Khairul Amri

Mohammad Khairul Amri bin Mohammad Kamal (born 14 March 1985) is a Singaporean footballer who plays as a forward for Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Premier League. He is known for his pace, sharp dribbling skills and a powerful shot with either foot. He was named the first ever Lions’ Player of the Year for his performance in the 2006 S.League season on 4 January 2007.

For the Malaysian football player, see Khairul Amri (footballer, born 1989).
In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Kamal is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Khairul Amri.

Khairul Amri
Khairul Amri playing for LionsXII
in 2014 against Kelantan
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Khairul Amri bin Mohammad Kamal[1]
Date of birth (1985-03-14) 14 March 1985[2]
Place of birth Singapore
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Tanjong Pagar United
Youth career
2000–2003 National Football Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2008 Young Lions 114 (54)
2008–2009 Tampines Rovers 51 (23)
2010–2011 Persiba Balikpapan 28 (29)
2012 LionsXII 27 (21)
2013 Tampines Rovers 26 (11)
2014–2015 LionsXII 48 (35)
2016 Young Lions 23 (15)
2017–2019 Tampines Rovers 51 (32)
2019–2020 Felda United 13 (8)
2020- Tanjong Pagar United 0 (0)
National team‡
2004–2019 Singapore 132 (32)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 March 2017
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 June 2019

Club career

Young Lions

Along with Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak and Hassan Sunny, Khairul Amri was in the pioneer batch of the National Football Academy graduates in 2000.[3]

Khairul Amri had begun his professional footballing career at S.League club Young Lions in 2004.

The 2006 S.League season was a breakthrough season for the youngster, scoring more than 20 goals in all competitions, including a 4-bagger in a FA Cup Malaysia match. Khairul Amri was amongst the top scorers in the 2006 season of the S.League and many of his goals have come from free kicks. He went on to captain the Young Lions team in 2007 after then-captain Baihakki Khaizan left to join Geylang International.

In total, he scored 54 goals in 114 appearances before leaving the club.[4]

Tampines Rovers

In the mid-season transfer window of the 2008 S.League season, Khairul Amri moved to Tampines Rovers and capped off the season by winning the S-League's Young Player of The Year. However, he sustained a metatarsal injury in the 88th minute of the third-place play-offs of the 2008 Singapore Cup against his former club, the Young Lions, which ultimately ruled him out of action for two months.

Persiba Balikpapan

In 2010, Khairul Amri moved overseas for the first time to join Indonesian football club Persiba Balikpapan. Khairul Amri substantiated his decision to join the Indonesian side on the fact that it was a rare opportunity, not just for him to prove himself overseas as a footballer, but also to expand the profile of Singaporean football.[5] The move would also allow Khairul Amri to be exposed to a different type of challenge as he had already been playing in the S.League for 5 years.[5]

Khairul Amri made a dream start to his foreign stint as he managed to score on his debut appearance.[5] He, however, tore one of his leg muscles and was sidelined for approximately 7 to 8 months during a match, halfway through the season. Due to the severity of the injury, Khairul Amri's stint with the Indonesian Super League side was a short-lived one. He finished his only season with Persiba Balikpapan with 9 goals in 23 matches.[6]

Khairul Amri had originally been slated to stay for a longer period with Persiba Balikpapan. Prior to the match that caused his knee injury, the management team had proposed a contract extension to him. However, he had told the staff to wait until the end of the game.[5] The injury however, proved a serious issue as the club could not afford to keep Khairul Amri on the sidelines for an extended period of time. During his recovery from the knee injury, Khairul Amri spent his time recuperating with Gombak United, at the offer of club chairman John Yap.[5]

LionsXII

During his recuperation, Khairul Amri was introduced to the LionsXII project by the Football Association of Singapore. In November 2011, Khairul Amri agreed to join the LionsXII squad and played for the club in the 2012 Malaysia Super League. He finished the season as the club second highest scorer with 8 goals in 27 appearances behind Sharil Ishak who scored 14 goals in 31 appearances.

