Lions forward Shawal Anuar continues to defy age as he eyes Asian Cup dream

SINGAPORE – Unlike many of his peers, Lions forward Shawal Anuar did not sign his first professional contract until he was 23, and the late bloomer has been playing catch-up since.

In a hurry to make the most of his time at the top, the 34-year-old has notched several career milestones in recent years.

In July 2023, he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly at the National Stadium.

The Lion City Sailors player also finished as the top local-born scorer in the 2024-25 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, and led the club to an unprecedented run to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two final in May with eight goals and four assists.

This is on top of the SPL and Singapore Cup titles he won with them last season.

But he has yet to win silverware with the Lions and is targeting a maiden qualification for the Asian Cup.

“It would be the most special thing in my national team career,” said Shawal, who is part of the 26-man Lions squad taking on Malaysia in an international friendly at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Sept 4.

“I have over 40 caps now for Singapore and qualifying for the Asian Cup would be very special for me.

“I am honoured each time I play for my country (but) if I score and I bring the national team to the Asian Cup, I can be proud of myself that I can contribute something for my country before I retire.”

The matches against Malaysia and Myanmar – on Sept 9 in a closed-door match – will be crucial preparation for the Lions ahead of back-to-back Asian Cup qualifiers against India in October.

Shawal missed Singapore’s last two games in June due to a niggling knee issue.

The Lions recorded a 3-1 win over the Maldives in an international friendly, before a crucial 2-1 away victory against Bangladesh in an Asian Cup qualifier.

They are top of Group C on goals scored ahead of Hong Kong (four points), Bangladesh and India, who have a point apiece.

Only the group winners will advance to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Shawal is eager to pick up from where he left off last season, when he enjoyed his best campaign with 26 goals in 51 club games, despite dealing with the after-effects from an operation to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2018.

While he has had to manage his training and playing load carefully, Shawal feels that he is at the peak of his career.

He said: “I do this for my family. This (football) is my rice bowl, so I give my best every time I am on the pitch. I feel better and more confident after every year and last season was my best so far.”

A quick and wiry forward, Shawal’s numbers belie his age as he has scored more goals in his 30s than he did when he was younger.

According to statistics on football website Transfermarkt, since turning 30 on April 29, 2021, he has scored 61 goals in 133 club matches compared to the 36 in 134 previous outings.

In 44 outings for the Lions, Shawal scored just one goal before he turned 30, but found the net 16 times since.

Thankfully for Singapore, retirement is not in sight for him.

“Now that I am 34, people ask me a lot about ‘what’s your plan after football?’,” said Shawal.

“For now, I am not planning anything yet because I feel I can still give more, contribute more for Singapore football. So I will just give my very best till I feel that I am slowing down.”

Shawal will be competing with club teammate Abdul Rasaq and Thailand-based Fandi brothers Ikhsan and Ilhan for a starting role up front against Malaysia.

The Causeway clash will be the 159th-ranked Lions’ first under interim coach Gavin Lee since Tsutomu Ogura stepped down as head coach in June.

In their previous encounter, Singapore held Malaysia to a 0-0 draw in an Asean Championship group-stage match last December.

But the 125th-ranked Harimau Malaya – who were missing a host of seasoned campaigners at the Asean Championship due to the ongoing Malaysia Super League season – are a much-changed team since then.

They have hired Australian tactician Peter Cklamovski, who has overseen two wins and a draw in three matches, which includes a stunning 4-0 victory against Vietnam in June’s Asian Cup qualifier.

The team have also been significantly strengthened by heritage players.

In the win over Vietnam, Malaysia gave debuts to five new foreign-born heritage players – Argentina-born attackers Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca and centre-back Facundo Garces, Brazil-born striker Joao Figueiredo and Spain-born centre-back Jon Irazabal.

All except Machuca are in the squad to face Singapore, but the quartet will be joined by a sizeable foreign-born contingent which also includes Spain-born fullback Gabriel Palmero, Brazil-born midfielder Endrick and Argentina-born midfielder Sergio Aguero.

Lee expects a tough game but is focused on the larger objective of preparing for October’s matchups.

He said: “The next two fixtures are about understanding the purpose and as a group, we are very clear that these games are stepping stones and preparation before we play India in October. These games are important to help us arrive in October in a good way.

“Malaysia will be a strong side and playing them at their home ground will not be easy, but we will prepare ourselves in the best way we can.”