Safee Sali facts for kids
Safee in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali | ||
| Date of birth | 29 January 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2005 | Kuala Lumpur FA | ? | (20) |
| 2003 | → Telekom Melaka (loan) | ? | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Sarawak FA | ? | (10) |
| 2006–2011 | Selangor | ? | (36) |
| 2011–2013 | Pelita Jaya | 42 | (27) |
| 2013 | → Johor Darul Ta'zim (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2014–2017 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 32 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | PKNS | 33 | (9) |
| 2019 | Perlis | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Petaling Jaya City | 20 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Kuala Lumpur City | 13 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004–2010 | Malaysia U-23 | 26 | (14) |
| 2006–2017 | Malaysia | 76 | (23) |
| 2008–2013 | Malaysia XI | 8 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 June 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 May 2017 |
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Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali, born on January 29, 1984, is a famous former Malaysian footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal-scorer for his team. Safee played for many clubs in Malaysia, like Kuala Lumpur FA and Selangor. In 2011, he made history by becoming the first Malaysian player to join a team in the Indonesia Super League, playing for Pelita Jaya.
Safee also played for the Malaysian national team from 2006 to 2017. He helped his country win the 2010 AFF Championship and scored many goals in that tournament. He retired from professional football on February 21, 2023, at 39 years old. He played 76 games for Malaysia and scored 23 goals. In his club career, he scored an amazing 180 goals!
Contents
Safee's Club Journey
Starting with Kuala Lumpur FA
Safee began his professional football career with Kuala Lumpur FA. He quickly showed his talent by scoring three goals in one game against Perak TKN. This is called a hat-trick! In his first season, he scored 11 goals, making him one of the top local goal-scorers. He continued to score important goals for Kuala Lumpur, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Malaysia FA Cup in 2005.
Loan to Telekom Melaka
In 2003, Safee was loaned to Telekom Melaka for a short time. He scored one goal for them in the Malaysia Cup before returning to Kuala Lumpur.
Playing for Sarawak FA
Next, Safee joined Sarawak FA. He became their top local goal-scorer with 10 goals in the league. Overall, he scored 19 goals in all competitions during the 2005/06 season, making him Sarawak's best scorer that year.
Time with Selangor FA
In 2006, Safee moved to Selangor FA. He was given the special number 10 jersey, which was once worn by the legendary Malaysian player, Mokhtar Dahari. Safee helped Selangor reach the finals of both the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup, though they lost both times. He scored 11 goals in his first season with Selangor.
He continued to play well, even after an injury in 2007-08. In 2010, he scored the winning goal for Selangor in the Malaysia Charity Shield. After his great performance in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, Safee decided to join an Indonesian team for new experiences. His last game for Selangor was a 1-1 draw against Kuala Lumpur FA.
Adventure in Indonesia with Pelita Jaya
On February 5, 2011, Safee officially joined Pelita Jaya in the Indonesian Super League. This was a big moment because he was the first Malaysian player to play in this league! He first wore jersey number 55, but later changed to his favorite number 10. In his first season, Safee scored 7 goals in 13 games.
He became the captain of Pelita Jaya in October 2011. On March 24, 2012, Safee scored an amazing four goals in one match against Gresik United! He finished that season with 20 league goals.
Trial with Cardiff City
In 2011, Safee even got a chance to try out for Cardiff City, a professional football club in England. This was a great opportunity for him!
Moving to Johor Darul Takzim
In 2013, Safee returned to Malaysia and joined Johor Darul Takzim (JDT). He scored two goals in his very first game with them. In 2015, Safee was part of the team that won the 2015 AFC Cup Final, a major Asian club competition!
Playing for PKNS, Perlis, and PJ City
Safee signed with PKNS in 2017, where he played for two seasons and scored 9 goals. In 2019, he briefly played for Perlis, but their team had financial problems. He then joined PJ City, where he played until 2020.
Winning with Kuala Lumpur City
Safee joined Kuala Lumpur City on December 24, 2020. In 2021, he achieved a big dream: he won his first-ever Malaysia Cup title after 20 years in his career! His team beat Johor Darul Ta'zim 2-0 in the final. In 2022, Safee made another record, becoming the first Malaysian footballer to play in two AFC Cup finals.
Safee's International Career
Playing for Youth Teams
Safee started playing for the Malaysia Under-23 team in 2004. He played in many qualification matches. In 2007, he helped the Under-23 team win the 2007 Merdeka Tournament, where he was the top scorer with 4 goals. He also scored 3 goals in the 2008 Malaysia Intercontinental Cup.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Safee earned his first chance to play for the senior national team in 2006. He scored his first international goal in his second game against New Zealand. He was part of the team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
In 2008, he was the top scorer in the Merdeka Tournament with 5 goals. In November 2010, Safee was called up for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. He was amazing in this tournament! He scored two goals against Vietnam in the semi-finals and two more against Indonesia in the first leg of the finals. He scored another goal in the second leg, making him the tournament's top goal scorer with 5 goals. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, which was their first time ever winning this title!
Safee continued to score in the AFF Championship tournaments in 2012 and 2014, showing his consistent skill.
Playing for Malaysia XI
Safee also played for the Malaysia XI team in special matches against famous clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool. In 2011, he came on as a substitute against Liverpool and scored two goals!
Safee's Playing Style
Safee was known for wearing the number 10 jersey, just like the legendary Mokhtar Dahari. He was a strong player with good speed and shooting skills. He was known for scoring spectacular goals, including long shots and even overhead kicks!
Sponsorships
Safee was sponsored by the famous sports brand, Nike. They even gave him his own special Mercurial Football Boot with his name on it! Before that, he was the face of Adidas in Southeast Asia.
Honours and Awards
Safee won many titles and awards throughout his career:
Club Achievements
- Selangor
- Malaysian Charity Shield: 2009, 2010
- Malaysian Super League: 2009, 2010
- Malaysian FA Cup: 2009
- Johor Darul Ta'zim
- Malaysia Super League: 2014, 2015, 2016
- Malaysian Charity Shield: 2015, 2016
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2016
- AFC Cup: 2015
- Kuala Lumpur City
- Malaysia Cup: 2021
- AFC Cup: 2022 (runner-up)
International Achievements
- Malaysia
- AFF Championship: 2010 (winner), 2014 (runner-up)
- Pestabola Merdeka: 2008 (runner-up)
- Malaysia U-23
- Pestabola Merdeka: 2007 (winner)
Individual Awards
- Pestabola Merdeka Top Scorer: 2007, 2008
- AFF Championship Top Scorer: 2010
- Goal.com readers' Asian Best XI: 2011
- AFF Championship All-time XI: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Safee Sali para niños
