Muhammad Ekmal: JDT's Pivot Returns from Injury to Claim His Place in a Title-Chasing Squad

Not every story in a championship season belongs to the players who score the most goals. Some of the most significant involve those who have had to fight simply to be back on the court. Muhammad Ekmal's 2026 campaign with Johor Darul Ta'zim Futsal carries that weight.

The pivot, born on 13 July 2000, missed a significant period of competitive action through injury, and his return prompted debate in the national team's fan community when he was called into the Malaysia squad for the 2025 AFC Futsal qualifiers. Some questioned whether two appearances back warranted selection. The JDT coaching staff and national selectors clearly felt differently.

Their confidence has been repaid. Ekmal was included in the Malaysia squad for the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Jakarta at the start of the year, one of two JDT pivots selected alongside Mohamad Awaluddin, and he has carried that form into the MPFL season.

Three goals from seven appearances for JDT tell only part of his contribution, the position demands physical work in tight areas, blocking, linking play, and converting the half-chances a good team creates for its pivot.

The clearest individual statement came in circuit four's 8-3 victory over ATM, where Ekmal scored twice in the 8th and 30th minutes to earn the MVP award in a performance that demonstrated his sharpness and timing in and around the penalty area. An earlier goal against USM on the opening matchday had contributed to JDT's 9-1 win and underlined his readiness from the start of the season.

JDT lead the 2026 MPFL with five wins from seven matches under João Nuno Alves De Almeida. Ekmal's role within that squad, as a domestic pivot of national team quality operating alongside international imports Andresito and the established local stars, is one that rewards patience and physicality in equal measure. Having come back from injury, he appears in no mood to give the position up.