Bento, born in 1999, developed at the youth academies of Atletico Mineiro and Coritiba in Brazil.
In 2021, he made a bold decision to leave his homeland and pursue a career in the Cambodian Premier League. He signed with Angkor Tiger before playing for PKR Svay Rieng from 2023 to 2024.
Bento joined Boeung Ket in 2024, where he has showcased his impressive technique and pace, scoring nine goals and providing 13 assists.
He received Cambodian citizenship after living and working continuously in the country for five years. This naturalization process granted him the opportunity to represent the Cambodia national team in accordance with FIFA regulations.
Cambodian’s Brazilian-born winger, Iago Bento, was called up for the 2026 ASEAN Cup. Photo by FFC |
“I gave up on my dream of wearing the Brazil national team jersey because it’s way out of my reach,” the 27-year-old winger recently wrote on Facebook. “But now my dream is back. I will give my all to help Cambodia go further.”
The Football Federation of Cambodia confirmed Bento’s call-up to the national squad on July 18 as they prepared for the 2026 ASEAN Cup.
Cambodian newspaper Khmer Times noted that Bento joins an expanding roster of naturalized talent in the national team.
They had called up nine other naturalized players, including Japanese-born Yudai Ogawa, Takaki Ose and Hikaru Mizuno.
The squad also feature South African-born Kan Mo, Ivorian players Anderson Zogbe and Abdel Kader Coulibaly, Colombian Andres Nieto, Uzbekistani Alisher Mirzaev and Privat Mbarga from Cameroon.
Cambodia will have to compete without several of these naturalized players. The 2026 ASEAN Cup schedule overlaps with the start of the new domestic season, and the squad are also dealing with injury setbacks.
Only four naturalized players, Bento, Ogawa, Mirzaev and Coulibaly, are confirmed for the upcoming tournament.
Cambodia have retained only seven players from their 2024 ASEAN Cup squad.
Japanese head coach Koji Gyotoku has opted for a youthful approach, calling up 15 players born in 2002 or later for his 25-man squad. Seven of these young talents will be making their senior international debut, while another seven have accumulated no more than three senior caps.
To ensure they are fully prepared for the tournament, Cambodia recently concluded a focused short-term training camp in Japan.
The team will open their Group A campaign with a crucial home fixture against Singapore at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on July 24.
Following their opener, Cambodia will embark on a challenging journey. They will face Indonesia away on July 27, return home to host Timor-Leste on Aug. 3, and conclude their group stage against defending champions Vietnam in an away match on Aug. 7.
Much like Cambodia, Vietnam are also utilizing naturalized talent, boasting three players of Brazilian origin in their current squad: Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelson), Nguyen Tai Loc (Geovane Magno), and Do Hoang Hen (Hendrio).
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