THE HMS Malaya Cup was introduced in 1921 when HMS Malaya, a British ship, donated two trophies for football and rugby competitions as a token of appreciation for the warm welcome that it received when the vessel ported in Malaya.
SELANGOR, Perak, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Singapore participated in the inaugural Malaya Cup in 1921.
SINGAPORE defeated Selangor 2-1 for the inaugural title at the Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur. Singapore's Jamieson, a Scotsman, holds the distinction of being the first footballer to score in a Malaya Cup final with a memorable strike just before half-time.
IN 1967, the trophy was renamed Malaysia Cup and it was not until 2000 that clubs were allowed to participate in this competition.
THE Malaysia Cup, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year, is the oldest cup competition in Southeast Asia.
THE Malaysia Cup was not held between 1942-47 because of World War II and last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
SELANGOR are the most successful team in the Malaysia Cup with 33 titles, with their first success achieved in 1922 after defeating Singapore 3-2. The last time the Red Giants won the competition was in 2015 when they defeated Kedah 2-0 in the final.
AFTER Selangor, Singapore are the second most successful side in the Malaysia Cup with 24 wins. Selangor and Singapore were declared joint champions in the 1928 and 1929 editions following 2-2- draws, both at Selangor Club.
ONLY 15 teams have won the Malaysia Cup since its inception with the now-defunct MPPJ FC being the first non-state team to capture the title. The club, then coached by Dollah Salleh, thrashed Sabah 3-0 in the 2003 final.
REMARKABLY, only seven Malaysia Cup finals were decided on penalties. The 1948 edition marked the first time a final was decided on penalties with Negri Sembilan edging Selangor 2-1 after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
MELAKA hold the dubious distinction as the only state team who have not reached a Malaysia Cup final.
BEFORE World War II, only five finals were not held at Selangor Club. The Anson Road Stadium (1925 and 1930) and the Rifle Range Road Stadium (1933 and 1936), both in Singapore, hosted four Malaysia Cup finals, while one final was held in Ipoh in 1931.
THE last time a Malaysia Cup final was held at Selangor Club, in 1956, Selangor beat Singapore 2-1. The venue of the final was later moved to Merdeka Stadium.
OF the 93 Malaysia Cup finals, 59 were played at Merdeka Stadium, Shah Alam Stadium and National Stadium.
THE National Stadium in Bukit Jalil was used for the first time for the Malaysia Cup final in 1998. Perak beat Terengganu on penalties.
THREE consecutive Malaysia Cup title success was the longest winning sequence in the competition. Only three teams achieved the hat-trick feat. Singapore did it in 1923-25, 1932-34 and 1939-41, Selangor excelled in 1961-63 and 1971-73 while Kuala Lumpur ruled from 1987-1989.
SELANGOR hold the record for the biggest winning margin in a Malaysia Cup final. The Red Giants thrashed both Singapore and Penang with 8-1 wins in the 1927 and 1968 finals.
THE most number of goals in a Malaysia Cup final was recorded in 1933 when Singapore thrashed Selangor 8-2.
THE late Mokhtar Dahari, regarded as one of Asia's best strikers in his heyday, won the Malaysia Cup title 10 times.
BRITISH expatriate J. E. King holds the record for scoring the most number of goals in a Malaysia Cup final. Representing Selangor, King plundered six goals in the 8-1 thrashing of Penang in 1927. He scored his double hat-trick inside half an hour. King, who would later go on to become the FA of Malaya's first post-World War II president in 1947, revived the Malaysia Cup competition the following year.
GOALKEEPER E. C. Cherrington let in a total of 16 goals in two Malaysia Cup appearances. In the 1927 final, Cherrington, representing Singapore, conceded eight goals against Selangor. Six years later, he represented Selangor, and they were thrashed 8-2 by Singapore.
THREE players have scored four goals in a Malaysia Cup final. Penang's Lee Ah Loke, Selangor's Ghani Minhat and N. Thanabalan each achieved the feat in the 1952, 1963 and 1968 finals.
INDONESIAN striker Bambang Pamungkas is the last footballer to score a hat-trick in a Malaysia Cup final. He achieved it in Selangor's 3-0 victory over Perlis in 2005 at the National Stadium.
THE other hat-trick heroes in a Malaysia Cup final were Singapore's Chia Keng Hock in 1933, Singapore's Awang Bakar in 1951, Johor's Ervin Boban in 1991, Singapore's Abbas Saad in 1994 and MPPJ's Juan Manuel Arostegui in 2003.