K. Rajagopal (footballer)
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| File:K. Rajagobal.png | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rajagopal a/l Krishnasamy | ||
| Position(s) | Striker (Retired) | ||
K. Rajagopal, (or fullname Rajagopal a/l Krishnasamy) (born July 10, 1956) is a Malaysian football manager and former professional player. He was made the national coach for the young Malaysia U-20 team from 2004 until 2006; and the Malaysian U-19 (known as Harimau Muda A) in 2007 to 2009. Under his guidance, Harimau Muda A became the Premier League champion in 2009. Currently he is the head coach for both the Malaysian national and the Malaysian U-23 squad.
Rajagopal is a former national striker, with 20 international caps between 1980 and 1983, he took over the senior coaching job in July 2009.
Rajagopal is best-known for guiding Malaysia's Under-23 side to its first gold medal in 20 years at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Laos where the team defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final on December 17 after earlier knocking out 8-time defending champions, Thailand, in the group stage. After the victory, Rajagopal earned the nickname "King Raja". In July 2009, Rajagopal coached Malaysia in two games against the visiting English champions, Manchester United FC, losing in both matches 2–3 and 0–2.
Rajagopal is a former club coach at Selangor FA and Kelantan FA. He is also a pundit for Malaysian network Astro, including the twice-weekly FourFourTwo TV Show.
Career
As player
K. Rajagopal play for PKNS FC in the Malaysian semi-pro league from 1978 until 1989. He is a former national striker, with 20 international caps between 1980 and 1983.
As a coach
Rajagopal starts his coaching career in 1990 with PKNS FC. He is currently coaching the Malaysia national and Malaysian U-23.
References
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