KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia may be Alvin Fortes’ tenth destination as a professional footballer, but it seems to be the country where he has adapted to the quickest.
The 30-year-old Cape Verdean international, having previously plied his trade in nine other countries – Finland, Turkey, Greece, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands, Georgia, Thailand, and Kazakhstan – opened his tally for the Red Giants in style by scoring a brace in their FA Cup opener against Negeri Sembilan FC at the MBPJ Stadium yesterday.
However, despite his quick ability to adapt to the Malaysian football landscape, Fortes, who joined the Red Giants from Ratchaburi FC in the recent transfer market, believes the intensity of the game in Malaysia could be a challenge for him to continue adding to his goal-scoring tally with his new club.
“To be honest, I’m happy to have quickly adapted to Malaysia and opened my goal account with Selangor after my two-game drought of not scoring a competitive goal.
“But I still have a lot to learn in the Malaysian league as it’s more competitive and physically demanding. I’m not going to lie, playing in the Super League and competitions like the FA Cup is by far the toughest challenge of my career.
“I can’t guarantee that I will be able to score in all the games I play as the intensity varies from each game. Though I’m adapting well with the club, I can’t predict the standard of the opponents that I’m competing against.
“Hence, I need to get better every day, and that’s the only way for me to overcome the intensity of the opponents. Every game is important for me, and everything starts with the training.
“I need to prepare myself 100% for every match and replicate whatever I have learned from training,” Fortes told Scoop when he was met after the match.
At the same time, he also commended the appreciation shown by Selangor fans in welcoming him into the club and always rallying behind him whenever he has the ball.
“Whenever I have the ball at my feet, I can always hear the fans cheering for me, and these chants motivate and encourage me to do better in every game.
“These are the best fans in the world for me, and I’m blessed to be loved by them.
“I hope to get better every day in my game and contribute as much as I can to this beautiful club with these wonderful fans,” Fortes added.
Alvin was snapped up by former coach Tan Cheng Hoe, who left to join Police Tero in Thailand in February this year.
The winger made his professional debut for the Cape Verde national football team in a friendly 3–2 win over Algeria in 2018. – June 16, 2024