With ex-Liverpool player Garcia as club boss: Johor DT has been undefeated in over 100 league games

Lower squad value than Bielefeld

When ex-Liverpool and Barça professional Luis García took up the post of managing director at Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim, they had been undefeated in 80 league games. Almost a year later, the unbeaten streak has grown to 106 games. For the 2005 Spanish Champions League winner, who has signed a five-year contract with JDT, it is the start of a new career off the pitch. His highest market value was 13 million euros in 2007, roughly the same as the squad value of his new club today. Since the 2000/01 season, no top division team in the TM database has remained undefeated as many times in a row as Johor.

On April 24, 2021, JDT lost the last league duel against eventual fourth-placed Terengganu FC (0-1). The balance sheet since then is impressive: 97 wins, nine draws and a goal difference of plus 334. The club, which was restructured and renamed in 2013, has already secured the championship with three match days to go – the twelfth Malaysia Super League championship title in a row. JDT isn’t just setting new standards in the league. In addition to the annual march through the Malaysian upper house, the club has won all national cup competitions every season since 2019. At the national level, JDT dominates with 157 undefeated games in a row.

This is also visible when comparing the squad values. At 13.9 million euros, the JDT team is almost 6.5 million euros more valuable than Selangor FC (7.4 million), Terengganu FC follows in third place (5.1 million). For comparison: Arminia Bielefeld has the lowest squad value in the 2nd Bundesliga (18.5 million) and is therefore valued almost 5 million euros higher than the top Malaysian club.

Seven of the ten most valuable professionals in the Malaysia Super League also come from García’s team. Nacho Méndez has the highest valuation at 1.3 million euros, but JDT’s model player is different. “He’s so fast, so many skills, this one-on-one ability. He’s not afraid,” García enthuses about 23-year-old Aif Aiman ​​in an interview with “The Athletic”.

At the age of 16, the right winger moved to the JDT academy – it was the beginning of a success story. Aiman ​​only made 17 appearances this season due to injury, but contributed 23 goals. Its market value is 700,000 euros; The trend is increasing. He also plays a defining role in the national team: he has 21 scorer points in 40 games and is the third most valuable professional in the Malaysian selection. Own youth players like Aiman ​​who make the breakthrough are currently rare – there are only 18 Malaysians in JDT’s 42-man squad. The club’s state-of-the-art academy is intended to counteract this.

It is the only youth division in Malaysia and includes teams from U12 to U23, all of which became champions in their age groups this season. But the academy is not just important for JDT – it is intended to advance Malaysian football. García thinks big: “We have our own ideas, but you look at what the best teams in the world are doing – that should be our benchmark.”

In the category of the longest unbeaten streak in the league, JDT is already in the highest realms. In the ever-growing TM database, the 106 undefeated games are the best number since 2000. Shan United from Myanmar (99) and Al Ahly FC from Egypt (71) follow in second and third place. The rest of the top 10 consists of European clubs – from Estonian club FCI Levadia (61) to Shakhtar Donetsk (55). FC Porto is a team in the top ten twice. While the series of the European clubs and Al Ahly has already ended, Shan United, alongside JDT, can also extend their records. Since the season in Myanmar is already over, the 100 can only be reached at the beginning of the new season (on Shan’s undefeated streak).

JDT is pursuing a clear plan for its sporting success: foreign officials with international experience should build the club successfully and sustainably. “I’ve been lucky to have people around me that I can talk to. That’s the best way to develop,” explains García. The coaching team also reflects this philosophy. The Spanish head coach Xisco Muñoz has international experience; He coached, among others, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford, with whom he achieved promotion to the Premier League. Spanish fitness trainer David Agustí has ​​been poached by Manchester City.

With two outstanding league games, JDT can extend its series – and the season could also be gilded with two more titles. Only in the AFC Champions League Elite did they end in the quarter-finals against eventual winners Al-Ahli. Despite the elimination, it was a special moment for García: “We managed to reach a historic point for the club. We are proud and honored to be among the top eight teams.”

At the same time, the Spaniard notes how different the club’s financial conditions are from those of other top Asian clubs – such as Al-Ahli: “Our budget is almost 14 million pounds and compared to their budget it’s a ratio of about twelve to one. That shows the huge difference. You have to compete in a different way.” Al-Ahli’s squad value is 174 million euros, former Stuttgart player Enzo Millot (28 million euros) alone is worth twice as much as JDT’s squad.