Adam Swandi

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Swandi is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Adam.

Adam Swandi

Adam in action for Lion City Sailors in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League match.
Personal information
Full name	Adam bin Swandi [1]
Date of birth	(1996-01-12) 12 January 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Singapore
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder / Winger
Team information
Current team	Lion City Sailors
Number	27
Youth career
2009–2013	National Football Academy
2013–2014	FC Metz
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Young Lions	34	(4)
2017	Home United	31	(9)
2018	Albirex Niigata (S)	24	(5)
2019–	Lion City Sailors	65	(8)
International career‡
2010	Singapore U14	1	(1)
2011	Singapore U15	3	(11)
2012	Singapore U16	6	(5)
2015–2019	Singapore U22	3	(0)
2013–	Singapore	22	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 April 2017 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2022

Adam bin Swandi (born 12 January 1996) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team.

Beginnings and breakthrough

Youth career

Adam won the Dollah Kassim award in 2011 which got him a overseas training stints with English Premier League side, Newcastle United Academy

In 2011, during the 23rd edition of the Lion City Cup in Singapore, Adam captained the NFA Under-15 team to 3rd place with victories over Newcastle U-15 and Juventus U-15. ^[2] Adam then competed at the 2011 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, with the Singapore Under-15 team where they finished 4th, winning the tournament's Fair Play Award as Adam scored 5 goals to finish as top goalscorer. ^[3] A year later in 2012, Adam and the Singapore Under-16 team finished in 2nd place with wins over Ajax U-15 and Vasco da Gama U-15, and a draw with Porto U-15, before losing eventual to champions Ajax U-15 in the final. ^[4] Adam subsequently won the Singapore Under-16 Most Valuable Player award. ^[5] Domestically, the Singapore Under-16 team won the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) U18 COE league with Adam winning the Most Valuable Player award. ^[6]

In March 2012, Adam was chosen along with Muhaimin Suhaimi and four other students at the Singapore Sports School to undergo a ten-day training camp with the youth team of J.League club, Albirex Niigata. ^[7] Adam was the only one called back for a longer training session in August the same year as their U-18 head coach, Nobuhiro Ueno was reportedly impressed by his control and one-touch passing, saying it was better than some of the players at the club's academy. ^[8]

Club career

FC Metz

On 23 February 2013, Adam signed a two-year contract with Ligue 2 club, FC Metz, joining their Under-19 set-up in the Championnat National youth competitions. ^[9] He had impressed the staff and coaches during his 10-day stint at Metz following his 45-day European tour which includes training spells at illustrious clubs such as Newcastle United, Chelsea and Atlético Madrid. ^[10] Despite offers of a one-year contract from Spanish club Atlético Madrid and Dutch club AFC Ajax, Adam chose to sign for FC Metz as he liked what he saw and experienced, and was impressed with the quality of its renowned youth academy. The FAS provided financial assistance to the tune of S$200,000 from its Football Development Fund for Adam's education in France. ^[11] During his time at Atletico Madrid, Adam had impressed the club CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín in which he would be keen to nurture Adam and would consider signing him to the youth academy however with the mandatory National Service, Gil Marín has decided not to sign the teenager.

Young Lions

Adam Swandi was nominally included in the 24-man Courts Young Lions squad which travelled to Turkey for a series of friendly matches in January 2014. ^[12] Adam signed for Courts Young Lions for the 2015 S.League season. ^[13] Adam scored his first career professional goal in a S.League match in a 1–2 defeat to Warriors FC. ^[12]

Home United

Adam moved to Home United for the 2017 S.League season after leaving the Young Lions. ^[14] He made his debut for Home United in the first leg of the 2017 AFC Cup qualifying match against Cambodian side, Phnom Penh Crown in which he scored his first competitive goal in the second leg, helping his team advance into the group stage. ^[15] Coincidentally, his second goal came in Home United final game of the 2017 AFC Cup group stage, the last goal in a 4–1 routing of Myanmar club, Yadanarbon, sending his team into the Zonal semi-finals. ^[16] In total, Adam made 30 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the Protectors, scoring 7 goals and making 2 assists. ^[17]

Adam warming up for Lion City Sailors in 2024

Albirex Niigata Singapore

On 8 January 2018, Adam was announced by Albirex Niigata (S) that they have signed him for the inaugural 2018 Singapore Premier League season. He will be the first Singaporean player to play for the club and will be joined by local goalkeeper, Shahul Rayyan after he completes his National Service. ^[18] Adam made his debut for Albirex in a 2–1 win in the 2018 Singapore Community Shield against Tampines Rovers. ^[19] Adam ended his first season with the White Swans with 3 winners medal, helping his club sweep all domestic trophies on offer. He was rewarded for his effort and named as the Young Player of the Season. ^[20]

Home United (Now known as Lion City Sailors)

After a season with Albirex Niigata (S), Adam decided to rejoin Home United for the 2019 Singapore Premier League season due to the lure of continental football and started in all of the first 12 games of the season for the Protectors and has already equalised his tally of 3 league goals of last season. ^[21]

After a splendid performance for the national team against Solomon Islands, On 25 June 2023, Adam pulled on a masterclass performance against Hougang United with 2 goals and 1 assist with nearly scoring a hat-trick at the very last minute of the match.

