Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Muhammad Saifullah bin Mohammad Akbar [1] | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | January 31, 1999 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Singapore | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Tampines Rovers | |||||||||||||
Number | 20 | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
–2016 | Tampines Rovers | |||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
2016 | Tampines Rovers | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
2018-2019 | Young Lions | 24 | (3) | |||||||||||
2020–2022 | Lion City Sailors | 47 | (7) | |||||||||||
2023– | Tampines Rovers | 21 | (1) | |||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
2016–2017 | Singapore U19 [1] [2] | 4 | (2) | |||||||||||
2019– | Singapore U23 | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||
2021– | Singapore | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 February 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 December 2021 |
Muhammad Saifullah bin Mohammad Akbar (born 31 January 1999) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for Tampines Rovers and the Singapore national team.
At the age of six, he started playing football and quickly gained entry into the then called Five Star Football Academy. [3]
Touted as a prospective football player and one to watch for Singapore, [3] [4] [5] Saifullah participated in the Lion City Cup with Ikhsan Fandi playing for the NFA U-16. [6]
Trialing with Newcastle Jets in 2015, their assistant coach indicated that they were interested in a youth team deal with the youngster. [7] However, Saifullah couldn't transfer there as FIFA rules prohibit players under 18 from joining a club abroad unless their parents reside and work in that country. [8] Previously, he had a training stint with England club, Queens Park Rangers along with three other Singaporean teenagers that lasted for five days. [9] [10] [11] Also, he had a two-week stint at FC Metz, funded by the Singapore Sport School. [12] [13]
On his first-team debut, Saifullah scored a goal to secure a 6–4 win over Hougang United in the Singapore League Cup. [4] [14] After training daily with the Tampines Rovers first team throughout the 2015 S.League season, he joined their Prime League squad with the aim of making the Singapore roster for the biannual 2017 SEA Games. [15]
Young Lions
Saifullah joined Young Lions after his national service and played the out the remainder of the 2018 campaign. While on trial at Spanish club, CD Tenerife, he did enough to be offered a contract with the club's B team, however he chose to remain with Young Lions for the 2019 Singapore Premier League season due to developmental reasons. [15] Saifullah became a key member of the Young Lions squad that season, featuring regularly at the right wing position under Coach Fandi Ahmad.
Saifullah represented Singapore in the 2013 Asian Youth Games staged in the provincial city of Nanjing. [3]
In 2016, he was called up for the Singapore U19 team facing the Bahrain U19 selection. [1] [2]
On 17 May 2021, Saifullah got the national team call-up by head coach Tatsuma Yoshida for the remaining Asian World Cup qualifiers in June. [16] On 3 June, Saifullah made his national team debut against Palestine by coming on as a substitution for Hafiz Nor in the 65th minute. [17]
Club | Season | League | Singapore Cup | League Cup | AFC Cup | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Tampines Rovers | 2016 | S.League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
Young Lions FC | 2018 | Singapore Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
2019 | Singapore Premier League | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |
Total | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||
Lion City Sailors | 2020 | Singapore Premier League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
2021 | Singapore Premier League | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | |
2022 | Singapore Premier League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
Total | 47 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 7 | ||
Tampines Rovers | 2023 | Singapore Premier League | 21 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
Total | 21 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
Career total | 93 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 106 | 14 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Singapore | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
Total | 5 | 0 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 December 2019 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Brunei | 3–0 | 7–0 | 2019 Southeast Asian Games |
2 | 11 May 2022 | Thiên Trường Stadium, Nam Định, Vietnam | Cambodia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Southeast Asian Games |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 September 2017 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Laos | 2–0 | 3-0 | 2017 AFF U-18 Youth Championship |
2 | 8 November 2017 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Mongolia | 2–0 | 2–4 | 2018 AFC U-19 Championship qualification |
Saifullah's father is Akbar Nawas who helped him volunteer for early national service enlistment. [20] As a hobby, he plays guitar and sings and supports Chelsea. [21]
Singapore U22
Fandi bin Ahmad is a Singaporean professional football manager and former player. He is the current technical advisor and head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sri Pahang. During his professional career, he mainly played as a striker, but also played as a midfielder. Along with the Singapore FA, he had also played for Malaysia Cup state sides Kuala Lumpur FA and Pahang FA, and won titles with all three, including two doubles in 1992 and 1994, as well as the Golden Boot in 1988. Fandi also played for Indonesia's Niac Mitra, Netherlands' Groningen as well as local Singaporean clubs Geylang United and SAFFC.
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