Safawi Rasid

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Rasid is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Muhammad Safawi. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Safawi Rasid

Personal information
Full name	Muhammad Safawi bin Rasid
Date of birth	(1997-03-05) 5 March 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Dungun, Malaysia
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [1]
Position(s)	Winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Terengganu (on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim)
Number	11
Youth career
2014	T-Team
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	T-Team	35	(3)
2017-	Johor Darul Ta'zim	88	(27)
2020	→ Portimonense (loan)	0	(0)
2023	→ Ratchaburi (loan)	13	(1)
2024–	→ Terengganu (loan)	0	(0)
International career‡
2016	Malaysia U19	7	(7)
2016–2019	Malaysia U23	36	(11)
2016–	Malaysia	59	(20)
Medal record Men's football Representing   Malaysia AFF Championship Runner-up 2018 2022 Merdeka Tournament Runner-up 2023 King's Cup Runner-up 2022 Malaysia under-23 Sea Games Sea Games 2017 Football
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 September 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Muhammad Safawi bin Rasid (born 5 March 1997) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Malaysia Super League club Terengganu, on loan from club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Malaysia national team. He is known for his curling free kick ability and conjuring curving long-range strikes.

Early life

Safawi lives in Kampung Bukit Chatak, Dungun and attended school at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Dungun, Dungun, Terengganu in 2010 before moving to Sekolah Sukan Bukit Nenas, Setiu, Terengganu to improve his football talent until 2014. He had played football for his school team since his first year of being a secondary school student.

Safawi has 13 siblings and most of them are involved with sports such as sepak takraw, football, and hockey. His two younger brother Syakir played for Terengganu F.C. III, and Alfi played for Kedah.

He is the ninth sibling and the pride of the Dungun people.

Club career

Youth career

By 2011, T-Team had established a football academy all over six Terengganu cities, Dungun, Marang, Besut, Kemaman, Setiu and Kuala Terengganu by their 2011 head coach, Jibang Marzuki. All the football academy players must be below 18 years old and Jibang Marzuki managed to hold a game for each team every week to ensure the best performance before going to T-Team Football Club pre-selection at the end of the year.

Safawi Rasid, who was only 15 years old when he joined the Dungun T-Team Football Club Academy, always made the first-eleven for his team on each game. He used to play as a central midfielder and loved scoring long-range shots with his left foot. His manager at the time, recalls going to his house and forcing him to attend training as he believed that Safawi had a bright future ahead. Since then, Safawi represented Terengganu's football team each year for the MSSM tournament.

When he was 16 years old, he moved to Sekolah Sukan Bukit Nenas to improve his football skills, 66 kilometres away from home. Due to his fantastic talent at the Sports School League, T-Team coach, Rahmad Darmawan selected him to attend training with the first team. Safawi quickly impressed Rahmad and soon became an integral part of the first team. ^[2]

T-Team

At the age of 17, Safawi made his professional debut in the 2014 Malaysia Cup against Selangor on 13 August 2014. ^[3]

Johor Darul Ta'zim

In December 2016, it was announced that Safawi had agreed to sign with champions Johor Darul Ta'zim. ^[4] He was assigned the number 29.

2017 season

On 7 February 2017, Safawi featured in the 2017 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs against Gamba Osaka which his side lost 0–3. ^[5] On 27 January 2017, Safawi made his league debut in a 3–1 win over Felda United after coming off from the bench.

On 15 July 2017, he scored his first goal in the Malaysian Super League for his new club in a 3–1 victory against Sarawak. At the end of the season, Safawi picked up his first Malaysia Super League and 2017 Malaysia Cup medal, helping Johor Darul Ta'zim win their 4th consecutive league title and first Malaysia Cup in their history.

2018 season

During the 2018 AFC Cup group stage, Safawi showed an impressive performance in a 3–0 victory over Persija Jakarta, scoring a stunner along the way. On 17 March, he scored his first hat-trick in a 2–3 victory in the third round of the 2018 Malaysia FA Cup against UiTM. On 14 April 2018, he scored his first goal of the Malaysian Super League season against PKNS.

2019 season

During the 2019 AFC Champions League group stages Safawi scored a curler goal against China based team Shandong Luneng that made him win the AFC Goal of the Decade.

Loan to Portimonense

Safawi joined Portuguese Primeira Liga club Portimonense from Johor Darul Ta'zim on a season long loan. He made his debut for the U-23 side on 16 October 2020, which ended in a 3–1 loss against Sporting CP U-23. The loan was cut short at the end of December 2020 because of lack of playing time given by the coach, making Safawi leave without any first team appearances.