On 10 May 2024, Adam scored in the league opening match in the 2024–25 season in a 4–1 win against Hougang United.

International career

In May 2013, Adam was called up by the new Singapore head coach, Bernd Stange for the friendlies against Myanmar and Laos. ^{[22] [23]}

Adam made his first international appearance aged 17 years and 143 days when he came on as a second-half substitute in place of Indra Sahdan in the friendly against Myanmar on 4 June 2013. His first start came against Laos on 11 October 2013. ^[24]

Adam earned his first recall into the national team in September 2015 in head coach Bernd Stange's 23-strong Singapore squad to take on Syria in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications but failed to make an appearance. ^[25] As of December 2017, he remains capped only 5 times for the senior national team. ^[26] He finally earned his sixth cap in a 13-minute cameo during Singapore's 1–0 win over Indonesia in the 2018 AFF Championship a year later. ^[21]

On 14 December 2021, Adam scored his first international goal in the 2020 AFF Championship against Timor-Leste.

Personal life

Adam was born to father Swandi Kitto and mother Hamidah Dasuki in 1996. His father was a former Singapore international striker in the 1980s. ^[27] He started training under former Singapore goalkeeper Yaacob Hashim at the age of 4 with boys older than him.

Adam graduated from the Singapore Sports School in 2010. ^[28]

Career statistics

As of 23 June 2024 ^[29]

Club	Season	League			Singapore Cup		League Cup Community Shield		Asia Asean		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Young Lions	2015	S.League	17	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	3
	2016		17	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	18	1
	Total		34	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	35	4
Home United	2017	S.League	18	4	3	0	0	0	9	3	30	7
	Total		18	4	3	0	0	0	9	3	30	7
Albirex Niigata (S)	2018	Singapore Premier League	22	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	26	4
	Total		22	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	26	4
Home United	2019	Singapore Premier League	13	3	0	0	0	0	7	1	20	3
	Total		13	3	0	0	0	0	7	1	20	3
Lion City Sailors	2020	Singapore Premier League	11	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	4
	2021		12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
	2022		17	0	3	0	1	0	4	0	25	0
	2023		22	3	6	1	0	0	6	0	34	4
	2024–25		6	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	7	2
	Total		68	9	9	1	2	0	10	0	89	10
Career total			155	22	12	1	2	0	21	4	190	27

International caps

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1	14 August 2013	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Oman	0-2 (lost)	2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2	15 October 2013	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Syria	2-1 (win)	2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
3	28 August 2015	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Qatar	0-4 (lost)	Friendly
6	23 March 2018	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Maldives	3-2 (won)	Friendly
7	16 October 2018	Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia	Cambodia	2-1 (won)	Friendly
8	9 November 2018	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Indonesia	1-0 (won)	2018 AFF Championship
9	8 June 2019	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Solomon Islands	4-3 (won)	Friendly
10	11 June 2019	Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore	Myanmar	1-2 (lost)	Friendly
11	5 December 2021	National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	Myanmar	3-0(won)	2020 AFF Championship
12	14 December 2021	National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	East Timor	2-0 (won)	2020 AFF Championship
15	21 Sept 2022	Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	Vietnam	0-4 (lost)	2022 VFF Tri-Nations Series
16	24 Sept 2022	Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	India	1-1 (draw)	2022 VFF Tri-Nations Series
17	17 December 2022	Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore	Maldives	3-1 (won)	Friendly
18	16 June 2023	National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	Papua New Guinea	2-2 (draw)	Friendly
19	8 Sept 2023	Bishan Stadium, Singapore	Tajikistan	0-2 (lost)	Friendly

International goals

Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first. ^[30]

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 December 2021	National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore	East Timor	1–0	2–0	2020 AFF Championship
2	16 June 2023		Papua New Guinea	1–0	2–2	Friendly

U16 International caps

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1	10 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	China	1-3 (lost)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
2	13 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	North Korea	0-1 (lost)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
3	15 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	Malaysia	1-1 (draw)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
4	18 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	East Timor	8-1 (won)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification

U16 International goals

Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first. ^[31]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	10 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	China	1–3	1-3 (lost)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
2.	18 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	East Timor	2–1	8-1 (won)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
3.	18 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	East Timor	3–1	8-1 (won)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification
4.	18 September 2011	Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea	East Timor	7–1	8-1 (won)	2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification

Honours

Club

Albirex Niigata (S)

• Singapore Premier League: 2018
• Singapore Cup: 2018
• Singapore Community Shield: 2018

Lion City Sailors

• Singapore Premier League: 2021
• Singapore Community Shield: 2019, 2022, 2024

• Singapore Cup: 2023

Individual

• Dollah Kassim Award recipients : 2010
• Singapore Premier League Young Player of the Season: 2018
• Singapore Premier League Team of the Year: 2018

References

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