.jpg) Cools in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dion-Johan Chai Cools | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-06-04)4 June 1996 (age 29) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kuching, Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Full-back /Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Cerezo Osaka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Tempo Overijse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | OH Leuven | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | OH Leuven | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | OH Leuven | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Club Brugge | 81 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Midtjylland | 38 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | →Zulte Waregem (loan) | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Jablonec | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Buriram United | 62 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Cerezo Osaka | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Belgium U18 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Belgium U19 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Belgium U21 | 18 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Malaysia | 35 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 October 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dion-Johan Chai Cools[2] (born 4 June 1996) is a Malaysian professionalfootballer who plays either as afull-back orcentre-back forJ.League clubCerezo Osaka and captains theMalaysia national team.
Cools was raised in Belgium, and representedthat country at youth level with 28 caps, but later chose to play for his native Malaysia, and made his senior debut on 3 June 2021.
Cools was born inKuching,Sarawak to aBelgian father, Hans Cools[3] and aMalaysian Chinese mother, Xylina Chai.[4][5] The couple had relocated to Belgium following their marriage in the mid-1990s but were living there at the time of his birth.[6] They traveled back to Kuching so his mother could be with her family during the delivery, and the family returned to Belgium shortly afterward.[7] Dion was named by his parents afterJohan Cruyff andDion Dublin, the latter being a former player forCoventry City andManchester United.[3]
Cools started his career with Tempo Overijse, but soon moved toOH Leuven as a 9-year-old.[8] In 2010, he joined theAnderlecht youth team.[9] After a season, he returned to the OH Leuven youth academy in 2013. He signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2014 after completing secondary school.[10][11]
On 3 August 2014, Cools made his debut in the first team of OH Leuven, competing in theBelgian Second Division. He was in the starting lineup for the away match againstRacing Mechelen.[12][13] In May 2015, he participated with OH Leuven in the final round for promotion. Cools did not miss a single minute of the final round and won promotion to theBelgian First Division A again with the club.[14]
On 23 June 2015, Cools signed a four-year contract withClub Brugge. He won two Belgiannational titles and twice theBelgian Super Cup. Cools became a starter under head coachMichel Preud'homme in the 2016–17 season due to poor performances by former Dutch internationalRicardo van Rhijn, who had initially become the starter after the departure of regular right-backThomas Meunier toParis-Saint Germain.[15][16] Cools also remained a starter under new coach Ivan Leko, with whom he was reunited after his time with OH Leuven. Cools would, however, later become benched after the emergence ofClinton Mata at the position.[17]
On 31 January 2020, Cools signed a three-year contract withMidtjylland in theDanish Superliga.[18] He made his debut for the club on 17 February in a 2–0 win overLyngby.[19] Cools scored his first goal for the club on 14 February 2021, the only goal of the match in a win overHorsens in theSuperliga.[20]
Initially, Cools played regularly under coachBrian Priske but suffered a foot injury that kept him out of action for three months. During his recovery, Priske left the club, and the incoming coach did not feature Cools as prominently in the team. Despite working to regain his position, another injury, this time to his pelvis, further disrupted his progress. Off the field, Cools faced challenges adapting to life in Denmark, citing a lack of social interactions and the country's long, wet winters as contributing factors.[21]
Cools and FC Midtjylland have mutually agreed to cancel his contract with the club on 9 September 2022, making him a free agent.[22]
On 4 January 2022, Cools was loaned out toZulte Waregem by Midtjylland until the end of the2021–22 season as Cools was looking for more playing time, according to Midtjylland's director of football.[23][24]
During his stint at this club, Cools playing time was inconsistent and he found integrating back into Belgian football challenging. He questioned whether his mindset was right for playing back home again, and he admitted to not playing with complete freedom. The team was also in a difficult period as they were fighting against relegation. Therefore, his performance and overall experience at Zulte Waregem were mixed.[25]
On 12 September 2022, Cools signed for Czech Republic club,FK Jablonec on a short-term deal.[26][27] He stated that the motivation behind the move is to get more playing time as his former club, Midtjylland, decided to switch to a different playing system, which curtailed his playing time.[28]
On 3 January 2023, Cools signed a one-and-a-half-year contract withBuriram United in theThai League 1 on a free transfer.[29] He made his debut for the club on 22 January in a 3–0 win overSukhothai after selected to the starting eleven against the club and played full 90 minutes of the match. On 22 April, Cools lift the2022–23 Thai League 1 title after securing a win 2–1 againstChiangrai United.[30] In his first season, he helped the club to win the domestic treble winning the2022–23 Thai League Cup and2022–23 Thai FA Cup.
