BY ZAIXIANG
Over the years, the Singapore national team has been blessed with talented goalkeepers, from the likes of Eric Paine in the 70s to David Lee in the 80s.
While Singapore football has had its fair share of problems, the goalkeeping department is one area where Singapore has done well over the years.
Today, Singapore has two top custodians in Thailand-based Hassan Sunny and LionsXII captain Izwan Mahbud.
Both players are hugely talented and crucial pillars of the Lions, thus giving national coach Bernd Stange a much-welcomed selection headache.
Goal takes a closer look at these two goalkeepers.
Izwan Mahbud
Thrown into the deep end in the World Cup qualifiers against arch-rivals Malaysia back in 2011 as a wide-eyed 21-year-old, he performed admirably as Singapore emerged victorious. Since then, he has grown from strength to strength in his displays for both club and country. In June’s World Cup qualifying encounter with Japan, Izwan’s already burgeoning reputation received a further boost when he pulled off a performance that any goalkeeping legend would be proud of. He kept Japan at bay and made 18 saves in the game, earning praise from even Japanese fans.
Izwan is currently with LionsXII, but one suspect he might not be at the club for very much longer. With strong interest from Japanese clubs after his heroics in Saitama, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is planning to send him to Japan for trials at the end of the year with the hope of securing a professional contract. This season, Izwan has once again been integral to LionsXII this, helping the club to glory in the Malaysia FA Cup. With a resurgent Hassan Sunny fighting hard for a first-team spot in the national team, Izwan will have to keep up his fine performances or risk facing a spell on the bench.
Hassan Sunny
The hugely-experienced goalkeeper must be feeling really hard done by at the moment in terms of his situation with the Singapore national team. After spending the best part of the last decade playing second fiddle to Lionel Lewis, he is now facing another formidable rival for a starting position in the form of Izwan Mahbud. Hassan has not had the best of luck with injuries as well, with an ACL tear in his right knee causing him to miss nearly two full years in 2011 and 2012. During that period, Izwan had yet not proven himself at international level and the first-team spot was there for the taking. That injury ultimately ruled him out of the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, a tournament in which Singapore won and Izwan proved his mettle.
Since then, the current Army United shot-stopper has managed to bounce back and subsequently won the 2014 S.League Player of the Year Award, becoming the first goalkeeper to achieve that honour. His fine performances earned him a dream move to the Thai Premier League with Army United FC where he has continued to excel. For a goalkeeper to take up the foreign player slot in the region’s best league is no mean feat and Hassan, whose dream has always been to ply his trade overseas, is determined to keep his spot. In the national team, things are not looking as rosy, with Hassan currently edged out by Izwan for the number one position. However, having already overcome so many setbacks in his career, one can trust that he will rise up and be ready to step up should Izwan fumble.