One image is of a Negeri Sembilan striker with a full jet-black beard, who has become a household name after scoring four goals in the Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games.
The other is a footballer remembered by the older generation for many reasons, including his decision to play for the country on the eve of his wedding.
Fondly known as “Lilliput”, he had terrorised defenders twice his size.
He also netted a record four times for Selangor in its 8-1 thrashing of Penang in the 1968 Malaysia Cup final, and scored for the country with an amazing “chipped” goal in the semi-final of the prestigious Merdeka Tournament that same year.
But for a footballer with 107 international caps to his name, Thanabalan never predicted that he would achieve success in the sport.
By his own admission, he was more of an athlete, a long-distance runner who won the 800-metre and 1,500-metre races in primary school.
At the age of 16, however, his talent was discovered by his school’s football master, who advised him to concentrate more on the beautiful game.
“He found I was a better footballer than I was an athlete,” the 74-year-old told FMT in an interview, adding that his speed and stamina, as well as his ability to run for long distances, played an important role in his success.
The rest is history, with local dailies detailing the exploits of the boy from Brickfields on the pitch, especially his dribbling skills.
Between 1960 and 1971, he played for both Selangor and Malaysia, representing the nation at the age of 17 in the Asian Youth Tournament which was meant for players under 21.
He said it was intimidating being included in the Asian Youth Tournament squad, especially amid more senior players.
“You feel a bit scared as you’re playing with those with so much experience. But after two, three games you get used to it.”
Thanabalan also played alongside other footballing greats such as Abdullah Nordin, Chow Chee Keong, Sardar Khan and M Chandran, names he still holds dear today.
That one game for Malaysia
Of all the games he played for the country, the one he remembers the most is the match between Malaysia and Western Australia during the semi-final of the 1968 Merdeka Tournament.
The game would determine who would play Myanmar, then known as Burma, in the final for the much-coveted trophy.
He said he probably remembers it the best because his teammate Chow, who was also the goalkeeper, often reminds him of it.
“Until today, he rings me up to talk about it. He tells me it’s ‘two-touch’ football.”
In the match, Thanabalan recalled, how Chow had kicked the ball into the opponent’s half. It then bounced over the Australian centre-back before Thanabalan chipped it over the opponent’s goalkeeper, who had come out of his line.
It was the goal that saw Malaysia beat Western Australia 4-3.
Malaysia subsequently defeated Burma 3-0 in the final, a match in which Thanabalan also found the net.
The fiery spirit of Harun Idris
Thanabalan, who played for Selangor for a decade, jokingly referred to himself as a “one-club man”. It is perhaps no surprise that his favourite manager was the late Harun Idris.
According to the father of two, the former Selangor menteri besar knew how to motivate players, especially in the dressing room where he would deliver a pep talk that would fire up the players.
“He would alway use the phrase ‘semangat macam api’,” Thanabalan said, referring to a Malay expression that means “fiery spirit”.
“Even when we lost a match, Harun would never scold the team but instead would tell us to take it easy.”
Harun, he added, was a very easy person to get along with and would invite the team to his house for tea before every game.
“His wife would prepare tea and cakes. This was the case in the 1968 Malaysia Cup final too, when we went to his house first, and only then to the stadium.”
Thanabalan said despite being a menteri besar, Harun was very approachable.
It was also Harun who told Thanabalan’s wife, schoolteacher A Jeyaletchimi, on their wedding day to “take good care of the national property”.
But tea with Harun wasn’t the only time Thanabalan enjoyed a cuppa with his teammates.
He recalled the ritual of having a teh tarik with his teammates after every game.
They would joke about the game and tease each other about how they had played.
“We would ask each other why they didn’t pass the ball. The team spirit continued after the final whistle.”
Hanging up the boots
Thanabalan retired from the national team in 1971 after the death of his father, to support his family as the sole breadwinner, although he said he could probably have played for another two years.
But football still runs in his blood.
An admirer of Argentina’s Lionel Messi and a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan, Thanabalan is now actively involved with the Ex-State & Ex-National Footballers Association of Malaysia.
In May this year, Thanabalan, who is also adviser to the Malaysian Indian Football Association (Mifa), was bestowed with a datukship by the Sultan of Pahang.
So does he miss playing football?
“Definitely. Sometimes I feel like I want to run onto the pitch to play when I see the footballers make a mistake,” he said.
Thanabalan to Thanabalan, a word of advice from Malaysia’s football legend