K. Nanthakumar

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Wikipedia

K. Nanthakumar
Personal information
Full name Nanthakumar a/l Kaliappan
Date of birth (1977-10-13) 13 October 1977 (age 48)[1]
Place of birth Perak, Malaysia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Manjung City (head coach)
Youth career
1998 Perak President's Cup Team
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2004 Perak FA 89 (5)
2005 MPPJ FC[2] 7 (0)
2006–2008 Perak FA[3] 41 (2)
2008–2010 Selangor FA[4] 22 (2)
2010–2012 Perak FA[5] 31 (1)
2013 Kelantan FA 7 (0)
2014 Negeri Sembilan FA 17 (0)
2015–2017 MISC-MIFA ?? (1)
International career‡
2002–2010 Malaysia 36[6] (0)
Managerial career
2024–2025 Negeri Sembilan
2025– Manjung City
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 January 2018
‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 December 2013

Nanthakumar Kaliappan (born 13 October 1977) or better known as K. Nanthakumar is a former Malaysian footballer where he played as a defensive midfielder. He was a member of the Malaysian national team from 2002 until 2010. Nanthakumar is currently the head coach of Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League club Manjung City.

Playing career

He is renowned for his physical appearance which is always quoted to overshadow many strikers in the Malaysian League. Having a six feet tall physique, Nanthakumar is not only tough in defend but also can even score a goal for Perak FA.[7]

He had represented Malaysia since the 2002 Tiger Cup. From then onwards, he has been a regular on the national team. He helped Malaysia to finish third in the 2004 Tiger Cup and even made a semi final appearance during the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. Furthermore, he was chosen to be on the national team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, where he played in all of Malaysia's matches. He was also part of the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying squad.[8][9]

Managerial career

Negeri Sembilan

On 15 September 2024, Nanthakumar was appointed as the head coach of Malaysia Super League club Negeri Sembilan. He later on resigned from the position as of 12 June 2025.

Manjung City

On 16 October 2025, Nanthakumar was officially announced as the new head coach of Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League side Manjung City.

Managerial statistics

As of match played 25 January 2026
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat. From To Record Ref.
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Negeri Sembilan Malaysia 15 September 2024 12 June 2025 2144132340−17019.05
Manjung City Malaysia 16 October 2025 Present 115151415−1045.45
Career Total 3295183755−18028.13

Honours

Player

Perak FA

Selangor FA

MISC-MIFA

References

  1. ↑ Nanthakumar Kalliappan - Worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "MPPJ bayangan 'Chelsea'". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Yob4ever.COM : Perak Football e-Fans Homepage - Tiga pemain MPPJ ke Perak". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. ↑ http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2006/5/11/sports/14213414&sec=sports [permanent dead link]
  5. ↑ "TM Liga Super - Plus FC Vs Perak (Result) | Perak Darul Ridzuan Elite Football Talk". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Mamrud, Roberto. "Malaysia - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "11 Idaman Semuanya BOLA Pasukan Perak Di Bawah Weigang" (in Malay). Semuanya Bola. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  8. ↑ K. Nanthakumar – FIFA competition record (archived)
  9. ↑ K. Nanthakumar at National-Football-Teams.com