NG CLOSER TO DREAM OF BECOMING A LION

FAS to help Cardiff defender and Nakamura become naturalised citizens

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Liverpool-born footballer Perry Ng will take a major step towards his dream of representing the Singapore national team after the Cardiff City defender confirmed on Sept 2 that he will be applying for Singapore citizenship this week.

On the same day at the Kallang Football Hub, Ng and BG Tampines Rovers' Japanese midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, both 28, trained with the Lions for the first time in a move that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) called a "familiarisation stint".

Ng told the media after the training session that he hopes to be a Singaporean citizen soon and that it was "nice to come and introduce myself to everyone and build relationships with the players, the coach, all the staff".

He is eligible to play for Singapore via the heritage route as his late paternal grandfather James was born here but later settled in Liverpool.

Over the years, Ng had expressed his desire to play for the Lions and also made multiple trips to visit his relatives in Singapore.

On the process of becoming a Singaporean and linking up with the Lions, Ng, who was named CarOver the years, Ng had expressed diff's Player of the Year for 2022-23 and 2023-24, added: "I always hoped to come here, but it's never been realistic until maybe a couple of weeks ago.