Key Points
- Former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Luis García is the CEO of the Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
- The club has managed an impressive 113-game unbeaten streak in the domestic league, a streak described by many media outlets as a world record.
- The club has managed 12 successive Malaysian league titles, according to the media reports.
- In the last season, JDT managed 117 goals while conceding only 10 goals in 24 league games, with 23 wins and one draw.
- Luis Garcia says he will be developing football in the region and ensuring that the club can compete with top Saudi clubs in the Asian Champions League.
- The club is also investing in their youth team, business partnerships, and even a digital service that aims at connecting with fans from outside Malaysia.
- Winning the Asian Champions League is the dream of the club.
Liverpool Sports (Liverpool standard) October 10, 2026 — Former Liverpool midfielder Luis García is overseeing Johor Darul Ta’zim as the Malaysian club continues a reported world-record run of 113 consecutive domestic league matches without defeat. García joined JDT as chief executive in March 2025, bringing a former player’s profile and an interest in football’s business side to a club that has set its sights on becoming a leading force in south-east Asia.
The Liverpool Echo reports that JDT are managed by former Watford coach Xisco Muñoz, with García working at executive level. The club’s run and its sustained domestic success form the backdrop to a wider project: raising JDT’s standing across the region, strengthening its commercial operations and improving its ability to compete in continental football.
According to the Liverpool Echo, JDT scored 117 goals and conceded 10 in 24 Malaysia Super League matches last season. The club won 23 of those games and drew once. The report also said JDT held a three-point lead at the top of the league in the current campaign at the time of publication and had not conceded in its first five fixtures.
The 113-match figure refers to JDT’s unbeaten league sequence, not an unbeaten record across every competition. A separate report by YSScores, published in September, counted 104 wins and nine draws in the 113 league matches and said the run began in April 2021.
What did García say about taking the JDT role?
In an interview with the Daily Mail, García said the move to Malaysia came unexpectedly after his playing career and media work. As reported by the Liverpool Echo, he said he had worked as an ambassador for Liverpool and Barcelona and as a pundit for ESPN and beIN Sports, but had wanted to explore the business side of football.
“I flew to Malaysia to meet with His Royal Highness and then it was very quick,” García told the Daily Mail, according to the Liverpool Echo. He said the discussions gave him an understanding of the vision behind JDT and the work involved in building the club since 2012.
García described the ambition to make JDT the biggest club in south-east Asia as a project requiring commitment and long-term planning. He also characterised the club’s approach as comparable to that of a European club, pointing to its professional structures and academy. The academy, he said, is run by coaches trained in Spain.
His comments underline that the role extends beyond the first team’s results. The Daily Mail reported that García is involved in commercial partnerships, including deals with Nike, Hublot and Toyota, and that JDT is developing JDT+, a digital service intended to give supporters access to behind-the-scenes material and documentaries.
What are JDT’s ambitions in Asian football?
García has said that one of his tasks is to help grow football in the region and position JDT to compete against leading Saudi Arabian clubs in the Asian Champions League. The Liverpool Echo reported that JDT reached the competition’s quarter-finals last season, a milestone García cited while discussing the club’s progress.
The Daily Mail reported that García wants JDT’s youth teams to succeed, while also planning commercial relationships years ahead. Those ambitions sit alongside the immediate challenge of maintaining domestic performance and translating it into stronger results against the region’s established clubs.
García called winning a Champions League a dream. His comments indicate that the club’s ambitions are not limited to adding domestic titles: JDT also wants greater recognition and achievement in continental competition. The available reports do not specify a timetable for winning the Asian Champions League or detail a particular transfer or investment plan to reach that goal.
How does García’s Liverpool history shape the story?
García is best known to many Liverpool supporters for his role in the club’s run to the 2005 Champions League final. He scored the controversial “ghost goal” against Chelsea in the semi-final, a moment that helped Liverpool progress to the final in Istanbul.
He played the full 120 minutes of the final against AC Milan. Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 half-time deficit, levelled the match and went on to win the trophy on penalties. The Liverpool Echo and Daily Mail both connect that playing history with García’s present executive role, though the current development concerns his work at JDT rather than a return to Liverpool.
García retired in 2016 after a 19-year playing career that included spells with clubs such as Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Panathinaikos, as well as Liverpool. Before taking the JDT position, he worked in broadcasting and in ambassadorial roles for former clubs.
What else did García discuss in the interview?
The Daily Mail’s interview also covered Liverpool and Chelsea. García spoke positively about Andoni Iraola and his style of football, describing an approach based on possession, energy and dynamism. He said Liverpool had quality across the pitch and could challenge again, while acknowledging that Iraola would face a significant task.
García also discussed Xabi Alonso, his former Liverpool team-mate, who visited Malaysia with Chelsea during pre-season. The Daily Mail reported that JDT drew 3-3 with Chelsea in a friendly watched by 28,741 people. García called the visit a positive experience for the club and its supporters and said the match offered an opportunity to see JDT compete against high-profile opposition.
These remarks were secondary to the central focus of the interview: García’s new role and JDT’s domestic record. They nevertheless show how his connections to major European clubs and his experience as a former international player remain part of his public profile as an executive in Malaysia.
Background
Johor Darul Ta’zim, commonly known as JDT, is a Malaysian club based in the southern state of Johor. The unbeaten sequence reported in coverage began in April 2021, following a league defeat to Terengganu, according to YSScores. By September 2026, that outlet reported the streak had reached 113 league matches, with 104 victories and nine draws.
JDT’s domestic record has developed alongside an ambition to build the club’s profile beyond Malaysia. García told the Daily Mail that the organisation’s vision was to make JDT the biggest club in south-east Asia. Reports also highlight the club’s academy, international commercial partners and plans to engage supporters through digital content.
García’s appointment in March 2025 marked a change from his post-playing work in media and ambassadorial roles to a senior position in club management. The reporting describes his remit as a mix of football development, commercial planning and regional growth, rather than coaching or direct responsibility for match tactics.
What could the development mean for JDT supporters?
For JDT supporters, the 113-match run is a sign of sustained domestic consistency, while the club’s stated ambitions point towards a larger focus on continental performance and international visibility. The figures reported for last season—117 goals scored and 10 conceded in 24 league matches illustrate the scale of JDT’s league dominance during that campaign.
The next test is whether the club can convert domestic strength into further progress in Asian competition. García has identified competing with Saudi clubs and winning the Asian Champions League as ambitions, but the reports do not establish that either outcome is assured. Maintaining the unbeaten run is also not guaranteed; it remains a record in progress, dependent on future match results.
