Mohamad Amirul Hadi bin Zainal (born 27 May 1986) is a Malaysian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who last plays for Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim II and the Malaysian national team as a

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Born in

Alor Gajah ) , pushpin_map = Malaysia Malacca#Malaysia West , pushpin_mapsize = 300px , map_caption = Alor Gajah Town in Alor Gajah District (left)Alor Gajah District in Malacca State (right) , subdivision_type = Country , subd ...

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

but raised in Klang,

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

, Amirul is the son of former top

player in 1990s, Zainal Nordin.

Club career

Pahang FA

Amirul Hadi joined

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

from

ahead of the 2013 season. For Pahang, he played as a central midfielder. He was man of the match as Pahang took a one-goal lead in the quarter-final of the

2013 Malaysia Cup The 2013 Malaysia Cup (Malay: ''Piala Malaysia 2013'') was the 87th season of Malaysia Cup and began on 20 August with a preliminary round and finished on 3 November 2013 with the final, held at Shah Alam Stadium. A total of 16 teams took part in ...

against PKNS, and on 3 November 2013, he assisted Pahang to defeat

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...

1–0 in the

Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...

which ended the team's 21-year drought in the Cup. In the

2013 Malaysia Super League The 2013 Liga Super ( en, 2013 Super League) also known as the Astro Liga Super for sponsorship reasons, is the 10th season of the Liga Super, the top-tier professional football league in Malaysia.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/malay2013.html 2013 ...

season, he scored once in 19 appearances. After reviving his career with

Pahang FA Sri Pahang Football Club () is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kuantan, Pahang. Founded in 1959 and has traditionally worn a yellow home kit since. At the beginning, club's home matches were held around the city public fields an ...

and helped them to lift the long sought trophy, he decided to not extend the contract with them for the upcoming season as he joined

Johor Darul Takzim FC Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club or simply JDT is a professional football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The club was founded in 1972 as PKENJ FC and currently competes in the top division of Malaysian football, the Malaysia Super ...

later for the new challenge down south.

International career

Amirul has represented the Malaysian under-23 side for the 2008 Olympic Games qualifier. He scored a brilliant solo goal against the Hong Kong under-23 teams in the qualifier. Amirul made his senior debut against Bahrain in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Malaysia lost their first match of the qualifier 4–1 before drawing 0–0 at Shah Alam. Amirul also represented the Malaysia XI squad against

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Th ...

Shah Alam Stadium The Shah Alam Stadium (Malay: ''Stadium Shah Alam'') is a multi-purpose stadium located in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It is used mostly for football matches but also has facilities for athletics. The stadium is the officially home of Red Gi ...

on 29 July 2008. He was one of Malaysia's more impressive player in the match after getting three attempts on goal but failed to score. The Malaysia XI eventually lost 0–2.Chelsea beat Malaysian XI
/ref> However, Chelsea coach

Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense. Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and notab ...

praised the Malaysia XI for giving a good fight against his team. Amirul scored his first international senior goal against Myanmar in

2008 Merdeka Tournament The 40th Merdeka Tournament was played from 15 to 25 October 2008. The tournament was won by Vietnam, who defeated Malaysia 6-5 on penalties in the final. Teams * * * (host country) ** * * *** **** *''Mozambique replaced Kazakhstan following ...

. He was also part of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games winning squad. In November 2010, Amirul was called up to the Malaysia national squad by coach K. Rajagopal for the

2010 AFF Suzuki Cup The 2010 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and P&G and officially known as the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 8th edition of the AFF Championship, took place on 1–29 December 2010. Indonesia and Vietnam hosted the group stage from 1 to 8 De ...

. Amirul scored in the final group game against

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

in a 5–1 victory. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup title for the first time in their history. On 14 July 2016, Amirul announced his retirement from international football after 34 'A' international caps and 7 'A' international goals.

Controversy

Amirul was arrested by NCID Johor State Police following found drug

Methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

on 10th July 2022 in Johor Bahru and charged with drug possession

International goals

Under-23

Senior team

Honours

Club

;Selangor *

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Malaysia Charity Shield Piala Sumbangsih (English: Malaysia Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah ( en, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup), is the Malaysian super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pitting ...

: 2009, 2010 *

Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup ( ms, Piala FA) is an annual national knock-out football tournament in Malaysia. The cup was first held in 1990. The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), before being transferred to Fo ...

;Pahang *

Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual association football, football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popular ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

;Johor Darul Takzim *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

: 2015, 2016 *

:(runner up)

, (champion)

AFC Cup The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...

;Johor Darul Ta'zim II F.C. *

Malaysia Challenge Cup The Malaysia Challenge Cup ( Malay: ''Piala Cabaran Malaysia'') is a Malaysian football competition held under the auspices of the Malaysian Football League and the Football Association of Malaysia. The tournament was created for Malaysia Super ...

(1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

International

Pestabola Merdeka Merdeka Tournament or Pestabola Merdeka is a friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. As of 2022, it has been held 40 times, and decreasingly in r ...

: 2007 * 2009 SEA Games : Gold *

:Winner

References

External links

*
Mohd Amirul Hadi Zainal's Profile
at F.A.M. website * {{Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. squad 1986 births Living people Malaysian footballers Malaysia international footballers Selangor FA players Sri Pahang FC players People from Malacca Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. players Malaysia Super League players Association football midfielders Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for Malaysia Southeast Asian Games medalists in football Competitors at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games Competitors at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games