Cardiff City defender Perry Ng has moved a step closer to playing for Singapore after training with their national squad this week.
Liverpool-born Ng has long held the desire to play for the country of his grandfather but has been frustrated by legal issues over citizenship and passports.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said Ng and Japanese midfielder Kyoga Nakamura have joined the national squad during the current Fifa international window “to familiarise themselves with the Lions setup”.
Ng’s ambition is to be the first heritage athlete to gain Singaporean citizenship and make his mark at international level.
“It’s going to be a dream come true to walk out at the National Stadium. It will be a proud moment for me and my family,” Ng told the FAS website.
The 28-year-old former Crewe player has previously explained the complications of becoming a Singapore citizen, admitting he found it confusing.
Because Singapore does not allow dual citizenship he would be required to give up his British passport.
In an interview in 2023 he said: “There’s a lot of legal stuff involved which is very difficult.
“It’s just stuff with my passport and how it would affect me here, which I’m not quite sure of at the minute, so hopefully I can get it solved. I’d love to do it.”
Signed from Crewe in 2021 Ng was Cardiff’s player of the year for the 2022–23 campaign, signing a new three-year contract at the end of that season to keep him at the club until the summer of 2026.