Nazirrudin Ismail
Nazirrudin bin Haji Ismail (born 27 December 1998) is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for DPMM FC of the Singapore Premier League and the Brunei national team.
| Nazirrudin with Brunei in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nazirrudin bin Haji Ismail | ||
| Date of birth | 27 December 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Brunei | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | DPMM FC | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sports School | |||
| 2013–2016 | Tabuan Muda | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | Tabuan U18 | (0) | |
| 2016 | Tabuan U21 | (0) | |
| 2017–2020 | Indera | (15) | |
| 2022 | MS PPDB | (0) | |
| 2023– | DPMM | 14 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | Brunei U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 2015 | Brunei U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Brunei U23 | 9 | (0) |
| 2018 | Brunei U21 | 3 | (1) |
| 2015– | Brunei | 11 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 September 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 March 2024 | |||
Club career edit
Nazirrudin attended Brunei Sports School in his youth years.[1] He was also a trainee with Tabuan Muda, the youth scheme of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam, from 2013 to 2016.[2] He played for Tabuan Muda teams in the 2015 Brunei Premier League and the 2016 Brunei Super League.[3] He moved to league powerhouses Indera SC in 2017 and contributed three goals for Indera in the 2017–18 Brunei Super League season, the first one coming in his first league appearance in a 2–1 defeat to Tabuan Muda 'A'.[4] He gained a Brunei FA Cup winner's medal by beating MS PDB in the final on 1 April 2018.[5] He also won the following Sumbangsih Cup on 20 October.[6]
In the 2018–19 season Nazirrudin stood out to become one of the most important players in the talented Indera side, converting to a left winger role opposite Aminuddin Zakwan Tahir and reaching double figures for goals scored. Finishing fourth in the table, Indera qualified for the 2020 AFC Cup as the highest team in the league that has obtained an AFC Cup Club License.[7] Nazirrudin made his continental cup debut against Yangon United in a 1–6 loss on 22 January 2020.[8]
After sitting out of footballing action in 2021, he laced up for his employer's football team MS PPDB for the 2022 Brunei FA Cup. He scored two goals on his debut in a 9–0 rout of MSN United on 14 August.
On 28 February, Nazirrudin signed with DPMM FC for the 2023 Singapore Premier League season.[9] He made his debut coming on for Hakeme Yazid Said in the 12th minute of stoppage time in a 3–4 loss to Balestier Khalsa on 10 March. He scored his first two goals for DPMM against Young Lions in a 0–2 win on 12 September.[10]
International career edit
Nazirrudin's first international tournament was the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification matches held in Laos in September 2013, under new Brunei Under-16s coach Stephen Ng Heng Seng.[11] He scored on his debut in a 4–1 victory over Guam, but the team were subsequently handed defeats by Malaysia, South Korea and hosts Laos.[12]
While still being in the Tabuan Muda under-18s setup, Nazirrudin was invited to train with the second-string national side to face Singapore on 6 June 2015 which ended 5–1 to the Lions.[13][14] He laced up for the Brunei under-19s at the 2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship in August of that year.[15] He made two starts and four total appearances in as many games, all ending in defeat.[16]
In 2017, Nazirrudin was chosen for the Brunei under-23 squad competing in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualification matches in July 2017 and the 29th SEA Games the following month.[17] For the AFC qualifying tournament held in Myanmar, he played only the first match against Australia in a 2–0 loss.[18] He was largely on the sidelines for the SEA Games tournament, making his only start in the dead rubber match against Singapore, which ended in a 1–0 loss.[19]
Nazirrudin played with the Brunei under-21s as hosts of the 2018 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in April, featuring in all of their games.[20] In the second group game against Thailand, he came on in the second half and scored the winner in a 2–1 victory.[21] Nevertheless, two slim defeats in the other games meant that the Young Wasps were eliminated in the group stage of the competition.[22]
In 2019, Nazirrudin was selected for the under-23s for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualification matches held in Vietnam in March 2019.[23] He was overlooked for Abdul Hariz Herman in the first two games which were heavy defeats to Vietnam and Thailand. He started the final game against Indonesia national under-23 football team and after substitute Azim Izamuddin Suhaimi scored a penalty to make the game 2–1 with five minutes from normal time remaining and Garuda Muda reduced to 10 men after the dismissal of their goalkeeper, Nazirrudin elected to take a penalty deep in injury time against replacement goalkeeper Dimas Drajad and had his effort saved by the opposition striker.[24]
