Ilhan Fandi

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

Ilhan Fandi

Personal information
Full name	Ilhan bin Fandi Ahmad
Date of birth	(2002-11-08) 8 November 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Singapore
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [1]
Position(s)	Forward, winger
Team information
Current team	BG Pathum United
Number	91
Youth career
	i2i Football Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Young Lions	33	(13)
2022	Albirex Niigata (S)	18	(15)
2023–2024	Deinze	1	(0)
2023–2024	Deinze U21	15	(8)
2024–	BG Pathum United	4	(1)
International career‡
2017	Singapore U16	7	(0)
2021–	Singapore U23	2	(1)
2021–	Singapore	15	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023

Ilhan bin Fandi Ahmad (born 8 November 2002), better known as Ilhan Fandi or just Ilhan, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays either as a forward or a winger for Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United and the Singapore national team.

Club career

Early career

Ilhan embarked on his quest to become a professional footballer in Europe, by enrolling in an English school to study and train. The teenager left for England on 8 September 2017 to study at the Queen Ethelburga's College in York for the next two years. Ilhan trained with the i2i Football Academy, which has links to English football club Leeds United. The academy also has partnerships with both York College and York St John University and will assist in linking up players with English professional and semi-professional clubs. ^{[2] [3]}

Young Lions

After his studies, Ilhan returned to Singapore to signed with the Singapore Premier League club, Young Lions in 2019. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against DPMM on 7 August 2019. He became the third son of Fandi Ahmad to lace up his boots for the Young Lions – following in the footsteps of his brothers Irfan Fandi and Ikhsan Fandi. ^[4] Ilhan made his first professional start in a league game at the age of 16 years and 331 days, where he scored his first goal in a 1–4 loss against Albirex Niigata Singapore on 15 August 2019. ^[5]

Ilhan scored his third goal for the club in a heavy 4–1 defeat at the hands of Hougang United in the Young Lions' opening match of the 2020 Singapore Premier League season. ^[6] As of April 2020, Ilhan has scored 3 goals in just 5 matches for the Young Lions. ^[7]

Ilhan scored the first goal of the Young Lions' 2021 Singapore Premier League season, helping his team to a 3–3 draw against Balestier Khalsa. He ended the 2021 Singapore Premier League season with 7 goals in 18 league matches. ^[8]

Ilhan notched 2 goals for the Young Lions before leaving for Albirex in the mid-season transfer window. ^[9] In total, Ilhan has grabbed 13 goals in 33 games, a better strike rate than his older brothers, striker-turned-defender Irfan (eight in 43) and forward Ikhsan (10 in 52), managed during their time in the league. ^[10]

Albirex Niigata (Singapore)

On 21 April 2022, Albirex Niigata (S) confirmed they had signed Ilhan for the remaining 2022 season. ^[11] Ilhan signed the contract which runs until the end of the 2022 season. ^{[12] [13]} Ilhan made his debut on 27 May 2022 in a 8–2 win against Geylang International. His presence after coming on changed the game and he was awarded the man of the match, where he was involved in 3 of the 5 Albirex goals after coming on for 22 minutes, showing his vision, strength and composure respectively. ^[14] He also assisted and scored on his debut. ^[15] In his first four games for the White Swans, Ilhan has already racked up three goals. ^[16] Ilhan notched his first career hat-trick in his sixth game for the club, which included an outrageous bicycle kick that opened the scoring for Albirex. ^[17] He has managed 12 goals in his first 11 matches for the Japanese side. Ilhan won the 2022 Singapore Premier League title with the White Swans, with 2 games to spare, helping his team's cause by averaging almost a goal a game with 14 goals for the White Swans since his arrival at the Jurong East Stadium. ^[18] Ilhan was rewarded for his efforts in the season as he clinched 3 awards, the 2022 SPL 'Young Player of the Year' award, the 2022 'Goal of the Year' award and was also named in the 2022 SPL 'Team of the Year'. ^[19]

Deinze

On 12 December 2022, it was announced that Ilhan had signed for Belgian First Division B club Deinze and will join up with his new team after the conclusion of the 2022 AFF Championship. ^[20] However, Ilhan sustained an ACL injury in the tournament, in which he could be out of action for six to nine months. On 23 September 2023, Ilhan made his first appearance for the club in a U21 Reserves Pro League match where he scored a goal against Lommel U21 in a 4–2 home win. Ilhan made his debut for the first team on 19 January 2024, coming on as a substitute for hat-trick hero Lennart Mertens in a 4–0 league win over Lierse. ^[21]

