Cardiff City footballer Perry Ng, 28, granted PR status, a step closer to representing S'pore

English footballer Perry Ng has been granted Singapore permanent residency (PR), moving one step closer to fulfilling his dream of joining the national football team.

Ng, 28, who currently plays as a defender for Championship club Cardiff City, made the announcement on his Instagram on Mar. 21, 2025.

Thanked those who helped him

In the Instagram post, Ng posted a picture of him standing in front of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building in Lavender, holding his PR identity card in one hand.

He also published two other photos which showed him taking a photo with a Lions supporter and giving a bag to an elderly lady, respectively.

In the caption, Ng expressed his gratitude to those who helped him along his journey.

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A post shared by Perry Ng (@busterng)

In a separate Instagram story (IGS), Ng added that he had taken his "first step" to put on the red jersey, which refers to the jersey worn by the Singapore men's national football team.

Although he was "a bit jetlagged", he shared that he was "so excited" and would be meeting his fans in Singapore soon.

Ng also tagged the Instagram page of Football Association Singapore (FAS) in the IGS.

On Mar. 15, Ng and his teammates at Cardiff City played against English football club Blackburn Rovers, scoring a 2-1 victory.

Ng's Singaporean roots

In a September 2024 interview with Mothership, Ng shared that he bears a familial connection to Singapore through his paternal grandfather, James Ng.

According to the footballer, his grandfather was born in Singapore before moving to Liverpool, where he opened a business manufacturing Chinese food.

James was also the one who introduced Ng to football by bringing him to matches at Liverpool Football Club when he was young.

When his grandfather passed away around 12 years ago, then-teenager Ng began thinking seriously about representing Singapore in men's football.

"I always felt like I needed to honour my grandfather and make him proud, and he never got to see me play professional football," shared Ng.

Hoping family in S'pore can see him playing football live

Besides honouring his Singaporean roots, Ng wanted to join the Lions so that his family members, especially those who are in Singapore, could see him play football live.

According to him, around 20 of his relatives, including his aunties, uncles, and cousins, still live in Bedok today.

Ng's grandaunt (James' sister), specifically, has been running a food stall named "Original Fried Hokkien Mee" at Block 511 Bedok North Street 3 Market and Food Centre since 1978.

After garnering experience and skills in English football, Ng believed it was the right time for him to try out playing international football for Singapore.

In terms of Ng's next steps, his father told Mothership in September 2024 that they have been in contact with FAS president Bernard Tan to help expedite the process of Ng's naturalisation.

Ng had also been invited by FAS to come for a familiarisation stint with the men's national team last year.

Top images via Perry Ng/Instagram