Annil Vigneswaran (born 25 August 2003) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a defender for German 3.Bundesliga club Waldhof Mannheim II .

Annil Vigneswaran
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-08-25) 25 August 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, Defensive Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Wardhof Mannheim ll
Number 24
Youth career
AFC Ajax
2021-2022 SGV Freiberg
2022 Sandhausen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Freiburger II 7 (0)
2023- Wardhof Mannheim ll
International career
2021– Malaysia U23 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early life

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Born in Kajang, Selangor, Vigneswaran first took an interest in football at the age of seven, with his father enrolling him in a Little League side, for players aged 5–16 across the Klang Valley.[1] At the age of ten, he spent one year with Dutch side Ajax, before returning to Malaysia to join the Kuala Lumpur Youth Soccer (KLYS) team.[1]

Move to Germany

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At the age of fourteen, he was scouted by German side SGV Freiberg, and eventually moved to Germany to join the club.[1] In February 2022, he joined 2. Bundesliga side Sandhausen.[2]

For the 2022–23 season, he joined Oberliga Baden-Württemberg side Freiburger FC, but was assigned to the club's second team in the Landesliga Südbaden 2.[3]

International career

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In October 2021, he received a surprise call up to the Malaysia national under-23 football team, having not attended any of the training camps in Malaysia.[4][5] This call up was criticised by fans, with then-coach Brad Maloney coming to Vigneswaran's defence, saying "assistant coach, Khan Hung Meng used to train this player before he went to Germany a few years ago and he was seen as a very talented player and since then, his performance has started to be monitored."[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Yeun, Lynette (10 July 2021). "Annil's journey from the backwaters of Kajang to the dizzy heights at Ajax, Freiberg". thevibes.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Annil Vigneswaran naik pangkat, kini bersama SV Sandhausen di 2.Bundesliga Jerman" [Annil Vigneswaran moved up the ranks, now with SV Sandhausen in the German 2.Bundesliga]. harimaumalaya.com.my (in Malay). 28 February 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Oberliga player squad 2022/23". ffc.de (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. ^ Azharie, Farah (22 October 2021). "Annil out to silence critics". nst.com.my. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ Nor, Suryati Mohd (9 March 2022). "Annil korban usia remaja berkelana di Eropah, "You can do it if your mind says yes"" [Anil, a teenage victim, wanders around Europe, "You can do it if your mind says yes"]. cakapsukan.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Dikritik peminat, Vigneswaran tetap jadi taruhan Maloney" [Criticized by fans, Vigneswaran is still Maloney's bet]. majoriti.com.my (in Malay). 22 October 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2023.