Azwan Ali Rahman

Muhammad Azwan bin Ali Rahman (bron 11 January 1992) is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for DPMM, which he captains, and the Brunei national team.[2]

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Ali Rahman is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Azwan.
Azwan Ali Rahman
Azwan with DPMM in 2022
Personal information
Full name Muhammad Azwan bin Ali Rahman
Date of birth (1992-01-11) 11 January 1992
Place of birth Brunei
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 DPMM
Number 7
Youth career
2004–2010[1] Sports School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2010 Jerudong ?? (??)
2011 Brunei Youth Team ?? (??)
2012–2013 Indera ?? (17)
2019 DPMM II 1 (0)
2013– DPMM 213 (51)
International career‡
2012 Brunei U21 5 (1)
2013–2015 Brunei U23 10 (2)
2012– Brunei 21 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 October 2023

Club career

Jerudong FC

A product of Brunei's Sports School,[3] Azwan first represented Jerudong FC in the Brunei Premier League at the age of 15.[4] He was transferred to a national youth team (formerly the under-16s) playing in the 2011 Brunei Premier League and became their captain.[5]

Indera SC

Azwan moved to Indera SC in 2012 and in the following year won the inaugural Brunei Super League, scoring 17 goals (including seven in one match) to finish as top scorer.[6][7][8]

DPMM

The following year in 2013, Azwan immediately linked up with Brunei's sole professional team DPMM FC and made 16 appearances in his first season with the club.[9] The following year, he flourished in the first team with 6 goals in 26 games, receiving plaudits from his new manager Steve Kean who claimed that he would not look out of place in any top league.[10][11]

Azwan started the first half of the 2015 season in the same vein, until he was sent off for unsportsmanlike behavior in the game against Tampines Rovers on 10 May.[12][13] He began the second half of the season in hot form, getting on the scoresheet in 3 consecutive home matches.[14] However, he again saw red for violent conduct in the game against Young Lions on 23 August.[15] The league concluded on 21 November with DPMM lifting the title.[16]

In the 2016 season, Azwan was deployed predominantly on the left wing with Ramazotti and Paulo Sergio occupying the other attacking positions as Kean sought to defend the S.League title using a 3-4-3 formation.[17][18] His 7 goals contributed to DPMM finishing in third place in a season curtailed by an ankle injury suffered in June.[19]

Six goals in all competitions for an ever-present Azwan was still a bad return in a forgettable 2017 season where DPMM finished in 8th place.[20] Despite a change in coach, Azwan carried his irregular form over to the next year, finding himself in a midfield three with Hendra Azam and Azwan Saleh while Iranian import Mojtaba Esmaeilzadeh occupied his left wing spot.[21] He would later yield his midfield spot to captain Shahrazen Said but a drop in performance by Esmaeilzadeh presented Azwan with another opportunity in the starting lineup.

Azwan scored the winner against 2019 Singapore Premier League leaders Tampines Rovers in a 2-1 victory at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on 7 April.[22] This was his first goal in the league since netting against Garena Young Lions in November 2017.[23] He duly opened the scoring in the following fixture against Warriors FC on 20 April, a lob over the goalkeeper in the first minute, to help win the match 4–2.[24] He performed well for the rest of the campaign, winning the league title with two games to spare come September.[25]

Azwan with DPMM in a match against Kasuka during the 2022 FA Cup Final

DPMM II

At the start of the 2019 Brunei Premier League, Azwan captained the first DPMM FC alongside the other two first team players,Azim Izamuddin Suhaimi, Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman also registered with the team lineup to compete in Brunei after 14 years away.[26] This was to be his only appearance despite being registered for the league.

Back to the main team

In 2022, DPMM played domestically for the Brunei FA Cup, with Azwan now serving as team captain.[27] Azwan scored six goals at the campaign, including a first-half injury time equaliser in a 2–1 victory over Kasuka FC in the final at the Track & Field Sports Complex.[28]

When Azwan's team returned to the Singapore Premier League in 2023, he retained the captain's armband. He opened his scoring account for the campaign in a 3–4 loss to Balestier Khalsa on 10 March.[29] In the 2023 Singapore Cup fixture on 24 September 2023, Azwan scored the first goal in a 1–1 draw against recently crowned 2023 Singapore Premier League champions, Albirex Niigata (S).

