Safirul Sulaiman (born 12 October 1992) is a Singaporean professional footballer who last plays as a left midfielder for National Football League Two club South Avenue SC and the Singapore national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Safirul bin Sulaiman | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Singapore | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tampines Rovers | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| National Football Academy | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Young Lions | 24 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | LionsXII | 23 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Young Lions | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Geylang International | 24 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Tampines Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Geylang International (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | South Avenue SC | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2014 | Singapore U22 | 4 | (0) |
| 2012– | Singapore | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 October 2013 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 June 2017 | |||
Club career
Young Lions
Safirul began his professional football career at S.League club Young Lions in 2010.
LionsXII
In December 2011, the Football Association of Singapore announced that Safirul had been signed on to the newly formed LionsXII in the 2012 Malaysia Super League. He played in 7 games as the Lions finished runners-up in their debut season.
Safirul was handed the number 11 jersey at the beginning of the 2013 season. He began to see more playing time, making 16 appearances in the league as LionsXII clinched their first Malaysia Super League title.
After 2 seasons with LionsXII, Safirul failed to make the squad for the 2014 season.
Return to Young Lions
On 21 February 2014, the FAS revealed that Safirul had made a return to former club Young Lions.[1]
Geylang International
Safirul went to sign for Geylang International for the 2016 S.League in 2016.
Tampines Rovers
On 31 December 2017, Safirul joined rivals, Tampines Rovers.
Loan to Geylang International
On 2 October 2020, Safirul joined his former club for the 2020 Singapore Premier League on loan.
South Avenue SC
In 2022, Safirul joined National Football League Two club, South Avenue SC.
International career
Safirul made his international debut and first start in a friendly match against Hong Kong on 1 June 2012.[2]
Personal life
Safirul graduated from the Singapore Sports School in 2009.[3]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 2 Dec 2020
| Club | Season | S.League | Singapore Cup | Singapore League Cup | Asia | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Young Lions | 2010 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 24 | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| Club | Season | Malaysia Super League | Malaysia FA Cup | Malaysia Cup | Asia | Total | |||||
| LionsXII | 2012[4] | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |
| 2013[5] | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| Club | Season | S.League | Singapore Cup | Singapore League Cup | Asia | Total | |||||
| Young Lions | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Geylang International | 2016 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | - | — | 10 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| Tampines Rovers | 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Geylang International | 2020 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 47 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 1 | |
- Young Lions and LionsXII are ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues.
- Young Lions withdrew from the Singapore Cup and Singapore League Cup in 2011 due to scheduled participation in the 2011 AFF U-23 Youth Championship.
U23 International goals
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2011 | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |  Thailand | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2011 Southeast Asian Games |
| 2 | 8 June 2015 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |  Cambodia | 1-0 | 3-1 | 2015 Southeast Asian Games |
Honours
Club
LionsXII
Tampines Rovers
References
External links
- Safirul Sulaiman at National-Football-Teams.com
- Safirul Sulaiman at Soccerway