Saifullah Akbar

Saifullah Akbar
Personal information
Full name Muhammad Saifullah bin Mohammad Akbar[1]
Date of birth (1999-01-31) January 31, 1999
Place of birth Singapore
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Tampines Rovers FC
Number 43[2]
Youth career
20??–2016 Tampines Rovers FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Tampines Rovers FC 1 (0)
National team
2016 Singapore U-19[1][3]
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Saifullah Akbar is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays for Tampines Rovers FC.

Youth and early life

At the age of six, he started playing football and quickly gained entry into the then called Five Star Football Academy.[4]

Career

Touted as a prospective football player and one to watch for Singapore,[4][5][6] he participated in the Lion City Cup with Ikhsan Fandi playing for the NFA U-16.[7]

Trialing with Newcastle Jets FC in 2015, their assistant coach indicated that they were interested in a youth team deal with the youngster.[8] However, he 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.[9] Previously, he had a training stint with QPR along with three other Singaporean teenagers[10] that lasted for five days.[11][12] Also, he had a two-week stint at Metz, funded by the Singapore Sport School.[13]

On his first-team debut, he scored a goal to secure a 6-4 win over Hougang United FC[5] in the Singapore League Cup.[14] After training daily with the Tampines Rovers first team throughout the 2015 S.League season, he joined their Prime League squad and is aiming to make the Singapore roster for the biannual 2017 SEA Games.[15]

International

He represented Singapore in the 2013 Asian Youth Games staged in the provincial city of Nanjing.[4]

In 2016, he was called up for the Singapore U19 team facing the Bahrain U19 selection.[1][3]

Player statistics

SeasonClubLeague AppsCup AppsGoals
2016Tampines Rovers FC152

Personal life

Saifullah's father is Akbar Nawas who helped him volunteer for early national service enlistment.[16] As a hobby, he plays guitar and sings and supports Chelsea.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Singapore Under-19 to play Bahrain friendlies". Goal.com. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  2. ↑ "Saifullah Akbar". 31 January 1999.
  3. 1 2 "Saifullah hoping for Young Lions' boost against Bahrain". Fourfourtwo.com. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  4. 1 2 3 "Saifullah Akbar: To Australia with love". Fourfourtwo.com. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  5. 1 2 "Saifullah vows to fight on after 'dream debut'". 16 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Lion City Cup". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Football: Saifullah Akbar, Ikhsan Fandi keen to show calibre at Lion City Cup". Straitstimes.com. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  9. ↑ "No Jets deal for Singapore starlet". Fourfourtwo.com. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  10. ↑ "Off to London, to train with QPR - The Football Association of Singapore". Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  11. ↑ "QPR, Day 5 + Saifullah Akbar's thoughts - The Football Association of Singapore". Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ "PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News". Pressreader.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  14. ↑ "2016 League Cup: Young Player of the Tournament". FourFourTwo.com. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  15. ↑ "The Young Gun – Saifullah Akbar, Tampines Rovers". Fourfourtwo.com. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  17. ↑ "The Boy's a Bit Special: Saifullah Akbar". Fourfourtwo.com. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
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