Tampines Rovers

Amri later signed for Tampines Rovers in 2013. He scored 12 goals for the Stags in the league, finishing the season as the joint-top local scorer in the 2013 S.League and winning his first S.League title.[7][8]

LionsXII

Khairul Amri returned to the LionsXII setup once again for the 2014 Malaysia Super League season. He scored 7 goals in 24 appearance for his team.

He started the 2015 Malaysia Super League strongly, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearance for his team, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against Sime Darby F.C. His fine form was rewarded as he won the May Player of the month award. However, in October 2015, his knee injury struck again, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.[9]

Young Lions

After the LionsXII was disbanded following the conclusion of the 2015 MSL season, Amri signed on a two-year contract with the Young Lions for the 2016 S.League season as one of three overage players, together with Firdaus Kasman and Christopher van Huizen.[10][11] He was also named as the captain of the team.[12] However, he was forced to miss out the opening weeks of the season due to an injury.[13] Khairul only eventually made his first appearance in April, 5 months after his last competitive match.[14] Khairul's injury ravage season saw him score only 5 goals all season.[7]

Tampines Rovers

After an early end to his two-year contract with the Young Lions, Amri was chased by a few sides, including Tampines and Hougang United. Khairul opted to sign for his former side in the end, joining the Stags for a third time.[15]

He made his re-debut for the Stags in a 2017 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off against Filippino side Global FC and had a chance to net on his debut but his penalty was pushed away by the goalkeeper as the Stags crash out following a 2–0 defeat.[16] His first appearance in the league, which was also a Singapore Community Shield match, ended in a similarly disappointing fashion as he came off the bench in a 2–1 defeat by Albirex Niigata Singapore FC.[17] Khairul came off the bench and scored the winner and his first goal of the season during the Stags' first game of the 2017 AFC Cup campaign.[18] He scored his first goal in the league in a 2–1 win over Hougang United FC.[19]

His next goals came in a 1–3 win over Felda United, where he scored a brace in 4 minutes, which kept Tampines in the hunt for a spot in the next round.[20] His exploits against Felda in a 24 minutes cameo earned him recognition as he was named the Fans' Asian Player of the week.[21] He continued to prove himself as the team's talisman as he scored the only goal in the next game, a 1–0 win over his former club, Young Lions, to push his team to 3rd place in the league.[22]

He has committed his future to the club by signing a three-year extension, starting from the 2018 season. However, Amri decided to leave the Stags for Malaysia, after catching the eye of Pahang-based club, Felda United who were impressed by the veteran who had scored 8 goals in the opening months of the Stags' 2019 campaign.[23]

Felda United

Amri left Tampines Rovers midway through the 2019 Singapore Premier League season to join Malaysia Super League side Felda United, signing a 1½-year deal for the club rooted at the bottom of the table.[23] Amri. however, managed to help his side to safety, with the club eventually finishing in 10th place, starving off relegation.[24]

Career statistics

Club
As of 6 Nov 2020
Club Season League FA Cup Malaysia Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
LionsXII 2012 Malaysia Super League 60009200152
Total 60009200152
Club Season League Singapore Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tampines Rovers 2013 S.League 26111011002812
Total 26111011002812
Club Season League FA Cup Malaysia Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
LionsXII 2014 Malaysia Super League 177100000187
2015 Malaysia Super League ???000003028
Total 41244200004835
Club Season League Singapore Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Young Lions FC 2016 S.League 23150000002315
Total 23150000002315
Tampines Rovers 2017 S.League 146200063229
2018 Singapore Premier League 21152200723019
2019 Singapore Premier League 63000055118
Total 4124420018106336
Club Season League FA Cup Malaysia Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Felda United 2019 Malaysia Super League 6400230087
2020 Malaysia Super League 93001000103
Total 1570033001810
Club Season League Singapore Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tanjong Pagar United 2021 Singapore Premier League 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Career total 157000062208
Notes

    International career

    Khairul Amri represented Singapore at the international level, and has been capped at the U23, U18, U16 and senior levels.

