Daniel Bennett (footballer)

Daniel Mark Bennett (born 7 January 1978) is a professional footballer who plays for the Singapore national team and for Tampines Rovers in the S.League as a defender mainly in central defence. A versatile player who is a strong reader of the game, allowing him to make crucial interceptions despite not being blessed with great pace, Bennett is also known for his trademark long-range free kicks.

Daniel Bennett
Bennett with Singapore in March 2008
Personal information
Full name Daniel Mark Bennett
Date of birth (1978-01-07) 7 January 1978
Place of birth Great Yarmouth, England
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, Full-back
Club information
Current team
 Tampines Rovers
Number 16
Youth career
1993–1995 Tiong Bahru
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Tiong Bahru 33 (4)
1999–2000 Balestier Central 17 (1)
2000–2001 Tanjong Pagar United 35 (0)
2001–2002 Wrexham 6 (0)
2002 Singapore Armed Forces FC 13 (0)
2002–2003 Wrexham 18 (0)
2003–2004 Singapore Armed Forces FC 42 (1)
2005–2006 Woodlands Wellington 57 (4)
2007–2016 Warriors FC 239 (5)
2016 Geylang International 20 (2)
2017– Tampines Rovers 64 (3)
National team‡
2002–2017 Singapore 142 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 January 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 December 2017

Bennett took up Singaporean citizenship in September 2002 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme to play international football for Singapore.[1] With 142 caps for Singapore, he currently holds the national record for the most international matches played.[2]

Club career

Early career and S.League debut

Bennett was selected to join the FAS Milo Scheme for talented young footballers at the age of 12.[3] He was drafted as a trainee by National Football League side Tiong Bahru three years later, giving him the opportunity to train with the team before he left Singapore to further his tertiary studies in England.[4] He returned to Singapore in 1999 hoping to make a career as a professional footballer. Balestier Central coach P N Sivaji gave him his first opportunity with the S.League club. Bennett moved to previous club Tanjong Pagar United (formerly Tiong Bahru) in May 2000.[5] Having played as a midfielder for 15 years, his defining career shift to defence came when coach Tohari Paijan played him as a centre-back in the absence of regular stopper Lim Tong Hai in a league match.[6] Recognition of his performances came when he was selected in the Singapore selection that faced Manchester United and Liverpool in a couple of high-profile friendly matches, and culminated in a S.League Player of the Year award.[7][8]

Wrexham

Bradford City manager Jim Jefferies was impressed with Bennett and offered him a trial at the Yorkshire club.[9] On 8 February 2002, Wrexham manager Denis Smith signed him on a short-term contract til the end of the 2001-02 Football League.[10] Although it is not known how much Wrexham had paid to secure the deal, the club's fans paid money to ensure the club could secure Bennett's signature.[11] He made his league debut against Port Vale on 6 March 2002, partnering Trinidad & Tobago international Dennis Lawrence in the heart of defence. He was assessed as "enjoying a remarkable start, looking composed at the back and reading the game superbly" by the fans, who had contributed money to sign the player.[12][13] Bennett made over 20 appearances for the Welsh side but with the Welsh side 4th from bottom in the league, relegation was confirmed at the end of the season.[11]

Bennett made a brief return to the S.League in 2002, playing 11 games for Singapore Armed Forces during their title-winning season.[14]

He returned to Wrexham in the 2002-03 season.[11] His second spell was more successful, making 21 appearances, including 3 League Cup games as he helped the club win the FAW Premier Cup and clinch promotion to the Second Division.[15][16] Bennett was offered new terms by Wrexham at the end of the season but chose to reject the contract to return to Singapore to improve his chances of featuring regularly for the national team.[17]

Return to the S.League

Amid interest from Home United, Tampines Rovers and Woodlands Wellington after his Wales stint, Bennett signed for defending champions Singapore Armed Forces in mid-2003.[18]

Woodlands Wellington

He moved to ambitious Woodlands Wellington in 2005, joining his international colleagues Agu Casmir, Itimi Dickson, Goh Tat Chuan and Masrezwan Masturi.[19] Bennett led the team to 3rd place in the 2005 S.League, and 2nd and 3rd placing in the 2005 and 2006 Singapore Cup respectively.

Back to SAFFC

After two seasons with the Rams, Bennett rejoined Singapore Armed Forces for a second time, achieving the S.League and Singapore Cup double in 2007 and 2008.

In the 2007 Singapore Cup final won by Singapore Armed Forces on 25 November, Bennett was involved in a clash with Tampines Rovers' Noh Alam Shah, a fellow Singapore national team player towards the end of the match. Noh Alam Shah kneed Bennett in the head in a tussle for the ball and after being dragged away by his team-mates, returned and kicked Bennett in the head.[20] Bennett was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to hospital while Alam Shah was sent off by referee Abas Daud.[21] The incident resulted in Alam Shah receiving a 12-month global ban which was reduced to 7 months on appeal.[22][23][24]

Bennett was handed the club's captaincy in 2012.[25] As captain he won the Singapore Cup in 2012 as well as the league title in 2014.