2021 season

During the opening match of Malaysia Super League against Kedah in Piala Sumbangsih, he scored his goal for the club after return from loan spell in Portugal. However, in the next match Safawi injured his knee, making him out for three months.

Loan to Ratchaburi

On 4 December 2022, Ratchaburi chairman Tanawat Nitikanchana has announced that the club have signed Safawi during the 2022–23 Thai League 1 transfer window. He made his debut for the team on 21 January 2023, which ended in a 2–0 lost against Khon Kaen United. ^[6] On 19 March, in his 9th appearance in the league, Safawi nets his first goal in the Thai League 1 during the 2–1 win against Chonburi.

Loan to Terengganu

On 12 February 2024, It was announced that Safawi had agreed to signed with Terengganu. ^[7]

International career

Junior

Safawi made his debut for the Malaysia under-22 team in the 2016 Nations Cup. ^[8]

Senior

In August 2016, Safawi was called up to the Malaysian national team for the match against Indonesia. ^[9] He made his debut for the senior team in the match as a starter, as Malaysia lost 0–3. ^[10] He was then called up again for the 2016 Causeway Challenge against rivals, Singapore, which ended 0–0.

Before the start of the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup, Safawi was omitted from the final 23-man squad. The omission of Safawi from Ong Kim Swee was heavily criticized by Malaysian football fans despite veteran striker, Safee Sali managing to be in the squad despite having a poor season earlier with Johor Darul Ta'zim.

During the 2017 Southeast Asian games, Safawi was selected for the 20-man squad by Ong Kim Swee. He scored the first goal of the tournament with a stunning volley from a cross by his fellow countryman Matthew Davies in a 2–1 victory against Brunei. ^[11] Safawi scored his second goal of the tournament during the 3–1 victory against Myanmar. Despite receiving the silver medal after losing 1–0 during the final against Thailand, Safawi was one of the best players of the tournament and showed consistent performances throughout the tournament.

On 10 November 2017 Safawi scored his first international goal in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification against North Korea. ^[12]

During Football at the 2018 Asian Games - Men's tournament at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia. Safawi was also selected for the 20-man squad by Ong Kim Swee. On 17 August, when Malaysia was playing against South Korea, he scored twice to secure a 2–1 win in their second group match. ^[13]

In November 2018, Safawi was called up to the Malaysia national squad for the 2018 AFF Championship. Safawi scored one goal in the tournament, against Vietnam in the final first leg.

On 9 December 2021, he scored his first international hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Laos in the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup group stage at the Bishan Stadium.

Safawi is also part of the Malaysian team that qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He played all 3 matches against Turkmenistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh in Third Round Group E Qualification, scoring a goal against Turkmenistan and Bangladesh. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

On 15 January 2024, Safawi came on as a substitution during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup match against Jordan.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 27 September 2023 ^[17]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Continental [lower-alpha 3]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
T-Team	2014	Malaysia Super League	—		—		6	0	—		6	0
	2015	Malaysia Premier League	15	1	2	1	0	0	—		17	2
	2016	Malaysia Super League	20	2	1	1	9	1	—		30	4
	Total		35	3	3	2	15	1	—		53	6
Johor Darul Ta'zim	2017	Malaysia Super League	7	1	1	0	7	1	6	1	21	3
	2018	Malaysia Super League	21	6	4	3	6	4	5	3	36	16
	2019	Malaysia Super League	21	8	1	0	10	11	5	1	37	20
	2020	Malaysia Super League	7	7	0	0	0	0	2	1	9	8
	2021	Malaysia Super League	17	3	–		10	1	3	0	30	4
	2022	Malaysia Super League	13	2	3	0	3	1	6	0	25	3
	2023	Malaysia Super League	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		88	27	9	3	36	18	27	6	160	54
Portimonense (loan)	2020-21	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Ratchaburi (loan)	2022–23	Thai League 1	13	1	0	0	0	0	—		13	1
Career total			135	31	12	5	51	19	27	6	225	61

1. Includes Malaysia FA Cup, Taça da Liga
2. Includes Malaysia Cup, Taça de Portugal
3. Includes AFC Champions League and AFC Cup

International

As of 26 March 2024

Appearances and goals by national team and year ^[18]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Malaysia	2016	3	0
	2017	3	2
	2018	11	2
	2019	10	6
	2021	8	5
	2022	14	3
	2023	6	2
2024	4	0
Total		59	20

Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Safawi Rasid goal.

