The seven-time winners of the ASEAN Championship, Thailand are building for the future with none of the iconic trio of Teerasil Dangda, Chanathip Songkrasin or Theerathon Bunmathan set to participate in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ for the first time since 2007.
It heralds the beginning of a new era with an exciting crop of talents coming through and amongst them is centre-back Jonathan Khemdee, who made his senior international debut in September.
“I'm very excited to have a chance to play for the Thai national team. The ASEAN Championship is an old tournament and many people in Thailand expect us to win. I'm just so happy to have my name on the final list and now I'm ready to go out and play,” said Jonathan in an exclusive interview with ASEAN United FC.
Born in Surin province in Thailand, Khemdee was raised in Denmark and is a product of three-time Danish champions Odense Boldklub before joining a Thai club for the first time in January 2023, signing a deal with Ratchaburi FC.
The promising talent was soon called up to the Under-23 national team with the SEA Games in 2022 in Vietnam being his first major youth international tournament experience.
Jonathan was sent off in the opening game, a 2-1 defeat to Malaysia but the Thais came back strongly, winning all their other matches up until the final where they took on the hosts. Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat in the final, the centre-back had shown his resolve by recovering from an early setback.
They definitely enjoyed that! 😁
— #AsianQualifiers (@afcasiancup) June 5, 2022
🇹🇭 Thailand's second was met with pure joy amongst players and coach 🙌 #AFCU23 | #MASvTHA pic.twitter.com/6A10l16hLl
Barely 10 days later, Jonathan and Co. were on the flight to Uzbekistan for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022, where Suphanat Mueanta’s 91st-minute equaliser rescued a 2-2 draw for Thailand against Vietnam followed by the same player netting twice in a 3-0 win against Malaysia to exact revenge.
However, a narrow 1-0 loss to Korea Republic ended Thailand’s journey in the group stage with Khemdee playing the full 90 minutes in all three matches to gain valuable international experience under his belt.
“I relish playing under pressure. If you want to be a big player, you must play under pressure,” expressed Khemdee.
“We have many young players in the senior team now, but we have played together in the Under-23 national team at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup and also in the SEA Games so we already know each other.”
FT: 🇹🇭 Thailand 3️⃣-0️⃣ Myanmar 🇲🇲
— #AsianQualifiers (@afcasiancup) May 13, 2023
It's another strong performance from Thailand to take them into the #SEAGames2023 Final where they will play Indonesia! pic.twitter.com/GYeQbmLab1
Another SEA Games experience came the following year in 2023 where Thailand stormed their way to the final as they came up against an Indonesian side that featured the likes of Marselino Ferdinan, Rizky Ridho and Witan Sulaeman in Phnom Penh.
The match would leave a huge impact on Khemdee, where a SEA Games record 13 yellow and nine red cards were issued, including his sending off, as Indonesia scored three times in extra time to win 5-2 in a match marred by controversy.
Jonathan shifted focus to his club career and had an impressive 2023-24 season, helping Ratchaburi to a sixth-place finish, their highest position in Thai League 1 since 2017 which earned him the Thai League 1 Best Defender accolade.
Thus, following an international hiatus of more than a year, the 22-year-old returned to the national team, making his senior team debut in a 2-1 win against Vietnam at My Dinh National Stadium.
“It's a big pressure whenever you put on the Thailand jersey. In my first game against Vietnam, it was hard because of the weather and we couldn't train. But my teammates, the coaching staff and head coach [Masatada] Ishii helped me understand the tactics,” recalled the young defender.
That match was enough for Ishii to realise Khemdee’s attributes and he was included in the squad for the 50th edition of the annual King’s Cup in October, where the War Elephants would go on to beat the Philippines and Syria to lift the trophy.
The centre-back performed admirably in both matches with Chanathip scoring his first goals in national team colours in almost three years, including a stunning 91st-minute long-range winner in the final at the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla.
“I think the coach liked what I did, so he brought me to the King’s Cup and I was very happy because it was my first King’s Cup and we managed to win the tournament for the first time in seven years,” said Khemdee.
“When you play around good players like Jay [Chanathip], Bank [Suphanat], Nicho [Nicholas Mickelson] and Elias [Dolah], it's easier because they can help you. It was a home game in Songkhla as well with big fans and big support. So maybe it was a bit easier for me to adapt in that sense.”
Several players from that King’s Cup winning team will be missing though when the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 kicks off in a couple of days. Experienced Port FC midfielder Peeradol Chamratsamee will captain the new-look side that consists of 14 players who have less than 10 international caps as Ishii clearly has an eye on the future.
“Many new players have come into the squad this time. But I think it's a big opportunity for everyone to show the coach how good they are. It's not like the A team, but we cannot use that as an excuse because it's still a good team and I don't see why we can’t win the tournament,” said Khemdee, one of the several Thai players who will get a first taste of the ASEAN international tournament.
Thailand have been paired alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Timor-Leste in Group A with their opening match on Sunday, December 8 against the Timorese at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi.
That will be followed by a blockbuster home match against the 2010 champions Malaysia at Rajamangala Stadium followed by a trip to Singapore and a home match against the Cambodians to conclude the group phase as they target an unprecedented hat-trick of titles this time round.
“I want to play against the best teams. I am the kind of player who always likes to play the big games because in the big games, you can prove yourself against a good player. In our group, I want to play against Malaysia because I think they have a good team and also Cambodia because I saw in the news that they are bringing six new naturalised players,” said Khemdee about the upcoming challenges.
“It's not going to be easy in the group stage. But we’re ready to give our best and I think it’s going to be fun!”
The 22-year-old is a player full of ambition and after lifting the first silverware in his career, the King’s Cup, the Ratchaburi defender is hungry for more success.
Whilst playing in Songkhla, Khemdee fell in love with the city in Southern Thailand and recently announced that he would auction his winners’ medal and match-worn boots to help the flood victims in the region, a gesture that has won hearts across social media.
“My target is to be the best defender in the tournament. I always want to be the best and I don't like to lose. I always give 100 per cent every time no matter who I play against, whether it's Timor-Leste, Cambodia or Malaysia,” declared Thailand’s determined young centre-back.
“I try to talk with the fans after the match and try to give as many jerseys as possible so that I can make them happy. Support me and I will do my best in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024!”
Photos: FA Thailand
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