On 16/8, Spanish newspaper El Correo published an article about Garces, stating he had received an invitation from the Malaysian national team. At the time, it was only known that the center-back held Argentinian citizenship.

"It's thanks to my great-grandfather. I knew about my ancestry, but I never thought this opportunity would arise," Garces said. "The Malaysian team said they are building an exciting project, which I'm very enthusiastic about."

Garces playing in the match where Malaysia defeated Vietnam 4-0 in the second leg of Group F of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on 10/6/2025. Photo: Malaysia NT

Garces playing in the match where Malaysia defeated Vietnam 4-0 in the second leg of Group F of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on 10/6/2025. Photo: Malaysia NT

In Garces' statement, El Correo used the Spanish word "Bisabuelo", meaning great-grandfather. This sparked debate about the 1999-born center-back's ancestry and whether it violated FIFA eligibility rules.

Garces' case for playing for the Malaysian national team is similar to Dang Van Lam or Nguyen Filip in Vietnam. FIFA regulations state that a player must have a grandparent or parent who holds the nationality or was born in the country to be eligible for naturalization and to play for that national team. Therefore, Garces' great-grandfather connection would be ineligible.

After learning about the controversy, Garces clarified via a post on his personal Instagram account. "It was just a translation error. I am Malaysian through my grandfather. I am honored to play for the Malaysian national team. See you all soon," Garces wrote.

The exact nature of Garces' connection to Malaysia, whether through his grandfather or earlier, remains unclear.

In the past, FIFA overlooked cases of players not meeting naturalization requirements, such as Timor Leste's use of 12 Brazilian-born players between 2011 and 2016. However, the FIFA Players’ Status Committee now operates more rigorously, requiring member associations to submit complete supporting documentation and imposing heavy penalties for violations. No further errors have been recorded since the Timor Leste incident.

Garces was born in 1999 in Argentina and played 129 matches for his hometown club Colon from 2020 to 2024. In August 2024, La Liga club Deportivo Alaves signed him to a three-and-a-half-year contract, starting on 1/1/2025. The 1.88m tall center-back played 10 matches in La Liga last season.

Garces debuted for the Malaysian national team in their 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup in June 2025. Coach Peter Cklamovski praised the center-back for his strong yet calm personality and high-level playing experience.

The 26-year-old center-back has a chance to participate in the 2027 Asian Cup with Malaysia. The team currently leads Group F in the final qualifying round with 6 points, three points ahead of Vietnam and Laos, including a decisive victory over direct competitor Vietnam.

In September, Malaysia will play friendlies against Singapore and Palestine. In the final qualifying round, they will face Laos twice in October, play away against Nepal in November, and then against Vietnam in 3/2026.

Besides Garces, Malaysia has around 15 players of mixed heritage in their squad: Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado (Argentina), Joao Figueiredo (Brazil), Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero (Spain), Hector Hevel (Netherlands), Matthew Davies (Australia), La'Vere Corbin-Ong (England, Barbados), Junior Eldstal (Sweden), Quentin Cheng (China), Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin, Hong Wan (England), Dion Cools (Belgium), and Nooa Laine (Finland). In addition, Malaysia has three naturalized players: Endrick, Paulo Josue (Brazil), and Romel Morales (Colombia).

Trung Thu