Geylang International

After playing for the Warriors for 9 years and amassing four league titles and winning the Singapore Cup three times, Bennett signed for Geylang International ahead of the 2016 S.League campaign.[26] He was a key cog of the Eagles defence, helping the team to the league's third-best defensive record, with 29 goals conceded in 24 games as Geylang finished fifth in the nine-team competition.[27]

Tampines Rovers

In 2017, Bennett joined the 6th S.League club of his career, signing for Tampines Rovers FC for the 2017 S.League season.[27] He made 31 appearances in all competitions for the Stags last season and was a key member of league's best local defence, earning him a two-year extension with the club despite almost reaching 40 years old.[28]

International career
Daniel Bennett at Changi Airport, returning home with the triumphant Singapore team after the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship final.

After deliberating for two years, Bennett received his citizenship under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and became a naturalised Singapore national footballer.[29] He made his debut under Jan B. Poulsen in a friendly match against Philippines on 11 December 2002.[30] He had a goal disallowed that day, an effort that he still maintains was a legitimate goal. He would score his first international goal against Hong Kong on 4 August 2003.[31] His timely citizenship meant that he took part in the 2002 ASEAN Football Championship in co-hosts Singapore. The Lions failed their target of reaching the final,[32] exiting the competition at the group stage after poor performances by the team, including an abysmal 4-0 loss at home to traditional rivals Malaysia.[33]

Under coach Radojko Avramović, Bennett never missed a call-up to Singapore's tournament squad. He scored with a long-range effort in the 3rd minute of the 2004 finals first leg against Indonesia in front of an intimidating 100,000 Senayan crowd.[34] Singapore went on to win their second title after their 1998 triumph. Bennett completed a hat-trick of titles with tournament wins in 2007 and 2012.

Bennett earned his 100th cap against Thailand on 24 August 2011[35] and was inducted into the FIFA Century Club.[2][nb 1] With his 122nd appearance in the away leg of the 2012 ASEAN Football Championship finals, Bennett surpassed Aide Iskandar and Malek Awab as Singapore's most capped player.[36]

As of January 2017, Bennett has amassed 132 caps, tied with Shahril Ishak as Singapore's most-capped player.[27] As of November 2017, Bennett has 141 caps for Singapore.[37]

Personal life

Bennett was born in England. His family moved to Singapore when he was two years old. He was educated in Singapore at Tanglin Trust School and the United World College of South East Asia where his father Andrew was a teacher and later Headmaster until 2004.[3] He graduated with an honours degree in Sports Science from Loughborough University.[38]

Bennett married his fiancee Cherry Cheung, a lady from China whom he met in Singapore, on 5 January 2005.[39][40]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 5 Dec 2020[41][42][43][44][45][46]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tiong Bahru 1995 Premier League —
Balestier Central 1999 S.League ——00
2000 ——00
Total 0000000000
Tanjong Pagar United 2001 S.League 350——350
Wrexham 2001–02 Second Division 600000–60
Singapore
Armed Forces		 2002 S.League 110——110
Wrexham 2002–03 Third Division 180–180
Singapore
Armed Forces		 2003 S.League 150——150
2004 271——271
Total 421000000421
Woodlands Wellington 2005 S.League 274——274
2006 300——300
Total 574000000574
Singapore
Armed Forces		 2007 S.League 271——271
2008 311—311
2009 321104080451
2010 241100081332
2011 2603000—290
2012 1916040—291
Total 1595110801611945
Warriors[nb 2] 2013 S.League 260100060330
2014 2702020—310
2015 2703020—320
Total 800604060960
Geylang International 2016 S.League 2213000—251
Tampines Rovers 2017 S.League 222200070312
2018 231200070322
2019 170500050270
2020 130000020150
Total 75390002101053
Career total 5051429012043158915

( - ) indicates unavailable referenced data conforming to reliable sources guidelines.

International goals
Source:[48]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1[31]4 August 2003Kallang, Singapore Hong Kong1–04–1Friendly
2[49]28 January 2004Kallang, Singapore Norway1–22–5Friendly
3[50]29 December 2004Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Myanmar1–04–32004 ASEAN Football Championship
4[34]8 January 2005Jakarta, Indonesia Indonesia0–11–32004 ASEAN Football Championship
5[51]8 June 2005Penang, Malaysia Malaysia1–21–2Friendly
6[52]28 December 2006Bangkok, Thailand Vietnam1–12–32006 King's Cup
7[53]7 January 2007Choa Chu Kang, Singapore Philippines1–04–1Friendly

Honours

Club

Singapore Armed Forces

Wrexham

International

Singapore

Individual

Notes
  1. Bennett earned his 128th cap against Jordan on 6 February 2013.
  2. Singapore Armed Forces were renamed Warriors FC from the 2013 season.