    He made his senior team debut against Oman in 2004.[2] He scored in his first start in the first leg of the 2004 AFF Championship final against Indonesia.[25] A few months later, he scored the opener in the 2–0 victory in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Asian champions, Iraq with a freekick.[26] He repeated the feat again in their next meeting although Singapore lost 4–2 this time.[27]

    In the 2007 AFF Championship, he netted a goal in the 11–0 win against Laos.[28] He scored the late winner in the second leg of the final against Thailand, helping Singapore to clinch their third AFF Championship title.[25]

    He was part of the Singapore national under-23 team that took part in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Korat, Thailand that won a bronze medal.

    During the 2008 Singapore Cup third place play-offs against the Young Lions, Khairul Amri sustained a metatarsal injury in the 88th minute and was sidelined for about two months, ruling him out of the 2008 AFF Championship, as well as the first two matches of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final qualifying matches against Iran and Jordan.

    In 2011, Khairul Amri was unable to participate in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers because of the injury he sustained when he was playing for his club.

    He was in the winning squad of the 2012 AFF Championship, scoring a free-kick 30 yards from goal against Laos, Philippines and also netting against Thailand in the final.[25] Singapore went on to win 3–2 on aggregate.

    He had a productive year in 2014, scoring 7 in 12 appearances for Singapore.[29]

    As of March 2016, Amri has scored 30 goals in 103 appearances for the Lions, with 5 of those goals coming from his last 10 appearances.[30]

    He scored his 32nd goal for Singapore in Singapore's disappointing 2016 AFF Championship, netting Singapore's only goal against Indonesia in a 1–2 defeat that saw the Lions crash out of the tournament.[31]

    International goals
    Scores and results list goal tally first.[32]
    NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    113 October 2004Singapore India1–02–02006 World Cup qualifier
    215 December 2004Haiphong, Vietnam Cambodia1–03–02004 Tiger Cup
    38 January 2005Jakarta, Indonesia Indonesia1–13–12004 Tiger Cup
    44 February 2006Kuwait City, Kuwait Kuwait1–22–2Friendly
    522 February 2006Singapore Iraq1–02–02007 Asian Cup qualifier
    611 October 2006Al-Ain, Iraq Iraq1–42–42007 Asian Cup qualifier
    77 January 2007Choa Chu Kang, Singapore Philippines1–14–1Friendly
    815 January 2007Singapore Laos1–011–02007 AFF Championship
    94 February 2007Bangkok, Thailand Thailand1–11–12007 AFF Championship
    1021 August 2007Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia Zimbabwe2-04–22007 Merdeka Tournament
    1122 October 2009Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Turkmenistan1-24–2Friendly
    1316 October 2012Singapore Indonesia1-02–0Friendly
    1419 November 2012Singapore Pakistan1–04–1Friendly
    151 December 2012Shah Alam, Malaysia Laos1–34-32012 AFF Championship
    1612 December 2012Singapore Philippines1–01–02012 AFF Championship
    1719 December 2012Singapore Thailand1–13-12012 AFF Championship
    184 June 2013Yangon, Myanmar Myanmar1-02–0Friendly
    1910 October 2013Singapore Laos1-01–0Friendly
    2015 October 2013Singapore Syria1-12–12015 Asian Cup qualifier
    214 February 2014Singapore Jordan1-12–12015 Asian Cup qualifier
    2214 October 2014Taipa, Macao Macau1-02–2Friendly
    2314 October 2014Taipa, Macao Macau2-02–2Friendly
    2413 November 2014Yishun, Singapore Laos1–02–0Friendly
    2517 November 2014Yishun, Singapore Cambodia1–24-2Friendly
    2623 November 2014Kallang, Singapore Thailand1–21-22014 AFF Championship
    2729 November 2014Kallang, Singapore Malaysia1–11–32014 AFF Championship
    2830 May 2015Dhaka, Bangladesh Bangladesh1–21-2Friendly
    296 June 2015Jurong East, Singapore Brunei1–05–1Friendly
    306 June 2015Jurong East, Singapore Brunei4–15–1Friendly
    3111 June 2015Phnom Penh, Cambodia Cambodia1–04–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
    328 October 2015Kallang, Singapore Afghanistan1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
    3328 July 2016Phnom Penh, Cambodia Cambodia1–11–2Friendly
    3425 November 2016Manila, Philippines Indonesia1–01–22016 AFF Championship

