Faizal bin Saari (born 13 January 1991) is a Malaysian
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
player. Currently playing as a striker for Terengganu Hockey Team.
Career
Club
Faizal started his Malaysia Hockey League career with Terengganu Hockey Team. He was the 2011 league top goalscorer with 19 goals.
In June 2011, Faizal started his overseas career along with another Malaysian Sukri Mutalib. They were selected by the
Southern Hotshots
The Southern Hotshots are a men's Australian field hockey team, representing South Australia in the Australian Hockey League.
The 4,000-capacity State Hockey Centre is their home stadium.
Notable players
Notable players who have played for t ...
. He represented Southern Hotshots in the ten matches league. He scored three goals in five matches for Southern Hotshots. He also played in the Adelaide League and made seven strikes for Forestville Hockey Club in three appearances.
In 2012, he returned to Tenaga Nasional Berhad Hockey Club and earned the top goalscorer award with 20 goals. While playing for Tenaga Nasional Berhad, he received an offer to play in the Spanish Division One for
Atlètic Terrassa Hockey Club
Atlètic Terrassa Hockey Club, also known as Atlètic Terrassa, is a field hockey club based in Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain. The club was founded in 1952. Their senior men's field hockey team play in the División de Honor and the Copa del Rey. The ...
.
After the 2012 season ended, Faizal was bought over by
Mumbai Magicians
Mumbai Magicians (abbreviated as MM) was a field hockey team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that played in the Hockey India League from 2012 to 2014. It was owned by Dabur India Ltd. Australian coach Ric Charlesworth served as the head coach fo ...
for US$26,000 (MYR79,560) in an auction to feature in the
Hockey India League
Hockey India League (HIL), known as the Coal India Hockey India League is a professional field hockey league in India. The league is organized by Hockey India, the governing body for the sport in India. HIL, along with the Indian Premier League, ...
. He is the highest paid hockey player in Malaysia, followed by Kumar Subramaniam who featured for
Uttar Pradesh Wizards
The Uttar Pradesh Wizards (abbreviated as UPW) are a field hockey team based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh that plays in the Hockey India League. It is owned by Sahara India Pariwar. Former Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans serves as coach for the team an ...
after being bought over for US$15,000 (MYR45,900). However he had a miserable outing in the HIL firing blanks in all 12 matches.
International
Faizal made his national senior team debut in the Champions Challenge II in Dublin in 2009 at age of 18. He was the members of the Malaysian squad that won the silver medal in the
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...
. He also part of Malaysia youth team that won the 2012 Asian Hockey Youth Cup. He scored one of the two goals in the final against Pakistan.
Faizal was the leading goal scorer at the 2018 Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy where he finished with 8 goals. Malaysia finished at the 3rd place after defeating Japan 3–2 in the penalty shootouts in the bronze medal match.