many have written us off, my team-mates and I believe we are capable of pulling off an upset," said Shukri.