    Others

    Singapore Selection Squad

    He was selected as part of the Singapore Selection squad for The Sultan of Selangor's Cup to be held on 6 May 2017.[33]

    Personal life

    Khairul Amri is the older brother of forward Khairul Nizam who plays for Home United and Singapore, and both have previously played alongside each other at LionsXII.[34]

    Honours

    Club
    LionsXII

    Tampines Rovers

    International
    Singapore

    Individual
    • S.League People's Choice Award: 2006
    • Lions’ Player of the Year: 2006
    • S.League Young Player of the Year: 2008 [35]

    References
    1. "FAS names 2014 LionsXII squad list". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
    2. Lee, David (17 November 2014). "Suzuki Cup: Been there, done that, but Amri wants more". The New Paper. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    3. "Interview With Baihakki Khaizan". FAS. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
    4. "S.League.com - Amri Takes On Big Brother Role At Young Lions". www.sleague.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    5. "Singapore Football Interview: Khairul Amri - Reflections and hopes". Kallang Roar. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
    6. "Mohammad Khairul Amri". liga-indonesia.co.id. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
    7. "Khairul Amri returns to Tampines Rovers for 2017 S.League season". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    8. "Tampines secure Amri for the next two S.League seasons". FourFourTwo. 2 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    9. http://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2013/12/18/4487340/2014-lionsxii-squad-list-announced?ICID=SP_TS_9
    10. "Amri's return sparks Young Lions". The New Paper. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    11. "Selvaraj predicts another tough season ahead for the Young Lions". FourFourTwo. 25 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    12. "Fear no one, captain Amri tells Young Lions". The New Paper. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    13. "Amri ruled out with injury - Goal.com". Goal.com. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    14. "Amri returns from injury, vows to improve Young Lions' fortune". FourFourTwo. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    15. Ramesh, Akshay. "S.League: Tampines Rovers pip Hougang United to sign Khairul Amri". International Business Times, Singapore Edition. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    16. "Global dump Tampines out of the ACL". FourFourTwo. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    17. "Albirex wins Community Shield". The New Paper. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    18. "AFC Cup, Tampines Player Ratings: Amri secures first-up win for the Stags". FourFourTwo. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    19. "Amri-led Tampines gun down Hougang". FourFourTwo. 3 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    20. "Khairul Amri brace inspires Tampines Rovers to AFC Cup win vs. Felda". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    21. "Fans' Asian Player of the Week: Tampines Rovers' Khairul Amri - Goal.com". Goal.com. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    22. "Raab: We worked for our luck". The New Paper. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    23. Nagib, Adeena Mohamed. "Khairul Amri joins Malaysian Super League club Felda". The New Paper.
    24. "M-League teams are highly competitive, says Khairul Amri". Malay Mail.
    25. "Amri rises to the occasion again". ASEAN Football Federation. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    26. Theng, Wai Mun (22 February 2006). "Indomitable Singapore draw first blood". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    27. "Asian Cup qualifier: Iraq v Singapore". Football Association of Singapore. 11 October 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    28. "Noh Alam hits seven as Lions slay Laos". ASEAN Football Federation. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    29. "Who can replace Khairul Amri? - Goal.com". Goal.com. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    30. "Top striker Amri still recovering from injury, set to miss Afghan tie". The Straits Times. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
    31. "Goal-shy Singapore out of Suzuki Cup". The New Paper. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
    32. Khairul Amri at Soccerway
    33. http://www.fas.org.sg/newsroom/press-release/singapore-selection-squad-sultan-selangor%E2%80%99s-cup-revealed%5B%5D
    34. "LionsXII striker Mark Nizam set for a July return". The New Paper. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
    35. Sulaiman, Syahrom (19 November 2008). "Duric wins Player of the Year". S.League. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.