The development was announced by FA of Malaysia secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam in a statement today.

He said it was a good move to boost the strength of the Harimau Malaya with naturalised players.

Stuart said the Kosovo-born player, 28, became a full-fledged citizen of Malaysia after receiving his MyKad at the National Registration Department headquarters in Putrajaya today.

“FAM will send the necessary documents confirming Liridon as a citizen of Malaysia to Fifa without delay to complete the documentation process,” he said.

Krasniqi could be the second naturalised player to play for Malaysia once approval is received from Fifa.

Stuart added that FAM are thankful to the Home Ministry and Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for their assistance.

FAM is aiming for Malaysia to be in the top 100 teams by 2026. Malaysia are currently 154th.

Gambian-born Mohamadou Sumareh is Malaysia’s first naturalised player. He was co-opted into the national squad in July 2018.

Sumareh played an instrumental role in helping Malaysia reach the final of 2018 AFF Cup.

Malaysia lost to Vietnam 3-2 on aggregate in the two-legged final.

Perak’s Brazilian striker Guilherme De Paula is also on FAM’s radar for naturalisation.