Being born in Belgium to a Belgian father and Malaysian mother, he was eligible to represent eitherBelgium orMalaysia. Additionally, due to her mother's ancestry which can be traced to Guangdong, China, at one time, Cools was in discussions withJiangsu Suning about the possibility of naturalizing to play for theChina national team. However, the complex nature of the naturalization process led to the abandonment of those discussions.[5]
Cools was called up for2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification by the Belgian under-19 national team coach,Gert Verheyen.
On 1 June 2021, Cools was announced as the newest addition to Malaysia's 26-man squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers match againstUAE, after paperwork for his eligibility was completed withFIFA and theAFC.[31] He debuted for Malaysia in a 4–0 loss to the UAE on 3 June 2021.[32]
Cools scored his first international goal in Malaysia's final AFC 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers match againstBangladesh, helping Malaysia secure a 4–1 win,[33] which confirmed Malaysia's AFC Asian Cup qualification for the first time by merit in 42 years.[34] Cools was named as the 'Man of the Match'.[35] Cools also represent the nation at the2023 AFC Asian Cup where he captained them.
On 16 November 2023 during the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match againstKyrgyzstan, Cools scored the opening goal and the equalising goal when Malaysia were 3–1 down to level the score at 3–3, eventually helping them to a 4–3 comeback win.
Cools is married to Melissa Schelfhout, whom he wed in a civil ceremony on 6 May 2022.[36] They have two children: a son, Liam-Zayn (born May 2021),[37] and a daughter, Lina-Sophia (born 20 August 2024).[38]
Cools has stated that his footballing idol isClub Brugge legend,Gert Verheyen.[3]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OH Leuven | 2014–15 | Belgian Second Division | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 6[a] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| Club Brugge | 2015–16 | Belgian Pro League | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 2016–17 | First Division A | 24 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | First Division A | 35 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2018–19 | First Division A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | First Division A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 8 | ||
| Midtjylland | 2019–20 | Danish Superliga | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 38 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 49 | 1 | |||
| Zulte Waregem (loan) | 2021–22 | First Division A | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Jablonec | 2022–23 | Czech First League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Buriram United | 2022–23 | Thai League 1 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Thai League 1 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| Career total | 206 | 10 | 22 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 258 | 13 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 35 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 June 2022 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia |  Bangladesh | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 2 | 13 October 2023 |  India | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2023 Merdeka Tournament | |
| 3 | 16 November 2023 |  Kyrgyzstan | 1–0 | 4–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 3–3 | |||||
| 5 | 10 June 2025 |  Vietnam | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 6 | 9 October 2025 | New Laos National Stadium,Vientiane,Laos |  Laos | 2–0 | 3–0 |
OH Leuven
Club Brugge
Midtjylland
Buriram United
Malaysia
Individual
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)(knikt) "Bij Midtjylland zat ik in een goeie flow onder Brian Priske, tot ik een beentje brak in mijn voet en drie maanden aan de kant stond. Priske vertrok en zijn opvolger was meteen heel rechtuit. Hij moest me niet. Ik knokte me toch weer in een relevante positie, maar dan brak ik weer iets, in mijn bekken, en verloor ik mijn plek opnieuw." "Het leven naast het veld beviel ons ook niet. Niet alleen omdat Denemarken donkere en natte dagen telt. Voor ons als gezin was het er ook eenzaam. Het ontbrak ons aan entourage of vrienden om eens iets mee te gaan eten. Een vrije dag was geen moment van rust, wel de hel. Niets te doen, in huis blijven, de uren tellen. Toen ging ik naar Zulte Waregem. Ik speelde daar af en toe wel, maar dat liep niet altijd even vlot. Ik weet niet of mijn mindset op punt stond om weer in België te spelen. En vooral, om tegen degradatie te vechten. Ik speelde helemaal niet bevrijd."
Het leven naast het veld beviel ons ook niet. Niet alleen omdat Denemarken donkere en natte dagen telt. Voor ons als gezin was het er ook eenzaam. Het ontbrak ons aan entourage of vrienden om eens iets mee te gaan eten. Een vrije dag was geen moment van rust, wel de hel. Niets te doen, in huis blijven, de uren tellen. Toen ging ik naar Zulte Waregem. Ik speelde daar af en toe wel, maar dat liep niet altijd even vlot. Ik weet niet of mijn mindset op punt stond om weer in België te spelen. En vooral, om tegen degradatie te vechten. Ik speelde helemaal niet bevrijd.
