National footballer Zulqarnaen Suzliman received a fittingly “warm” welcome upon his return to the Lions setup after a lengthy injury layoff, with fellow defender Irfan Fandi greeting him with a bear hug at the team’s training base at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
“It felt really warm getting the hug from Irfan. I’ve been with him since I was 19. Over the years, we’ve been unfortunate with injuries, and we missed some of the international windows. And to be back again with him is a great feeling,” Zulqarnaen said of his former Young Lions teammate.
After a horror anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained against China PR during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in March 2024, the fullback took 15 months to drag himself back to full fitness.
Describing the recovery period as a rough one, Zulqarnaen also added that he met some setbacks along the way, with a hamstring injury, which also threw a spanner in the works.
But it was a brief cameo in last September’s annual invitational tournament, the Sultan of Selangor Cup, that breathed life back into his footballing career.
Zulqarnaen was part of the squad that travelled to Kuala Lumpur with Geylang International head coach Noor Ali, replaced by Albirex Niigata (S) head coach Keiji Shigetomi due to the former being on medical leave.
Just 30 minutes was all Shigetomi needed to be convinced, pulling the defender aside soon after to secure his services for Albirex for the remainder of the Singapore Premier League season.
“Coach Shigetomi asked me why I had not been playing… he persuaded me to go to Albirex and said he would give me the minutes I deserved.”
Describing the move as a turning point, Zulqarnaen enjoyed a late flourish in the domestic league, starring in all of the White Swans’ remaining league matches, having only played for four minutes for parent club Lion City Sailors before his switch.
“As a player, I feel great. All we want is to play football and get as many matches under our belt as possible. Of course, we want to contribute as well, but the most important thing for me is regaining my match fitness and confidence,” he said.
The 28-year-old also adapted well to the Jurong outfit’s playstyle, pushing high up the pitch as a wingback, which netted him a goal and four assists.
Adding that traits like this helped in earning a long-awaited call up, he said, “I’m versatile, I played both on the left and right. The position I play at Albirex is also something new, which is the high wing-back. We play 90 minutes of high-pressure football. We defend together, we attack together.”
Upon his return, national team head coach Gavin Lee also offered the player a succinct piece of advice: let his feet do the talking.
And if there is one national player who has embodied Lee’s mantra of letting his feet do the talking, it is newly minted Singapore Premier League Team of the Year recipient Shah Shahiran.
The BG Tampines Rovers midfield anchor has been a consistent presence for the Stags in the middle of the park, with 39 appearances (3,391 minutes) across all competitions, and has added an attacking edge with five goals and seven assists in the league.
Insisting that he is the “same” player he has always been, the 26-year-old credited the top-quality players he played alongside at Tampines for bringing the best out of him.
“The positioning of the players around me helped to make decisions quicker and easier, and the coaches also helped me to feel confident in my game,” Shah said, adding he has shown more risk-taking in picking out forward passes, while still being careful in conceding transitions.
Being inducted into the league’s best eleven for the first time has also boosted his confidence, and he hopes to make this a yearly affair.
“If I can, I want to be in the Team of the Year every year and hopefully fight for the Player of the Season award as well. Consistency is key — week in, week out, in training and matches — to become a great player,” the 2025/26 Player of the Year nominee said.
But even with his steady improvement, Shah is keenly aware of his shortcomings.
“Coach Gavin is always there to help me to become a better player… Sometimes, when fatigue sets in, I need to have a strong mentality to be in the right positions to help my team in both attack and defence.”
Tampines’ continental and regional campaigns in the AFC Asian Champions League Two and Asean Club Championship this season have helped the midfielder cut his teeth against top-quality Asian sides as he hopes to make a push for a place in next January’s Asian Cup adventure in Saudi Arabia.
With the Lions drawn alongside the likes of Australia, Tajikistan and Iraq in Group D, Shah feels that frequent matches with Asia’s top club sides like Thai side BG Pathum, South Korea’s Pohang Steelers, and recently crowned Shopee Cup champions Buriram United provide the best lessons.
“I learned about the quality of the play. It’s faster playing against those teams, and I think it helped us build the confidence to play in the Asian Cup because we all know the Asian Cup is at a different level.”
“Against big teams like Pohang, BG and Buriram, it’s helped us as players to continue handling that pressure for the full 90 minutes. And against top sides, if we drop our focus for a few seconds, it can cost us. Playing against them helped us stay focused throughout the game, and I think it’s important to continue doing that in the Asian Cup.”
But first, they will have to contend with two back-to-back friendlies against Mongolia on Sunday (May 31) and China on Friday (June 5), which will give Lee’s Lions the type of litmus test they will need in their Asian Cup preparations.
