Abbas' happy Malaysian homecoming.

FOR Abbas Saad, the roar of the crowds at Larkin Stadium in Johor Baru where he was a goal-scoring hero in the glory days of the Malaysia Cup has long died down. But now, the man who was once the region's top striker is delighting local football fans again - as a TV pundit.

Turning 42 in December and with a no-nonsense, shaved head, he's no longer the youthful glamour boy from Sydney who partied hard with the fans. Wiser, more circumspect and hardened by the lessons of life, Abbas, a married father of two, has well and truly grown up.

"Malaysia is where I had some of the most wonderful moments of my career," said Abbas, who was a Johor favourite in the 1991 and 1992 seasons before returning to Singapore where he spent three years.

"It is fantastic to walk around Kuala Lumpur and meet …