International career

Youth

Azwan was in the Brunei under-21 team that won the 2012 edition of Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, a tournament for the national under-21 teams of ASEAN countries. He played for the Brunei under-23s at the 2013 SEA Games held in Myanmar, scoring against Laos in their penultimate game. He repeated the same feat at the 2015 SEA Games in a 1–2 loss.

Senior

Azwan made his senior debut for Brunei against Indonesia on 26 September 2012. He was included in the squad for the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification and scored his first senior international goal in the tournament against East Timor in a 2–1 win.

Azwan missed the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification games in October 2016 due to an ankle injury.[30] He recovered just in time to be included in the Brunei squad for the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia a fortnight later.[31] Azwan came on as a second-half substitute in the first game against Timor-Leste and made an immediate impact as he broke the deadlock four minutes into his introduction, and further adding a second goal 6 minutes later. The match ended 4-0 to the Wasps, their biggest victory to date.[32] He lasted 70 minutes in the semi-final against Macau before succumbing to his longstanding injury.

Azwan became the stand-in captain for Faiq Bolkiah at the away leg of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying matches against Timor-Leste on 1 September, due to take place in Kuala Lumpur.[33] He came on at the start of the second half to replace Aminuddin Zakwan Tahir and drastically improved Brunei's play, scoring a crucial away goal in the 57th minute. However the game finished 3–1 to the team in red and black.[34] Needing at least two goals to go through, Brunei opted for an attacking formation for the home leg in Bandar Seri Begawan. Azwan was fielded at central midfield as the captain's armband was returned to Faiq.[35] The match finished 1–0 to Brunei, Najib Tarif scoring the winner in the 75th minute, although the Timorese came out on top 3–2 on aggregate in the end.[36]

In June 2019, Azwan along with his brother Abdul Azizi and several other teammates had pulled out of representing Brunei at the 2022 World Cup qualification matches.[37] This disrupted the plans of coach Robbie Servais and was one of the reasons for Brunei's elimination from the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup.

On 27 March 2022, Azwan captained Brunei for the friendly match against Laos away in Vientiane.[38] He scored Brunei's first goal in a 3–2 loss for the Wasps.[39] Later that year in September, Azwan was selected for a tri-nation tournament involving the Maldives and Laos. He came on in the second half for the first fixture, a 0–3 loss to the Maldives on 21 September, missing a penalty in the game.[40] He also entered the game at the hour mark for Hendra Azam Idris in the second fixture against Laos six days later where the Wasps managed a 1–0 victory.[41]

In December 2022 he was selected for the Brunei team at the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup.[42] He made three appearances against the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia where Brunei registered defeats in all of the matches.[43]

On 11 September 2023, Azwan was in the starting lineup against Hong Kong in an away friendly, which finished in an alarming 10–0 loss to the Wasps.[44] A month later, he was selected for the national squad to face Indonesia in two legs at the 2026 World Cup qualification first round.[45] In the first leg away in Jakarta, he was introduced around the half-hour mark in place of Hendra Azam, also donning his armband.[46] The match ended 6–0 to the home side and the same scoreline occurred five days later in the return leg, sending Brunei out of the 2026 World Cup with a 0–12 aggregate loss.[47]

International goals
Scores and results list Brunei's goal tally first.[48]
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.13 October 2012Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar Timor-Leste2–02–12012 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification
2.2 November 2016Sarawak Stadium, Kuching, Malaysia Timor-Leste1–04–02016 AFC Solidarity Cup
3.2–0
4.1 September 2018Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Timor-Leste1–21–32018 AFF Championship qualification
5.27 March 2022New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos Laos1–32–3Friendly

Honours

Team
Indera SC
DPMM FC

International
Brunei U21

Individual
See also: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei

Personal life

Azwan's brother Abdul Azizi is also a Bruneian international footballer who is his teammate at DPMM FC.[50] His cousin Hendra Azam Idris is also a teammate of Azwan.[51]

References
  1. "Sports School students for HBT challenge". Borneo Bulletin. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  2. "2023 Singapore Premier League Matchweek 3: Preview". Football Association of Singapore. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  3. "Sports School gold run on". The Brunei Times. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  4. "QAF singing in the rain". The Brunei Times. 8 December 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  5. "Brunei Youth Team move to BPL II summit". The Brunei Times. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  6. "Isa guns down Indera SC". The Brunei Times. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
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