Mohd Safiq Rahim

Safiq Rahim
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Safiq bin Rahim
Date of birth (1987-07-05) 5 July 1987
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Johor Darul Ta'zim FC
Number 8
Youth career
1991–2006 Selangor FA
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Selangor FA 107 (27)
2009 KL PLUS FC 19 (2)
2010–2012 Selangor FA 75 (25)
2013– Johor Darul Ta'zim FC 80 (21[1])
National team‡
2004–2006 Malaysia U-20
2007–2010 Malaysia U-23
2007– Malaysia 68 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 07, 2016.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of June 14, 2016

Mohammad Safiq bin Rahim (born 5 July 1987) is a Malaysian professional footballer who is currently playing for Malaysia Super League club, Johor Darul Ta'zim FC and Malaysia national team midfielder.

Safiq started his career with Selangor FA before moving to PLUS FC. He returned to Selangor FA in 2010 helping them to win the 2010 Super League and the 2010 Malaysia Charity Shield. Before the start of the 2013 season, he joined Johor Darul Ta'zim FC.

Safiq was a member of the national side and was capped with 68 appearances, scoring 15 goals.

Club career

Selangor FA

Safiq began his youth career with Selangor FA and was later promoted to the senior team. He was the captain and was one of the key players for the team.

PLUS FC

Safiq left Selangor in 2009 and joined KL PLUS FC, where he managed 19 appearances and scored 2 goals. He was also the team vice captain, with NorHafiz Zamani Misbah the team captain. He left PLUS FC after only playing for one season.

Return to Selangor FA

Safiq rejoined Selangor in 2010. He took over the skipper's armband in early 2011 after captain Saziman was injured for half of the season. He was part of the Selangor team that won the 2010 Super League and the 2010 Malaysia Charity Shield.

On 30 June 2011, Indonesian club, Persib Bandung announced that they would give him a contract for the 2011–12 Indonesia Super League season,[2] which he later chose to reject.

On August 2011 after the 2011 Malaysia Cup, Safiq was given a three-week trial from the Welsh club, Cardiff City with the help from the Cardiff owner, Datuk Chan Tien Ghee,[3][4] along with fellow Malaysian Mohd Safee Mohd Sali.[5] Safiq officially underwent his 3-week trial on 24 November 2011 and ended on 11 December 2011.[6][7]

Johor Darul Ta'zim FC

Safiq has joined Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. for the 2013 season. He made his debut and scored in the opening match of 2013 Malaysia Super League against Pahang. In 2015, he was named club captain, and was part of the squad that won the 2015 AFC Cup. He captained the side for the Final, playing the full 90 minutes and being voted man of the match[8] in a 1–0 victory against FC Istiklol at Pamir Stadium.

International career

Safiq has represented Malaysia since 2005. He earned his first full international cap against Myanmar in the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. Since then he only made appearances with the under-23 national team. He scored his first international senior goal in an unofficial friendly match against Zimbabwe on 12 July 2009.

He was a member of the Malaysian squad that won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. It was the first time in history that Malaysia won the AFF Suzuki Cup title. On 13 and 16 July 2011, Safiq captained the Malaysia XI in their matches against Arsenal FC and Liverpool F.C.. Malaysia XI lost 0–4 against Arsenal. Just before the stroke of half time against Liverpool, with Malaysia trailing 0–1, Safiq scored from a free-kick to equalise for Malaysia. Despite a spirited comeback, Malaysia XI went on to lose 3–6 i to Liverpool. He scored two goals from free kick against Singapore on 8 and 12 June consecutively. He scored another goal, again from a free kick against Hong Kong. On 28 November, he scored the opening goal in a match against Laos in the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup.

Safiq was named in the Malaysia squad for 2014 AFF Championship. In the second match, Safiq scored a goal against Thailand but Malaysia would then go on to lose the match. In the final group stage match against Singapore, Safiq's combative display and enterprise shone through and he was statistically the player with the most passes and touches on the ball. His best trait though is not in his cultured right foot, but in his mind, when he calmly converted the penalty in the Lion's den amidst the jeers and mocking by the partisan crowd helping Malaysia to progress to knockout stage. In the first leg semi final match against Vietnam, Safiq converted another penalty but Malaysia lost 1–2. In the second leg, Safiq scored the opening goal after Malaysia received a penalty kick in the 4th minutes. In the second leg of the 2014 AFF Championship final, Safiq scored another penalty in the 7th minutes. He then scored his sixth goal of the tournament, a free kick but two late goals from Thailand resulted in Malaysia losing 3–4 on aggregate. With his 6-goal haul, Safiq became the first midfielder in the tournament's 18-year history to have picked up the Golden Boot award.

On 12 July 2016, Safiq announced his retirement from international football via his football club's website and Facebook page. He retired from national team alongside fellow club teammate, Aidil Zafuan.

On 29 March 2017, Safiq announced to come back from retirement after club owner Johor Darul Ta'zim FC became the new president of FAM.

Personal life

Safiq is married to Malaysian professional ten pin bowler, Zandra Aziela.[9]

Career statistics

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition
1. 9 February 2011 Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam  Hong Kong 2–0 (W) 1 Friendly
2. 29 June 2011 National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur  Chinese Taipei 2–1 (W) 1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
3. 3 July 2011 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Republic of China  Chinese Taipei 2–3 (L) 1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
4. 13 November 2011 Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, India  India 1–1 (D) 1 Friendly
5. 8 June 2012 Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore  Singapore 2–2 (D) 1 Friendly
6. 12 June 2012 Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam  Singapore 2–0 (W) 1 Friendly
7. 16 October 2012 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok  Hong Kong 3–0 (W) 1 Friendly
8. 28 November 2012 National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur  Laos 4–1 (W) 1 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup
9. 26 November 2014 Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore  Thailand 2-3 (L) 1 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup
10. 29 November 2014 National Stadium, Kallang  Singapore 1-3 (W) 1 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup
11.7 December 2014 Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam  Vietnam 1-2 (L) 1 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup
12. 11 December 2014 MY Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi  Vietnam 2-4 (W) 1 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup
13. 20 December 2014 National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur  Thailand 3-2 (W) 2 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup
14.
15. 3 September 2015 Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam  Saudi Arabia 0–3 (L)
(Awarded) 		1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Honours

Club

Selangor
Johor Darul Ta'zim

International

Malaysia

Individual

References

  1. ↑ http://us.soccerway.com/players/mohd-safiq-rahim/70004
  2. ↑ Wow, Kapten Timnas Malaysia Siap Berkostum Persib Retrieved at 30 June 2011
  3. ↑ Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim set for Cardiff City trial Retrieved at 27 August 2011 from Goal.com
  4. ↑ Safiq ke Eropah (MALAY) Retrieved at 26 August 2011 from Kosmo! Online
  5. ↑ Safee sambut tawaran percubaan dua minggu di Cardiff (MALAY) Retrieved at 7 September 2011 from Arena.my
  6. ↑ Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim given three-week trial at Cardiff City Retrieved at 23 November 2011 from WalesOnline.co.uk
  7. ↑ Safiq: Usaha keras yang berbaloi Retrieved at 1 December 2011 from Astro Arena
  8. 1 2 "JDT skipper Safiq Rahim named AFC Cup final MVP". AFC. 31 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Majlis Pernikahan Safiq Rahim & Zandra Aziela Daripada Ministry Of Moment Retrieved at 3 February 2014 from beautifulnara.com
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