Albirex Niigata goalkeeper Hassan Sunny continues to terrorise attackers at 42

SINGAPORE – More than seven decades since the birth of Godzilla in 1954, the giant monster from Japan continues to be relevant in pop culture with 38 films, as it is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the “longest continuously running film series”.

Aptly, the evergreen Hassan Sunny will wear an Albirex Niigata jersey featuring the reptilian character on the front when he faces BG Tampines Rovers, under new coach Katsuhito Kinoshi, in a Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash at the Jurong East Stadium on April 4. The limited-edition jersey will be on sale for $128 on the club’s website.

The battle between the third-placed White Swans and the Stags, in second spot, will mark another milestone for the goalkeeper, just two days after his 42nd birthday.

He will become the oldest local-born goalkeeper to play in the local professional football league, eclipsing the record held by David Lee, who was 41 when he played in his last S.League season for Tampines in 1999.

Still a terror in goal with four clean sheets in 11 SPL games this season, Hassan laughed as he told The Straits Times: “My daughters will probably say I look like Godzilla when I’m angry.

“But I’m happy to still be playing at my age. It’s not easy and I’m proud of the effort I have put in. I also have to thank the Albirex management for their trust in me because I don’t think any other club would have such faith in me.”

While he has achieved the rare feat of winning the S.League or SPL title with four different teams – Tampines (2011), Warriors FC (2014), Lion City Sailors (2021) and Albirex (2023) – Hassan continues to defy Father Time with admirable performances on the pitch.

It was this form which convinced the White Swans to reward him with a contract extension until June 2028, when he would be 44 and in his 20th season in the local league, having spent four terms with Thailand’s Army United in the 2010s.

Discipline has been key to Hassan’s longevity.

After stopping his vegan and then plant-based diet in 2023, he has now maintained a more balanced but low-carbohydrate, low-calorie intake that sees him eating rice “only once or twice a week” and also cutting out soft drinks.

Age, however, is a double-edged sword.

He gets into the zone quickly, “like autopilot”, during matches, but takes longer to recover when there are double training sessions in a day.

He is also not as quick off his line, but he adapts through better communication with his defenders to try to be one step ahead.

The statistics prove that the 1.85m Hassan is still one of the SPL’s finest custodians – only Tampines’ Syazwan Buhari (seven) and the Sailors’ Ivan Susak (six) have registered more clean sheets.

Two-time Golden Glove winner Syazwan, who was national teammates with Hassan before the latter’s international retirement in 2024, said: “I’ve learnt a lot from him about game preparation and how to deal with things during the game.

“For example, before the pre-game warmup on the pitch, Hassan has already done his own warmup. This is something I try to follow so that by the time we are on the pitch, we don’t waste time and we are ready to go.”

Time is indeed the essence. Besides his football career, Hassan, a father of four daughters, also juggles several side gigs – he owns Dapur Hassan, a Muslim food stall in Tampines, and an events company that organises football activities for business leaders from China when they come to Singapore for their retreats.

The latter business arose after he went viral following 11 saves in the last of his 115 caps to restrict Thailand to a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Singapore in 2024, a result that allowed China to advance to the next stage.

By the end of April, Hassan will launch his academy in a move to develop more goalkeeping talent at a time when all three shot-stoppers in the recent Lions squad are in their 30s.

Pointing to the 70 youths aged seven to 15 who attended his three-day camp in late 2025, he said: “I believe we have goalkeeping talent, but we have to give them opportunities to continue their interest. It is a very special and specialised position and we have to nurture them properly.

“Izwan (Mahbud), Syazwan and Rudy (Khairullah) have the experience and there is also Zharfan (Rohaizad) and Aizil (Yazid) after them, but we need to grow the numbers and quality.”

Aiming to win another SPL title before he hangs up his gloves, he chuckled when told of Alizanda Sitom’s oldest-player record – the Bruneian custodian was 46 when he played for Brunei DPMM in a 9-3 defeat by Home United in 2017.

Hassan, who is the most-capped Singapore goalkeeper since his debut in 2004, said: “Records come along when you do what you’re supposed to do, but I don’t think I’m looking at that.

“I’m just focusing on staying fit and away from injuries. I want to share my experiences with other goalkeepers over the next two seasons, but everyone knows I will give everything if I’m given the chance to play.”

Hougang United v Geylang International (April 4, 7.30pm, Bishan Stadium)

Hougang are still without injured goalkeeper Zharfan, but his deputy Ridhuan Barudin kept a clean sheet in their 2-0 win over Young Lions in their last match. Geylang will be keen to avenge the 2-1 loss to the Cheetahs that started a four-game winless streak before a surprise 1-0 victory over Albirex.

Young Lions v Balestier Khalsa (April 5, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Balestier welcome back midfielder Lazar Vujanic from suspension and should have too much firepower against the Young Lions as they look to return to winning ways after a 3-0 defeat by the Sailors ended a four-match winning run.

Tanjong Pagar United v Lion City Sailors (April 6, 7.30pm, Jurong East Stadium)

Bottom team Tanjong Pagar did well to restrict Tampines and Albirex to just 3-0 and 2-0 wins respectively in their last two games, but the Sailors will be a different prospect as they had already posted two 7-0 wins over the Jaguars earlier this season.