Ahmad Shahrul Azhar Sofian

Ahmad Shahrul Azhar Sofian (born 24 October 1974) is a Malaysian former footballer best known for his time with Perak, where he was team captain and wore the number 7 jersey. He was a central midfielder.

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Azhar Sofian is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Ahmad Shahrul. The Arabic-derived word "bin" or "binti"/"binte", if used, means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Ahmad Shahrul Azhar
Personal information
Full name Ahmad Shahrul Azhar Sofian
Date of birth (1974-10-24) 24 October 1974
Place of birth Perak, Malaysia
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Perak President's Cup Manager
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1997 Perak (3)
1998–1999 Negeri Sembilan (3)
2000–2008 Perak (21)
2009 Proton
International career
2002 Malaysia U-23[1] 3 (0)
1999–2001 Malaysia[2] 6 (1)
1999–2002 Malaysia 40[3] (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Shahrul spent almost his entire career with Perak FA. He made his debut in 1996 and remained with Perak FA until 2008 except in 1998 and 1999, where he joined Negeri Sembilan FA. He is a highly-influential player for Perak FA, but is perhaps more known for his fiery temperament than his footballing abilities.[4] He was once banned 12 months for his antics against the fourth official after receiving a red card against Selangor MPPJ.

Shahrul made his international senior debut at the 1999 Dunhill Cup in Vietnam. He also played in the 1999 Southeast Asian Games where he scored a hat-trick against Cambodia. In 2000, Ahmad Shahrul was selected as the captain of the national team. On 25 May 2002, he was called up for an international friendly match against five times World Cup winners Brazil. He was selected as one of the first eleven to play against Brazilian stars such as Ronaldo and Barca's Ronaldinho.[5][6][7] His last appearance with the national team is at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

He was also sent off in the 2007 Malaysia Cup final for a second-bookable offence. Perak went on to lose that match 3-0.

He played for Proton FC in the 2009 Malaysia Premier League, and retired at the end of the season.

Previously Shahrul works as Assistant Coach of U20 Negeri Sembilan FA.

Currently he works as Manager of Perak FA.

International goals

Goals for Senior National Team
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.4 August 1999Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Cambodia7-3Won1999 Southeast Asian Games
2.4 August 1999Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Cambodia7-3Won1999 Southeast Asian Games
3.4 August 1999Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Cambodia7-3Won1999 Southeast Asian Games
4.7 November 2000Songkhla, Thailand Laos5-0Won2000 Tiger Cup
5.7 November 2000Songkhla, Thailand Cambodia3-2Won2000 Tiger Cup
6.9 February 2001Ba Town, Fiji Fiji2-1WonFriendly
7.25 June 2001Shah Alam, Malaysia Bosnia and Herzegovina2-2Draw2001 Merdeka Tournament

Personal life

His grandfather, Ahmad Nazari was also a football player and a part of the Malaya national football team when it finished third in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.[8][9]

Honours
Perak

Awards

Shahrul was honoured by the Perak state in 2005 along with his teammates Chan Wing Hoong, K. Nanthakumar, Mohd Hamsani Ahmad and Syamsul Saad for their contributions to state football.[10]

References
  1. Ahmad Shahrul was selected as one of three senior player in the under 23 team for 2002 Asian Games.
  2. Appearances for non FIFA international matches.
  3. Mamrud, Roberto. "Malaysia - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  4. "11 Idaman Semuanya BOLA Pasukan Perak Di Bawah Weigang" (in Malay). Semuanya Bola. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  5. "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2002-2003". Dennis David Woods RSSSF. RSSSF Brasil. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. "Malaysia vs Brazil". Sky Sports at Wayback Machine. 2021. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  7. "Brazil lawan Malaysia, Stadium Bukit Jalil (2002)". Chedinsphere at Wayback Machine. 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  8. "Former football star Ahmad Nazari dies". The Star. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  9. Malaysia - Asian Games 1962. SlideShare
  10. "Raja Nazrin Shah Heads Perak's Honours List". Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
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