Hassan Sunny

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Hassan Sunny

Hassan playing for Army United in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Hassan bin Abdullah Sunny[1]
Date of birth	(1984-04-02) 2 April 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Singapore
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Albirex Niigata (S)
Number	18
Youth career
2000–2002	National Football Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003	Geylang United	31	(0)
2004–2005	Young Lions	43	(0)
2006–2007	Geylang United	52	(0)
2008–2011	Tampines Rovers	104	(0)
2012–2014	Warriors	53	(0)
2015–2016	Army United	54	(0)
2017	Home United	19	(0)
2018–2019	Army United	54	(0)
2020–2022	Lion City Sailors	51	(0)
2023–	Albirex Niigata (S)	22	(0)
International career‡
2004–2024	Singapore	115	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Singapore Sea Games Nakhon Ratchasima 2007 Football Asean Football Championship Winner Tiger Cup 2004 2004 Winner AFF Championship 2007 2007
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 May 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2023

Hassan bin Abdullah Sunny (born 2 April 1984), better known as Hassan Sunny, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Singapore Premier League club Albirex Niigata (S).

In 2016, UK based The Daily Telegraph ranked him #18 on its list of the world's top 20 goalkeepers.^[3] Hassan admitted to The Straits Times that he originally thought that it was a late April Fools joke.^[4][5][6]

Hassan is the first and only player in the Singapore Premier League history to win four league titles with four different clubs.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, Hassan joined Geylang United from the National Football Academy and quickly cemented his spot in the first team, earning the S.League Young Player of the Year nomination for his performances in the League.

In 2004, Hassan joined the newly created team Young Lions alongside Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak and Khairul Amri where he is part of the 'NFA Gang of Four'. They had played together since their early teenage years.^[7]

After completing his compulsory National Service in 2006, Hassan returned to Geylang United where he became the first-choice goalkeeper at the club.

In January 2008, Hassan joined Tampines Rovers, the rival club of Geylang Unite. He made his club debut on 1 March 2008 in a 1–1 draw against Balestier Khalsa.

On 10 March 2011, Hassan made his 100th appearances for the club in a league match against Tanjong Pagar United. He is the part of the team that won the 2011 S.-League and the 2011 Singapore Community Shield in that season.

In December 2011, Hassan joined SAFFC (Singapore Armed Forces FC), after four years of service as Tampines Rovers' first-choice goalkeeper.

Hassan would go on to make his AFC Cup debut against Indonesian club Semen Padang in a 3–1 loss on 5 March 2013. He recorded his first clean sheet in the competition in a 1–0 win over Indian club Churchill Brothers on 10 April 2013.

Hassan's performances in the 2014 S.League season helped Warriors FC win the league title.^[8] He also became the first goalkeeper to win the S.League 'Player of the Year' award in 2014.^[9]

Hassan joined Army United for the 2015 Thai Premier League season. He made his debut in a 1–0 win over Royal Thai Navy.^[10] After a series of games in good form, Hassan excelled in a surprising 1–0 away win at Suphanburi, handing the latter side their first home defeat of the 2015 season. He also received the man-of-the-match award. After the game, Suphanburi player Jakkaphan Pornsai said Hassan's performance was the main reason Suphanburi lost the match.^[11] In November 2015, Hassan signed a new two-year contract with the club.^[12] He excelled so much so that British newspaper The Telegraph placed him 18th in their list of top 20 goalkeepers worldwide in 2016 alongside top goalkeepers such as Petr Čech, Manuel Neuer and David De Gea. He is ranked higher than England’s Jack Butland (#19) and Cameroon’s Carlos Kameni (#20). In December 2016, after the relegation of Army United from Thai League 1, Hassan Sunny was released from the team, ending two years of service at the Thai club.^[13]

Following his release from the Thai League side, Hassan signed for S.League side Home United on 6 January 2017. He was named as the club captain for the 2017 season.^[8]

On 10 February 2017, Hassan underwent trials with Japanese third-tier (J3) club, Gainare Tottori, to get a taste of professional football in Japan. He played for Gainare in two friendly matches during the brief stint. Hassan played about 70 minutes of the Tottori 3–3 draw with South Korean side Incheon United at the J-Green Sakai training facility. Hassan stated he was encouraged by the positive feedback he received from head coach Ryuzo Morioka and the club's goalkeeper coaches.^[14][15]

