Malaysia’s football revivalist, who celebrates his 69th birthday today, has immortalised his legacy in “Inilah Saya” (This is who I am), a memoir as stirring as a comeback goal in extra time.
Far more than a traditional sports autobiography, “Inilah Saya”, is Rajagobal’s open-hearted reflection on a life devoted to Malaysian football.
Spanning 464 pages and 16 rich chapters, this book doesn’t just document his rise from a ball boy for the Setapak Hot Spring Hotspurs in Kuala Lumpur to an international striker.
It invites the reader to walk that journey with him, determined, and full of dreams.
In his early chapters, titles like “Anak Jati Setapak” (Son of Setapak) and Tawaran PKNS (Offer from PKNS) capture the beating heart of a kampung boy.
This is a lad who honed his skills on uneven, dusty grounds, imagining the roar of a crowd that had yet to know his name.
Without the presence of a father figure, hardship became his earliest coach.
His resilience was shaped in silence, in rejections, in nights where ambition had to wrestle with reality.
Yet he pressed on. Like a forward slicing through a stubborn defence, he refused to stop.
Wearing the colours, bearing the weight
By the time Rajagobal broke into the Selangor FA setup from the Cholan Youth club, his football had matured into more than skill.
It was a language of pride.
He writes of the 1979 Malaysia Cup final against Singapore not merely as a win but as a turning point.
“It was the moment I cannot forget,” he says, not for the 2-0 scoreline, but for what it symbolised: that he belonged.
Training alongside giants like Mokhtar Dahari and R Arumugam, he absorbed the ethos of excellence.
It wasn’t about playing for the name on the back of the jersey, but for the one on the front — the one that carried a nation.
In “Lahirnya Seorang Jurulatih (A coach is born), Rajagobal recounts how he pivoted from electrical technician at PKNS, the Selangor economic development corporation, to becoming the tactical mind behind Malaysia’s footballing renaissance.
His coaching style? A balance between discipline and freedom, like letting a striker improvise within a structured playbook.
He doesn’t just describe matches, he relives them.
From the roaring gold medal match at the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane to the history-making 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup final against Indonesia, Rajagobal brings the reader into the huddle, into the dugout, into his mind.
One of the most cinematic moments arrives in “Malam Milik Safee Sali” (Safee Sali’s night).
He captures the roar of Bukit Jalil as Safee’s brace in the 3-0 first‑leg win over Indonesia sparked a collective sigh of relief.
At the peak of his powers, Safee finished the final with three goals across both legs, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Rajagobal’s 2010 team paired Safee’s raw force with Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s creativity up front.
Fresh off an under‑23 SEA Games gold, Rajagobal earned legendary status, leading Malaysia until 2013.
These are more than football tales; they are national memories, retold by the man who helped create them.
Grit, sacrifice and setbacks
Rajagobal is honest about the darker corners of his career. Injuries. Selection snubs. Frustrations with FA of Malaysia.
Each setback, he says, was a “necessary detour” — part of the long game, not a final whistle.
For every jubilant team photo, there were sleepless nights and missed family dinners.
Rajagobal does not romanticise sacrifice but lays it bare: “Every trophy I lifted came with years of absence from family dinners, sleepless travel nights, and endless training drills.”
He doesn’t wear his medals, he wears his scars.
Legacy beyond the touchline
What makes “Inilah Saya” truly meaningful is its mission beyond self-reflection.
Rajagobal champions the need to preserve sporting history through writing.
He urges fellow legends to “write before we’re written off,” reminding us that legacy isn’t just what you leave behind, but also what you leave documented.
His book is already being used in football academies and youth development camps, with leadership modules centred around chapters on mental strength, humility, and patriotism.
For a generation that grew up watching Harimau Malaya’s resurgence, this book isn’t nostalgia. It’s a blueprint.
“Inilah Saya” is not just a memoir for football fans. It is for anyone who has fought for a dream, led a team, or found purpose through adversity.
It is for teachers, parents, and leaders. It is, above all, for Malaysians.
Rajagobal has scored again, not with his feet, but with his words. And in doing so, he has preserved the soul of a golden era while inspiring the next.
In the end, “Inilah Saya” is a declaration. “This is who I am. This is what I gave. And this is what we achieved together.”
“Inilah Saya” is available at bookstores and online.