BG Pathum United

On 30 July 2024, Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United announced the signing of Fandi on a four-year contract, where he also became the third Fandi's brother to play at the club, which Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi. ^[22] On 21 August 2024, Ilhan make his official debut for the club during the 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship fixtures against Indonesian club PSM Makassar at the Batakan Stadium in Balikpapan. During the 2024–25 Thai League Cup round of 32 fixtures on 30 October against Bangkok, Ilhan recorded a brace of assist which open up the goal scoring account in the 17th minute for Chananan Pombuppha. Later on in the 21st minute, he assisted Chanathip Songkrasin for the second goal of the match. BG Pathum United went on to win 5–0 to advance to the round of 16. In a league match against Lamphun Warriors on 4 November, Ilhan scored his first goal for the club by coming on from the bench and scoring a header in the 68tth minute, however, the match ended with a 2–2 draw.

International career

Youth

Despite being only 17, Ilhan has been invited to train with the Singapore under-22 team. Ilhan received his first senior team training session in 2021. ^{[23] [24]} Ilhan played in an unofficial closed-door friendly against Afghanistan on 29 May 2021. ^[25] Ilhan made his official international debut and started in the second-round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Palestine on 3 June 2021. ^[26]

Senior

On 26 March 2022, his two brothers, Irfan and Ikhsan, were on the first team against Causeway rivals, Malaysia in a Tri-Nations Series friendly match. ^[27] Ilhan came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, leading to the first time that the three Fandi brothers played in the same match for the national team together. ^[27] Singapore won the match 2–1. ^[27]

On 17 December 2022, Ilhan scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win over Maldives in the friendly match before the start of the 2022 AFF Championship tournament, heading in from a Christopher van Huizen’s cross from the left for his first international goal on his fifth cap. ^[28] He netted in back-to-back games for the Lions when he clinically headed in yet another Christopher van Huizen’s lovely floater for his second international goal in six caps, in a 3–2 win over Myanmar in the Lions' opening match of the 2022 AFF Championship. ^[29] After the match against Vietnam on 30 December 2022, Ilhan sustained a tear in ACL in his left knee, he is expected to be side-lined for six to nine months. On 2 October 2023, Ilhan was called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Guam on 12 and 17 October 2023.

Style of play

Ilhan plays as an attacking midfielder, noted for his footwork, coordination and composure as cited by Singapore football legend, Noh Alam Shah. ^[30] In the 2020 season, he was given the role as a false 9 as he "has really good technique and good reading of the game", pointed out by head coach Nazri Nasir. ^[31]

Personal life

Ilhan is the third son of Singaporean footballing legend Fandi Ahmad and South African model Wendy Jacobs. His brothers, Irfan and Ikhsan, are also footballers playing for BG Pathum United. ^[32] He has an older sister Iman and a younger brother Iryan who plays for Hougang United. His grandfather, Ahmad Wartam, was an ex-national goalkeeper. ^[33] Hafiz Abu Sujad and the national team's physiotherapist Nurhafizah are the cousins of his father Fandi Ahmad. ^[34]

Ilhan is close friend with Indonesian national team footballer, Marselino Ferdinan during his time in Belgium and the duo would often meet one another on their off duty.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 Jan 2024. ^[35]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Young Lions	2019	Singapore Premier League	4	2	0	0	0	0	—		4	2
	2020		8	2	0	0	0	0	—		8	2
	2021		18	7	0	0	0	0	—		18	7
	2022		3	2	0	0	0	0	—		3	2
	Total		33	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	13
Albirex Niigata (S)	2022	Singapore Premier League	18	15	6	3	0	0	—		24	18
Deinze	2022–23	Challenger Pro League	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2023–24		1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Deinze U21	2023–24	Reserve Pro League	15	8	0	0	0	0	—		15	8
Career total			56	30	6	3	0	0	0	0	62	33

• Young Lions are ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues.

