It might even seem a little insulting to refer to Asnawi Mangkualam as an 'oldie' but the fact of the matter is that he -- at the youthful age of 25 -- is already the oldest member of the Indonesia squad competing at the 2024 ASEAN Championship.
Having made a conscious effort to plump for youth at the tournament, Indonesia kicked off their campaign against Myanmar on Monday remarkably with six debutants in their starting XI -- averaging 20 years and nine senior international appearances, and that included half-centurion Pratama Arhan and 32-cap Marselino Ferdinan.
Yet, with Indonesia facing a real battle on their hands despite their bright prospects showing glimpses of raw potential, coach Shin Tae-Yong soon turned to his more-experienced heads waiting in reserve.
And it would prove to be a crucial move as Asnawi popped up with a telling contribution in the 76th minute -- even if it might ultimately go down as a Zin Nyi Nyi Aung own-goal -- to hand his team a slender 1-0 win in their Group B opener.
Given Indonesia, on paper at least, are expected to primarily battle for a semifinal berth with Vietnam and Philippines, they could ill afford to drop points right from the get-go against a team who aren't viewed as their direct top-two rivals.
And it might even have been staring at a defeat rather than a draw as Myanmar created the better openings early on.
Only the woodwork kept out Zaw Win Thein's speculative effort from outside the box in the 38th minute after good hold-up play by Aung Kaung Mann, who was relishing using his stocky frame to bully his younger and lighter-built opponents.
Another excellent chance fell Myanmar's way in the 70th minute when a clear sighting at goal was carved out, only for the door to be slammed shut by a brilliant last-ditch sliding tackle from Arhan.
Just six minutes later, Arhan would prove similarly effective at the other end of the field in what turned out to be the tie's decisive moment.
Causing panic in the area as usual with one of his trademark long throws, the ball eventually fell to Asnawi -- who immediately smashed away a shot that took a couple of ricochets off post and opposition goalkeeper Zin Nyi Nyi Aung before crossing the line.
Unsurprisingly, it was the duo, who combined for 96 of the 166 caps belonging to the entire squad before the game, that would ensure Indonesia got their campaign off to a winning start.
That is not to say that Shin's emphasis on youth over the next month is bound to be a failed experiment.
Kadek Arel offered some presence as the pivot in Indonesia's three central defenders despite his being only 19, Arkhan Fikri did an admirable job trying to control the engine room battle as the more senior of the central midfield duo, while highly-rated 17-year-old Arkhan Kaka will only get better with more exposure at this level.
Indonesia will -- and should -- continue to persist with this approach.
It is not just the immediate gratification and winning the ASEAN Championship that they are after, even if a maiden title would be historic given their six previous runners-up finishes.
Currently aiming to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, already through to the next AFC Asian Cup, and looking to retain the Southeast Asian Games gold medal -- which they waited 32 years to reclaim -- in 2025, Indonesia are wisely keeping one eye on the future.
In the here and now, it does help to have a handful of 'golden oldies' like Asnawi to rely on -- even if none of them are even above the age of 25.