Mohd Faiz bin Subri (born 8 November 1987) is a Malaysian 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 ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, 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 #Cent ...
or
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for
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 ...
side
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
. He is best known for his banana
free-kick goal which won him the 2016
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
.
Early life
Faiz was born and raised in Ayer Hitam,
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
. He is the third of five siblings. He received his primary and secondary education in
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
, at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Laksamana and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permatang Bonglai respectively, before transferring to Sekolah Menengah Teknik Arau in
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
.
Club career
Kedah, Tambun Tulang, Perlis, T–Team
Faiz began his football career playing for the
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
youth team in 2006. In 2009, Faiz signed with
FAM League
The FAM Cup (Malay: Piala FAM) was a knock-out tournament for teams in both the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysia. The tournament was a cup format, but from 2008 to 2018 was held as a third-tier league tournament and used ...
club
Tambun Tulang. He made 14 league appearances and 6 league goals during his season with the club. Tambun Tulang also
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
in Piala Emas Raja-Raja 2009.
In 2010, Faiz signed with
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 ...
side
Perlis
Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
. He played for two seasons with Perlis before decided to leave the club for
T–Team and signed one-year contract with T–Team.
Kelantan, Terengganu
In 2013, Faiz signed one-year contract with
Kelantan FA
Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023.
Founded in 1946, the ...
along with his former teammate
Zairo Anuar, where he score one goal against a Vietnamese football club,
SHB Đà Nẵng in the
AFC Cup group stage match.
Faiz successfully made 28 appearances and 5 goals for Kelantan before his departure at the end of the 2013 season.
In 2014, Faiz signed a one-year contract with
Terengganu FA
Terengganu Football Club is a professional football club based in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the first division of Malaysian football league system. Nicknamed "The Turtles", the club was founded ...
. He managed to make 14 appearances and 1 goal during his season with
Terengganu FA
Terengganu Football Club is a professional football club based in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the first division of Malaysian football league system. Nicknamed "The Turtles", the club was founded ...
.
Penang
After cutting short his stay with
Terengganu FA
Terengganu Football Club is a professional football club based in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the first division of Malaysian football league system. Nicknamed "The Turtles", the club was founded ...
, Faiz signed a contract with
Penang FA
Penang Football Club (or simply known as Penang FC) is a Malaysian professional football club based in George Town, Penang, that competes in the Malaysia Super League.
Unofficially founded in 1920, officially as Football Association of Pena ...
along with his
Terengganu FA
Terengganu Football Club is a professional football club based in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the first division of Malaysian football league system. Nicknamed "The Turtles", the club was founded ...
teammate
Mazlizam Mohamad
Mazlizam Mohamad (born 19 September 1986) is a Malaysian footballer who plays as a defender for Perlis FA in the Malaysia Premier League.
He was a member of the Malaysia national under-23 football team and a member of the 2009 Laos Sea Games ...
. He helped
Penang FA
Penang Football Club (or simply known as Penang FC) is a Malaysian professional football club based in George Town, Penang, that competes in the Malaysia Super League.
Unofficially founded in 1920, officially as Football Association of Pena ...
earn second place in the
2015 Malaysia Premier League
The 2015 Liga Premier ( en, 2015 Premier League) was the 12th season of the Liga Premier, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia.http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/malay2015.html 2015 Liga Premier
The season was held from January an ...
, and the team was consequently promoted to the
2016 Malaysia Super League.
On 16 February 2016, Faiz scored an incredible
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
in a 4–1 win over
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 a ...
at the
City Stadium in
George Town.
Videos of his free kick soon went viral on social media, and he was nominated by the
Football Association of Malaysia for the
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
later that year.
In 2017, Faiz was awarded the
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
for that free kick goal, becoming the first-ever Asian to have won the international award for the best goal of the year.
Kuala Kangsar
In March 2021, Faiz joined Kuala Kangsar FC.
Second spell with Penang
In 2022, he return back to played for penang for the second time.
International career
Faiz was first called up to the
Malaysia national team in 2012 and 2013 under
K. Rajagopal, but he never made any appearance in either call-ups. After strong performance in 2015 with his team
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, he was recalled to the national team in August 2015 under coach
Dollah Salleh
Dollah Salleh (born 10 October 1963) is a Malaysian football coach and former player. He is well-known to MSL fans as Pablo Dollah. One of Malaysia's most decorated players, he has also been manager of Malaysia's national team.
Playing car ...
.
Style of play
An efficient
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, 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 #Cent ...
, Faiz also can play as a
winger and as a
striker. His assets include his speed, precise long range shooting and his range of passing towards his teammates. Faiz is also notable for scoring spectacular free kicks.
FIFA Puskás Award 2016
On 16 February 2016, during the
2016 Malaysia Super League match between
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
and
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 ...
at the
City Stadium in
George Town,
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, Faiz scored an incredible free kick which subsequently went viral on social media for its '
''physics-defying flight''
'.
The free kick he took was described as a swerve so wicked that the goalkeeper... stood no chance''
'.
The free kick goal he scored was nominated for the
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
later that year by the
Football Association of Malaysia. The nomination was accepted by
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, and Faiz subsequently made it all the way to
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
's top 3 shortlist for the
Puskás Award, beating the likes of professional stars such as
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Sain ...
.
On 9 January 2017, Faiz was awarded the
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
during
The Best FIFA Football Awards
The Best FIFA Football Awards is an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA.
The first awarding ceremony was held on 9 January 2017 in Zürich, Switzerland. The award is aimed at reviving the FIFA Wo ...
in
Zurich,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. He garnered nearly 60% of the online votes, while Brazilian
Marlone
Johnath Marlone Azevedo da Silva (born 2 April 1992), commonly known as Marlone, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Vila Nova.
In the 2016 Copa Libertadores, Marlone scored a stunning strike in a 6–0 win over ...
and Venezuelan
Daniuska Rodriguez came in second and third places respectively. He is also the first Asian footballer to win the FIFA Puskás Award. Faiz Subri becomes the latest player to collect this award after
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
(2009),
Hamit Altintop (2010),
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Sain ...
(2011),
Miroslav Stoch
Miroslav Stoch (born 19 October 1989) is a Slovak professional footballer, who currently plays as a winger for Motorlet Prague and competed for the Slovakia national team.
He has earned 60 caps for Slovakia since his debut in 2009, and was in ...
(2012),
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović (, ; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range sho ...
(2013),
James Rodríguez
James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos and the Colombia national team. He has been praised in the past ...
(2014) and
Wendell Lira (2015).
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Kelantan
*
Malaysia FA Cup:
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 ...
*
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 ...
: Runners-up
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 ...
Penang
*
Malaysia Premier League
The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional Association football, football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.
The ...
: Promotion
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 ...
Individual
*
FIFA Puskás Award
The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...
:
2016
*
PFAM Player of the Month: February 2016
*
FAM Football Awards The Football Association of Malaysia National Football Awards are presented to the best football local and foreign players and coaches. They have been awarded since the 2005–06 season.
Sponsorship
Since the establishment of the National Footb ...
–
FAM Special Award: 2016 –
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
References
External links
*
{{FIFA Puskás Award winners
1987 births
Living people
Malaysian footballers
Malaysia Super League players
Perlis FA players
Terengganu F.C. II players
KSK Tambun Tulang FC players
Kelantan FA players
Terengganu FC players
Penang F.C. players
People from Kedah
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Association football wingers
Association football forwards