After the end of 2017 S.League season, Hassan re-signed for Army United in December 2017 and played for them in the 2018 Thai League 2 season. He made his second debut for the club in the club's season opener against Nongbua Pitchaya on 10 February 2018, facing off against another Singaporean goalkeeper, Izwan Mahbud, who was also making his debut.^[16] On 30 June 2019, Hassan made his 100th appearances for the club in a 2–1 win over Kasetsart.^[17]

After 2 seasons with Army United, Hassan penned a 2-year deal with the new privatised club, Lion City Sailors in January 2020. In his first season, he kept 5 clean sheet in 11 matches before the league got halted with the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a match against Balestier Khalsa on 8 August 2021, Hassan was substituted after suffering an injury from a collision with teammate Jorge Fellipe. The collision ultimately led to Šime Žužul opening the score for Balestier Khalsa though the Sailors were able to salvage a point through Stipe Plazibat. Hassan went on to win the 2021 Singapore Premier League title with the club.

On 19 February 2022, Hassan helped the Sailors win the 2022 Singapore Community Shield. During the club 2022 AFC Champions League group stage campaign, He kept 3 clean sheets in 6 matches where he made his AFC Champions League debut on 15 April 2022 against J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds. At the end of the season, he left Lion City Sailors after 3 season at the club.

On 16 December 2022, Albirex Niigata Singapore announced the signing of Hassan on a 2-years contract until 2024, his sixth club in the Singapore Premier League. On 8 June 2023, Hassan signed a 1-year contract extension until the end of the 2024–25 season. In his first season at the club, he won the 2023 Singapore Premier League title, becoming the first and only player in the league history to win the league titles with 4 different clubs. He also won the Golden Gloves with 9 clean sheets in the league.

A graduate of the National Football Academy, in February 2004, two months shy of turning 20, Hassan made his international debut for Singapore against India after a superb debut season with Geylang United in 2003.

He kept goal for the Singapore U23 team that participated in the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam, before joining the Young Lions for the 2004 S-League season.

Hassan's first appearance for Singapore came in August 2003 when the young keeper replaced Rezal Hassan at half-time in a friendly match against the Japan Olympics team.

Hassan's fine display at the 2007 SEA Games helped the Singapore U23 squad win the bronze medal – their first SEA Games medal since 1995.

Hassan had to wait until 18 February 2004 for his first cap for Singapore national team though, which came against India in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He has been a regular fixture in the national team, though only as a substitute for Lionel Lewis. However, due to his poor performances in the 2007 Merdeka Tournament with the U23 team, he was dropped for the friendly match against UAE and Jasper Chan was called up in his place.

On 14 June 2008, Hassan performed extremely well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Saudi Arabia, but Singapore lost the match 3–0. On 28 July 2008, Hassan played the first half as part of a Singapore Selection side in a friendly match against the Brazil Olympics Team and made outstanding saves against Diego and Alexandre Pato's shots, letting in only three goals.

In January 2010, Hassan was selected to participate in the 2010 King's Cup where he played in all three matches against Thailand, Denmark and Poland.

On 9 August 2014, Hassan captained Singapore on the country's independence day in a goalless draw against Hong Kong. On 14 October, he captained Singapore against in a 2–2 draw against Macau.

On 13 June 2016, Hassan was chosen as the starting goalkeeper against two times FIFA World Cup winners Argentina in a friendly match where he conceded two goals before being subbed out for Izwan Mahbud in the 50th minute.

Hassan won his 75th cap for the Lions in early September 2018 against Mauritius.^[18] On the 18th of August 2024, Hassan retired from international football after 115 caps over a 20-year period.^[19]

Hassan was selected for the 2020 AFF Championship that took place in December 2021, featuring in all of Singapore's games and making 20 saves throughout the entire tournament. On 25 December 2021, Hassan made 11 saves for the Lions against Indonesia but got sent off in the 118th minute of extra time after a last man tackle of Irfan Jaya. The Lions lost 4–2 in the end but Hassan received applause from both home and away fans for his heroic duties where he ended the rivalry between both Indonesia and Singapore. He was voted in the "Team of the Tournament" for his superb performance in the entire tournament.

On 24 September 2022, 18 years and 218 days on from that World Cup qualifier against India in Goa on his International debut, he came full circle by earning his 100th cap against the same opponents in the 2022 VFF Tri-Nations Series.

