One of Thailand's best and most popular players of all time, Kiatisak Senamuang is just one match away from a rare achievement, winning an Asean double as player and — provided his men hold on against Malaysia in the second leg of the decider — in his current role as coach.
Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang thanks fans at Rajamangala National Stadium after the War Elephants' 2-0 win against Malaysia. INSET: Kroekrit Thaweekarn celebrates scoring against Malaysia.
During his glorious playing days, Kiatisak won four gold medals at the SEA Games and three titles at the Asean championship, now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup.
The Asean championship, which is for full national teams, was introduced in 1996 after the football tournament at the SEA Games became a U23 competition.
As coach of the U23 side, Kiatisak steered his men to win the SEA Games title last year to end a six-year barren spell.
He is now on the brink of winning the AFF Suzuki Cup as coach after his men beat Malaysia 2-0 in the final of the first leg at Rajamangala National Stadium on Wednesday.
Kroekrit Thaweekarn celebrates scoring against Malaysia.
"Winning back the title is important to me and my country,'' said Kiatisak, whose men also beat Malaysia 3-2 in the group stage in Singapore.
"We have a 2-0 lead but our mission is not yet complete. We will have to play the second leg in a big stadium and the atmosphere will be a good test for our young players."
Thailand have won the Asean title three times with Kiatisak a player in all three of those winning sides.
He also scored the winner in Thailand's 1-0 win against Malaysia in the final of the inaugural Asean championship in 1996.
Thailand, who were last crowned champions in 2002, are chasing their fourth title to match Singapore's record.
Kiatisak was the most successful Thai player of his generation, finishing his career with more than 100 caps and over 65 international goals to his credit.
The 41-year-old is nicknamed 'Ko' and thanks to his striking prowess he is dubbed 'Zico' by the Thai press after Brazilian great Zico.
After hanging up his boots in 2006, Kiatisak went straight into management with Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai before moving back home to coach Chula United and Bangkok FC.
He was appointed coach of Thailand's U23 side last year and became a national hero when the Thais won gold at the SEA Games in Myanmar.
He was also stand-in coach of the full national team which secured a stunning 5-1 win in China in a friendly.
The win led to a riot by Chinese fans and the sacking of Spain's Jose Antonio Camacho as their national coach.
At the 2014 Asian Games, Kiatisak led his men to fourth place in Incheon, South Korea.
During the Asian Games, he repeatedly said he wanted to take a break and did not want to take charge of the full national team.
But Thai football bosses were successful in persuading him to take the role on a full-time basis, reportedly on his condition that he would have a formal contract and a free hand in selecting the players.
He raised some eyebrows by leaving out legendary midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao and resisting the temptation to ask Spanish La Liga side UD Almeria to release striker Teerasil Dangda — the top scorer at the 2012 Suzuki Cup — for the current tournament.
Most of his players in the current squad are those from the Asian Games team, including goalkeeper and captain Kawin Thamsatchanan, Kroekrit Thaweekarn, Chanathip Songkrasin, Charyl Chappuis, Adisak Kraisorn and Sarach Yooyen.
These players have served vindicated the coach's faith. Chappuis and Kroekrit both scored a goal in Wednesday's 2-0 win, while Adisak was on target twice in Thailand's 3-2 win against Malaysia in the group stage.