List of international goals scored by Safawi Rasid ^[18]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 November 2017	New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand	North Korea	1–4	1–4	2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2	13 November 2017	New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand	North Korea	1–4	1–4	2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
3	3 November 2018	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Maldives	2–0	3–0	Friendly
4	11 December 2018	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Vietnam	2–2	2–2	2018 AFF Championship
5	2 June 2019	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Nepal	1–0	2–0	Friendly
6	7 June 2019	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	East Timor	4–0	7–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
7				5–1
8	9 November 2019	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Tajikistan	1–0	1–0	Friendly
9	19 November 2019	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Indonesia	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
10				2–0
11	15 June 2021	Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Thailand	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	6 December 2021	Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore	Cambodia	1–0	3–1	2020 AFF Championship
13	9 December 2021	Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore	Laos	1–0	4–0	2020 AFF Championship
14				2–0
15				4–0
16	1 June 2022	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Hong Kong	1–0	2–0	Friendly
17	8 June 2022	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Turkmenistan	1–0	3–1	2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification
18	14 June 2022	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Bangladesh	1–0	4–1	2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification
19	14 June 2023	Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia	Solomon Islands	3–1	4–1	Friendly
20	20 June 2023	Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia	Papua New Guinea	1–0	10–0	Friendly

Honours

Club

Johor Darul Ta'zim

• Malaysia Super League: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, ^[19] 2022, 2023
• Malaysia Cup: 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023
• Piala Sumbangsih: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Malaysia FA Cup: 2022, 2023

International

Malaysia U-23

• Southeast Asian Games Silver Medal: 2017

Malaysia

• AFF Championship runner-up: 2018
• King's Cup runner-up: 2022 ^[20]
• Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 2023

Individual

• AFF Championship Top Scorer: 2020
• AFC Champions League Goal Of The Decade: 2020 ^[21]
• Malaysia Cup Top Scorer: 2019
• Malaysia Cup Best Player: 2019
• FourFourTwo ASEAN Young player of the year: 2018
• Malaysia Football League Most Promising Player: 2016, 2018
• Malaysia Football League Best Eleven: 2018, 2019
• Malaysia Football League Best Midfielder: 2018
• Malaysia Football League Best Striker: 2019
• Malaysia Football League Most Popular Player: 2019
• Malaysia Football League Most Valuable Player: 2018, ^[22] 2019 ^[23]
• 2018 AFF Championship: Best Eleven ^[24]
• Thai League Dream ASEAN XI ^[25]

References

1. "Muhammad Safawi Rasid: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
2. "From T-Team prospect to JDT superstar - The making of Safawi Rasid". Goal.com. 7 May 2020.
3. Safawi tekad buang rasa gugup - Berita Harian (KLIK), 18 August 2014.
4. "Ramai tonggak utama T-Team pindah" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 2 December 2016.
5. "Gamba Osaka 3–0 Johor Darul Ta'zim". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
6. "Safawi Rasid Berhijrah Ke Thailand, Sertai Ratchaburi FC". MakanBola (in Malay). 4 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
7. "TFC confirms Safawi, Akhyar join Turtles on loan". thesun.my. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
8. "Bernhardt calls up two new faces and retain 22 players in U22". Goal.com. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
9. "Senarai 24 pemain ke latihan pusat skuad kebangsaan bertemu indonesia di solo". harimaumalaysia.my. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
10. "Malaysia concede three goals in 21 minutes in loss to Indonesia". ESPNFC.com.
11. "Safawi Rasid, Matt Davies rehearsed Malaysia SEA Games wonder goal". espn.com. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
12. New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur, 10 November 2017
13. The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 17 August 2018
14. "Malaysia vs. Turkmenistan 2022-06-08". National Football Teams.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
15. "Malaysia vs. Bahrain 2022-06-11". National Football Teams.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
16. "Malaysia vs. Bangladesh 2022-06-14". National Football Teams.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
17. "Safawi Rasid". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
18. "Rasid, Safawi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
19. "Johor Darul Ta'zim win 8th consecutive Malaysia Super League title". ESPN . 17 September 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
20. Fai, Ooi Kin (25 September 2022). "Harimau Malaya lose King's Cup final after penalty shootout heartbreak". nst.com.my. Chiang Mai, Thailand: New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
21. "Best ACL Goal of the Decade – Safawi Rasid (Johor Darul Ta'zim)". AFC. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
22. "SENARAI PEMENANG ANUGERAH BOLASEPAK KEBANGSAAN 2018". Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP). 5 November 2018.
23. "ABK 2019: Safawi ketuai dominasi JDT".
24. "2018 AFF Suzuki Cup Best XI".
25. "Register" . Retrieved 2 August 2023– via Instagram.

External links

• Safawi Rasid website
• Safawi Rasid at National-Football-Teams.com