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against China at the Singapore National Stadium, As Singapore was down by two goals where they conceded a penalty, Hassan made a heroic penalty save denying Wu Lei scoring from the spot. Singapore went on to complete a 2–2 comeback at the end.

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Thailand where the opponents were one goal short from qualifying to the next round, Hassan performed 11 saves. Although Singapore ultimately lost to Thailand 3–1, the result meant that Thailand did not progress to the next round, and China, the next runner-up in the group, qualified instead.

Hassan's performance during the match impressed many Chinese viewers and received significant publicity on Chinese social media platforms. Many Chinese football fans complimented his impressive saves and showed their appreciation and support by patronising his nasi padang stalls and sending him money via the QR code displayed for payment at his stalls.^[20][21][22] He was also mobbed by fans during a family trip to Shanghai following the game.^[23]

On 18 August 2024, Hassan announced his retirement from the national team via an Instagram post. ^[24]

Hassan was selected as part of the Singapore Selection squad for The Sultan of Selangor's Cup held on 6 May 2017.^[25]

During his time with Army United in Thailand, Hassan earned a reputation as a talented goalkeeper, who possessed significant athleticism, as well as strong reflexes, shot-stopping abilities, distribution and as well as his foot-work, positioning between the posts. He has also stood out for his penalty-saving abilities. In spite of his reserved character, he has been highly regarded for his strong personality, calm composure under pressure, ability to organise his defence and leadership from the back throughout his career, as well as his reading of the game.

Hassan has a sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier Puma.

Following Hassan's performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers allowing China's national football team to qualify for the next round of the qualifiers, Hassan went viral on numerous Chinese social media platforms, with his nasi padang stall being visited by numerous Chinese fans and tourists in a show of support. Numerous monetary donations were also made to the stall by Chinese fans.^{[27][28][29][30]} Singapore president Tharman Shanmugaratnam also praised Hassan for his performances and recognition on social media.

Following a scam attempt involving the QR code at his nasi padang stall, in a social media post, Hassan asked his fans to stop sending money via that QR code.^[31] Hassan said he would be donating the money already sent to charity as it did not belong to him; he stated that he was "doing his part for the community".^[32][33]

In June 2024, Hassan flew to Shanghai at the invitation of real estate firm CapitaLand, where he and his family were mobbed by Chinese football fans. Hassan made unscheduled appearances at three CapitaLand malls in Shanghai and also visited children's football club HiKicker Youth FC.^[34] According to Lianhe Zaobao, one of the malls had to deploy additional security guards to maintain order due to an overcrowding of fans.^[35][36]

On 15 June 2024, Chinese cryptocurrency exchange company HTX announced that it had appointed Hassan as their "chief safeguarding officer" but Hassan said it was still pending discussion.^[34]

According to an interview, Hassan only started playing football competitively when he was 11, captaining his school, May Primary School.^[37] He later went on to represent Braddell Secondary School football team as well.^[37] Hassan started playing football as a midfielder, only switching to playing as a goalkeeper due to an asthma attack he suffered when he was 12.^[37] He also quipped that his happiest football memory was that, back in 1999, he scored the winning goal from the halfway line in a game that ended 2–1.^[37][38]

Hassan has stated that his favorite goalkeepers are Manuel Neuer and Joe Hart.^[39]

Hassan owns two nasi padang stalls, both named Dapur Hassan, in Tampines, Singapore; he opened his first stall with his family in October 2021.^[40] On 22 August 2023, he opened his second stall at Tampines also.^[41]

As of match played on 16 June 2024

• Young Lions is ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues.

• S.League: 2011
• Singapore Community Shield: 2011

• S.League: 2014
• Singapore Cup: 2012

• Singapore Premier League: 2021
• Singapore Community Shield: 2022

• Singapore Premier League: 2023
• Singapore Community Shield: 2023

• AFF Championship: 2004, 2007
• Southeast Asian Games Bronze Medal: 2007

• S.League Golden Gloves: 2009
• Singapore Premier League Golden Gloves: 2023
• S.League Player of the Year: 2014^[9]
• 2020 AFF Championship: Team of the Tournament^[42]

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

• Hassan Sunny at Soccerway
• Hassan Sunny at National-Football-Teams.com
• Player profile – doha-2006.com
• Hassan Sunny on Instagram