International

As of match played 21 November 2023

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Singapore
	2021	2	0
	2022	7	2
	2023	4	0
Total		13	2

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 December 2022	Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore	Maldives	1–0	3–1	Friendly
2.	24 December 2022		Myanmar	1–1	3–2	2022 AFF Championship

Honours

Club

Albirex Niigata (Singapore)

• Singapore Premier League: 2022

Individual

• Singapore Premier League Young Player of the Year: 2022
• Singapore Premier League Team of the Year: 2022
• Singapore Premier League Goal of the Year: 2022

References

1. "Profile: Singapore Men's National Team for AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022". Football Association of Singapore.
2. Tham, Raymond (12 September 2017). "Fandi Ahmad's third son, Ilhan, to train and study in England for two years". Today Sports. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
3. "Football legend's son "wants to do a sacrifice" and serve NS early". The Independent. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
4. Alif, Chandra (9 August 2019). "Ilhan Fandi made his professional debut against DPMM FC". Goal. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
5. Tan, Gabriel (15 September 2019). "Ilhan Fandi nets first professional goal with scorcher for Young Lions". Fox Sports Asia. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
6. Nagib, Adeena Mohamed (2 March 2020). "Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari plays starring role in win". The New Paper.
7. Parmar, Jay. "From Ilhan Fandi to Farhan Zulkifli – Meet the future of Singapore". Goal. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
8. Kwek, Kimberly (7 October 2021). "Khairin and Chua the way forward in Fandi brothers' absence". The New Paper. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
9. Auto, Hermes (28 July 2022). "Football: More to come, promises in-form Ilhan Fandi, as Albirex face Sailors in big SPL clash | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
10. Auto, Hermes (21 April 2022). "Football: I want to reach a new level, says Ilhan Fandi as he joins Albirex Niigata | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
11. "Swans sign Ilhan Fandi Ahmad!". Albirex Niigata Singapore. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
12. "Football: I want to reach a new level, says Ilhan Fandi as he joins Albirex Niigata". The New Paper. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
13. "Ilhan Fandi joins Albirex Niigata (S)". Singapore Premier League. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
14. "【Match Report】Goals Galore in Special Night – 2022 SPL MD10". Albirex Niigata Singapore. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
15. "Today's Man of the Match is #Ilhan, whose presence on the field shot us into a goal rush". Albirex Niigata Singapore. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
16. Auto, Hermes (6 July 2022). "Football: SPL shaping up to be a two-horse race, but it's Lion City Sailors' title to lose | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
17. Karnageran, Narendaren (18 July 2022). "SPL Team of the Week: Matchweek 16 | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
18. "Where did it go wrong for Lion City Sailors after being dethroned by Albirex as SPL champions?". ESPN. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
19. "Birthday boy Ilhan Fandi takes three top honours at FAS Awards Night". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
20. cue (13 December 2022). "Football: Ilhan Fandi wants to make it big in Europe | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
21. "'I like the pressure': 21-year-old Ilhan Fandi kickstarts football career in Europe, opens up about living up to his father's name". AsiaOne. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
22. "BG Pathum United signs Singaporean striker Ilhan Fandi Ahmad⁣⁣". BG Pathum United. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
23. Singh, Dilenjit (24 March 2021). "Ilhan the latest Fandi in the Lions' den". The New Paper. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
24. hermesauto (23 March 2021). "Football: Ilhan Fandi, 18, follows in his father and brothers' footsteps with Lions call-up". The Straits Times. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
25. "Football: Yoshida happy with new 'leaders' as Lions draw 1-1 with Afghanistan". The Straits Times. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
26. "Lions fall to defeat against Palestine – Football Association of Singapore". 4 June 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
27. "Football: Ikhsan Fandi brace gives Lions win over Malaysia in front of record crowd". The Straits Times . 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
28. "Lions see off Maldives in final pre-tournament friendly - Football Association of Singapore" . Retrieved 25 December 2022.
29. cue (24 December 2022). "Football: Lions fight back to defeat Myanmar 3-2 in AFF C'ship opener | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
30. "Football: I want to carry on my dad's legacy and make him proud, says Ilhan Fandi". The Straits Times. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
31. "Ilhan relishes the pressure of being a Fandi". The New Paper. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
32. Chandra, Alif (26 July 2019). "Spotlight on adidas footballers Marc and Ilhan – sons of Singapore legends". Goal.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
33. "Fandi Ahmad's father, former national goalkeeper Ahmad Wartam, dies". The New Paper. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
34. "Nerves no longer freeze rising son". AsiaOne. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
35. Ilhan Fandi at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 March 2022.

External links

• Ilhan Fandi at Soccerway