Asnawi Mangkualam

Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar (born 4 October 1999) is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays for Thai League 1 club Port and captains the Indonesia national team.

Mainly playing as a right-back, he can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder.

After spending years in the youth squads of PSM Makassar, Asnawi joined Persiba Balikpapan for the 2016 Indonesia Soccer Championship A (a temporary tournament that replaced the defunct Indonesian Super League after the PSSI schism that led to the 2015 FIFA suspension on Indonesia).

He soon became the youngest player to score in the competition, as he netted a goal at just 17 years and five days in a match against Bali United at Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium.

After Liga 1 emerged as the stable football competition in the country, Asnawi in 2017 returned to PSM Makassar, where he made his debut against Persela Lamongan in the Indonesia President's Cup, the league's pre-season tournament.

On 16 April, Asnawi made his Liga 1 debut with PSM in a 3–1 win against the same opponent where he played the full 90 minutes.

Asnawi finished the season with only 9 appearances.

Despite his young age, he rapidly established himself as one of the club's most talented and promising players, thanks to his versatility and his technical skills.

In the 2018 season, he made 14 appearances for the club, much better than the previous season.

In the following season, Asnawi made his first international appearance for the club in the 2019 AFC Cup group stage on 17 April 2019 against Philippines Football League club Kaya-Iloilo, he played as a substitutes in a 1–2 win.

On 3 May 2019, Asnawi provided an assist for his compatriot Muhammad Rahmat in a 2–0 away draw in the second leg of PSM' 2018–19 Piala Indonesia quarter-final against Bhayangkara.

With an aggregate of 4–4, PSM became the first team to qualify for the Piala Indonesia semi-final, after winning away goals over Bhayangkara.

He won his first trophy with the club in August 2019, played the full 90 minutes in a match against Persija Jakarta in the second leg of Piala Indonesia final.

He also won the tourney's Best Young Player award.

He scored his first league goal the same month, opening the scoring in a 2–1 home win over PS Barito Putera.

During the 2019 league season, he made 18 league appearances and score one goal for PSM Makassar.

On 26 February 2020, Asnawi provided an assist for his compatriot Giancarlo in a 3–1 home win in the 2020 AFC Cup group stage against Myanmar National League club Shan United.

He scored his first goal of the 2020 season in the same month, opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw over Persita Tangerang at the Benteng Taruna Stadium, Tangerang.

PSM's management revealed that they agreed to release Asnawi even though his contract still has a season left.

The decision came out because he wanted to continue his career abroad.

Moreover, Liga 1 is not yet clear when it will be rolled out.

Asnawi finished the season with only one goal in 3 league appearances, because the league was officially discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 2021, Asnawi joined K League 2 side Ansan Greeners on a permanent deal.

In the process, the Greeners became the first K League team to ever register a Southeast Asian player, while Asnawi himself became the first Indonesian footballer to ever play in the Korean league.

Upon signing for the Greeners, Asnawi revealed that Shin Tae-yong himself reportedly convinced him to pursue an opportunity abroad.

The transfer also gained attention from Ansan's local Indonesian community as well as local fans, with the club's official social media accounts receiving a significant increase in followers.

After being unavailable for the first games of the season due to COVID-19 self-isolation rules, Asnawi made his debut for the Greeners, playing the entirety of a 1–0 win against K4 League club Yangpyeong in the Korean FA Cup on 28 March 2021.

On 3 April 2021, he made his league debut, playing 61 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Busan IPark.

Asnawi was able to made back-to-back appearances in the next five games and registered his first league assist in the Greeners' 1–0 win over Daejeon Hana Citizen on 24 April 2021.

Asnawi finished his first season with 1,004 minutes played in 14 league matches.

On 23 July 2022, Asnawi scored his first goal in a 3–1 home win over Gimpo.

Eight days later, he scored again in a 3–0 league win over the Jeonnam Dragons, where he would later join from Ansan.

Asnawi further improved in his second season, recording 1,646 minutes of play in 27 matches in two competitions, as well as scoring two goals and contribute three assists.

On 27 January 2023, Asnawi officially joined fellow K League 2 side Jeonnam Dragons on a permanent deal.

On 1 March, Asnawi made his debut with Jeonnam Dragons in a match against FC Anyang where he played the full 90 minutes as a right-midfield.

He picked up his first red card for the club in a 0–5 defeat against Gyeongnam four days later.

Despite this, Asnawi returned to the first team and playing 82 minutes for the side on 8 April, where he give two assists and played as a left-back for the first time under coach Lee Jang-kwan in a 2–2 draw over Seongnam.

On 26 January 2024, Thai League 1 club, Port announced the signing of Asnawi where he is set to join the team straight after the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

On 14 February 2024, Asnawi made his debut for Port as a substitute in a 4–3 win against Muangthong United.

Asnawi was often a key player for Indonesia's national Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 squads.