References
  1. "Defender Bennett is finally a Singapore citizen". Today. 24 September 2002. p. 30.
  2. "FIFA Century Club fact sheet" (PDF). FIFA. 12 April 2013.
  3. Eric Ding (13 June 2005). "The rise and rise of Daniel Bennett". Today. p. 41.
  4. "Counting on a 17-year-old". The Straits Times. 23 April 1995. p. 31.
  5. Ernest Luis (12 May 2000). "Bennett's a Jaguar now". The Straits Times. p. 66.
  6. Stanley Ho (24 March 2001). "Jaguars hope Bennett will cut out Cobras' venom". Today. p. 38.
  7. Stanley Ho (9 February 2002). "Dan's the man for Wrexham". Today. p. 35.
  8. Philip Allen (8 November 2001). "Bennett's Player of Year". The Straits Times. p. 1.
  9. Stanley Ho (20 October 2001). "Bennett's off to England". Today. p. 30.
  10. "Ex-Jaguar star joins Wrexham". Today. 8 February 2002. p. 52.
  11. "Once upon a time in Europe: Daniel Bennett, the Singaporean whom the English fans paid to sign". FourFourTwo. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  12. Stanley Ho (7 March 2002). "Bennett gets first taste of tough English League". Today. p. 46.
  13. Stanley Ho (8 February 2002). "Wrexham fans want to sign Singapore PR Bennett, with beer money". Today. p. 52.
  14. Stanley Ho (4 May 2002). "Player of the Year Bennett signs with league-leading SAFFC". Today. p. 44.
  15. Stanley Ho (6 April 2004). "English Div 3 clubs keen on Bennett". Today. p. 36.
  16. "Wrexham is promoted". Today. 28 April 2003. p. 40.
  17. Stanley Ho (19 May 2003). "Bennett quits". Today. p. 37.
  18. "Bennett is back to lead SAFFC from the back". The Straits Times. 3 June 2003. p. 6.
  19. Darren Lai (2 March 2007). "Team is Woodlands' mantra for 2007". Today. p. 65.
  20. Leonard Lim (26 November 2007). "Alam Shah's red mist mars SAFFC win". The Straits Times. p. 36.
  21. Marc Lim (29 November 2007). "He could have crippled me". The Straits Times. p. 56.
  22. Wang Meng Meng (11 December 2007). "Alam Shah banned 1 year, fined $2,000". The Straits Times. p. 37.
  23. Wang Meng Meng (30 January 2008). "Fifa: Alam Shah's ban is worldwide". The Straits Times. p. 35.
  24. Stanley Ho (30 April 2008). "Alam Shah's ban cut to seven months". Today. p. 60.
  25. "Warriors' new skipper speaks". Warriors FC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  26. "Star Man – Daniel Bennett, Geylang International". FourFourTwo. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  27. "Bennett joins Tampines". The New Paper. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  28. "Tampines Rovers Football Club". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  29. Stanley Ho (5 July 2002). "Bennett says yes to Singapore". Today. p. 50.
  30. "Singapore beat Philipines [sic] 2-0". FAS. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  31. "Lions too friendly". The Straits Times. 5 August 2003. p. 2.
  32. Stanley Ho (17 December 2002). "Lions' final target". Today. p. 39.
  33. "40,000 catch 4-0 horror show as Malaysia hammer Singapore". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  34. "Senayan silenced". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  35. "Bennett set for Singapore century". AFC. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  36. "Daniel Bennett: Singapore is my home and I will always live here". Goal. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  37. "Active players with 100 or more international caps". SI.com. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  38. Jose Raymond (18 July 2001). "Bennett's not sure". Today. p. 31.
  39. "No Lions as Bennett keeps his big day private". The Straits Times. 6 January 2005. p. 9.
  40. Marc Lim (25 December 2004). "Bennett's labour of love". The Straits Times. p. 14.
  41. "Daniel Bennett". National Football Teams. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  42. "S.League - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  43. "Singapore Cup - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  44. "League Cup - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  45. "AFC Champions League". soccerway.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  46. "AFC Cup". soccerway.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  47. "New Singapore pre-season cup for S.League clubs". Asian Football Business Review. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  48. Daniel Mark Bennett - Century of International Appearances
  49. Jeffrey Low (29 January 2004). "No defence for terrible defence". The Straits Times. p. 7.
  50. "Fearless Lions". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  51. "Avramovic hails Singapore form". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  52. "King's Cup 2006 (Thailand)". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  53. "Singapore 4:1 Pnilippines". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
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