Lions Abroad: Melaka United's Shahdan Sulaiman

Shahdan Sulaiman burst onto the Singapore footballing scene captivating audiences with his passing range and vision as a midfielder.

While Shahdan’s potential was never questioned, his fitness however became an issue as a spate of injuries kept him from fulfilling his potential at club and international level.

In 2012, while playing for the LionsXII, Shahdan’s impressive form had attracted the attention of the Thai scouts from Pattaya United F.C. who likened him to be a player in the form of Kaka due to his vision and passing ability. He was briefly considered by the Thai club to join as part of their foreign Asian player scheme, but the move did not happened.

Though he had spells with the LionsXII in 2012 and 2015, the 30-year-old played his football club mainly with Tampines Rovers whom he first signed for in 2006. In 2016 following the break-up of the LionsXII he returned to the Stags.

The following year, Shahdan had a good season with Rovers where he scored six goals in all competitions. His performances allowed him to secure a loan with MSL (Malaysian Super League) side Melaka United, and he signed with the club for the 2018 MSL season .

With Melaka he helped the side secured a seventh finish in the 2018 MSL season . They sealed the seventh spot with a  3-1 victory over relegated Negeri Sembilan on the final day of the MSL.

They subsequently began their Malaysia Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Felda United. On the 11th of August Shahdan’s Melaka drew with fellow Singaporean Faris Ramli’s PKNS in a 3-3 thriller.