‘Reborn’ Izwan Mahbud looking to make hay while the sun shines

CHIBA – As the sun peeked through the clouds to provide some warmth on a chilly morning at the JFA Yume Field Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud let out a cheer and exclaimed: “Finally, we have some sun.”

He could well have been describing his football journey, too, as he is finally seeing some light after one of the darkest periods of his roller-coaster career.

Making a return to the national team after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his left knee in 2022 sidelined him for almost a year, the 34-year-old is hoping to rebuild his international career, having last played for the Lions in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Saudi Arabia in June 2021.

Ahead of Singapore’s Oct 11 friendly against Tokyo Verdy, he told The Straits Times in Chiba: “Being back in the national team after so long, it feels like I’m reborn after the biggest injury in my career.”

As he looks to impress national coach Tsutomu Ogura in the build-up to the Dec 8-Jan 5 Asean Football Federation Championship and add to his 54 caps, Japan brings back fond memories for Izwan, because it was where he reached one of the peaks of his career.

Having made his Lions debut in 2011, he went on to help Singapore win the Asean title the following year and claim the 2013 Malaysian Super League and 2015 Malaysian FA Cup with the LionsXII.

He then grabbed headlines with an inspired performance in 2015, when he produced 18 saves in the 0-0 draw against Japan in a World Cup qualifier in Saitama. That display earned him an unsuccessful trial with J2 League’s Matsumoto Yamaga, where some 100 fans and media representatives braved the chilly weather to watch him train.

The Tampines Rovers player then took a pay cut in 2017 to realise his dream of playing overseas with Nongbua Pitchaya in Thailand, where he remained until 2021, as his career went downhill following the Covid-19 pandemic.

He returned to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) to rebuild his fortunes, first with Hougang United and then with the Lion City Sailors in 2022 before the devastating training-ground injury.

Izwan recalled of the ACL injury: “I jumped for the ball in training, landed and heard a click. I didn’t know it was an ACL injury until I went for an MRI scan at the end of the season. By then, I had completed the Singapore Cup campaign... It was very difficult being out of the pitch for seven months.

“Physically, the injury and surgery were challenging for me to recover from, but it was also mentally draining seeing my friends play while I couldn’t move much... Luckily, I got a lot of support during my rehab process to make my comeback.”

Since his recovery, he has helped the Sailors win the 2023 Singapore Cup and in 2024, record four clean sheets in 11 matches.

Izwan has no regrets about how his career has panned out, adding: “We can’t expect to be at the top every time because there’s always ups and downs.

“Football can be cruel – I took risks and things didn’t happen, but it’s all part of a learning experience that helps me mature.

“There were also highlights like my time in Japan, but that’s almost 10 years ago and I don’t dwell on the past.

“We can live only in the present and every day I feel blessed that I can still play football, make a living out of the sport and contribute to the national team.”

Ogura declined to comment about individual players, but told ST he wants his goalkeepers to play a “new model and style”.

The 58-year-old said: “I want them to feel like they are also outfield players. They are not goalkeepers, but goal players.

“I don’t want them to just keep a low line and stay inside the box. Sometimes, they can play as a libero and help build up play. They are important for the team movement as we push forward.”

It is a concept Izwan welcomes as he has always been comfortable with the ball at his feet, since playing as a striker with Fuchun Secondary School.

He said: “In the past, defenders were scared to pass us the ball, now they are more open to do so. I have been playing like this for most of my career, so it’s nothing new to me.”

What is different is that he is now the most senior player in the 30-man squad, following former national No. 1 Hassan Sunny’s international retirement in August.

Izwan laughed as he said: “I was 21 when I got my first cap, and suddenly I’m the oldest in the team. People say football is a young man’s game but I think it is different for goalkeepers because the more experience you have, the better you read the game, even as the game changes.

“Now, I try to guide the younger players as best as I can. But regardless of age, we have to appreciate what a privilege it is to be one of the few who are called up out of all the players in Singapore to represent the country and give 100 per cent.”