Nazirrudin was selected for the full national team at the 2022 World Cup qualification matches against Mongolia in June 2022.[25] He made his international debut right from the start in the first leg, which was a 2–0 defeat in Ulaanbaatar.[26] Five days later in the return leg, Nazirrudin kept his place as Brunei won the game 2–1 but was eliminated from the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup on aggregate.[27]
At the end of 2019 Nazirrudin was called up for the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines from November to December 2019.[28] The team featured Faiq Bolkiah as captain and Adi Said as the main attacking player, with the young prodigy Hakeme Yazid Said also brought into the squad. Ultimately the team failed to gel and suffered five embarrassing defeats at the group stage, with the final fixture being a 7–0 mauling by the Young Lions, half of the goals coming in the last five minutes.[29]
Missing out on national team callups in early 2022, Nazirrudin finally returned to the side in September 2022 for a tri-nation tournament involving the Maldives and Laos hosted by Brunei.[30] He came on for Nur Asyraffahmi Norsamri in the second half in a 0–3 loss to the Maldives on 21 September.[31] He started the next game against Laos six days later, and capitalised on a mistake by debutant Phounin Xayyasone to score the only goal of the match, bringing new head coach Mario Rivera his first victory.[32] He made the starting eleven for the second match against Timor-Leste at the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup qualification held in Brunei in early November.[33] Brunei recorded a 6–3 aggregate win to progress to the tournament proper the following month.[34] He was brought on as a substitute against the Philippines on 23 December in a 5–1 defeat.[35] He then made the starting lineup in the games against Indonesia and Cambodia, both ending in losses for the Wasps.[36]
In September 2023, Nazirrudin was selected by the national team for the friendlies against Sabah FC at the Track & Field Sports Complex as well as the away fixture against Hong Kong national football team, and made the starting lineup in both games.[37] A month later, he was included in the 25-man Brunei squad to face Indonesia in a two-legged fixture to advance into the next round of the 2026 World Cup.[38] He started the first leg on 12 October and lasted for an hour as the Garuda rallied to a 6–0 victory, scoring four goals only after Nazirrudin left the field.[39]
International goals edit
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 27 September 2022 | Track & Field Sports Complex, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | Laos | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Personal life edit
Nazirrudin has an elder brother Nizamuddin who plays for MS PPDB and had been a Brunei youth international.[40]
Honours edit
- Indera SC
- Brunei FA Cup: 2017–18
- Piala Sumbangsih: 2019
References edit
- ^ "Alumni Sekolah Sukan ke Sukan SEA diraikan". Pelita Brunei. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "NFABD 15 squander 2-goal lead". The Brunei Times. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ . National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "TABUAN MUDA A EDGE INDERA SC FOR FIRST WIN OF SEASON". BruSports News. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Indera create history by winning DST FA Cup". Borneo Bulletin. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Indera SC emerge Sumbangsih Cup winners". Borneo Bulletin. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Historical moment as Indera SC make AFC Cup debut against Yangon United". Borneo Bulletin. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Indera vs. Yangon United - 20 January 2022 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "25 players sign contract for DPMM FC". Borneo Bulletin. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "DPMM FC end winless run with victory against Young Lions". Borneo Bulletin. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "NFABD appoints new Under-16 coach". The Brunei Times. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Laos send Brunei crashing out of AFC U-16 C'ship". The Brunei Times. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Brunei, Singapore face off in friendly". The Brunei Times. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Second-string national team go down to Singapore". The Brunei Times. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "AFF U19: MATHEW'S DOUBLE ENOUGH TO EDGE BRUNEI". ASEAN Football Federation. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "'Team need more exposure'". The Brunei Times. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "105 ATHLETES NAMED TO REPRESENT BRUNEI AT 29TH SEA GAMES". BruSports News. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "BRUNEI KICK OFF AFC U-23 C'SHIP QUALIFIERS WITH DEFEAT TO AUSTRALIA". BruSports News. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "FOOTBALL: BRUNEI END CAMPAIGN WITH LOSS TO SINGAPORE". BruSports News. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ . Information Department, Prime Minister's Office of Brunei. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Brunei edge Thailand in last-gasp win". Borneo Bulletin. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Brunei crash out of HBT". Borneo Bulletin. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Misi harumkan nama negara". Media Permata. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Brunei miss late penalty in dramatic end to AFC U-23 meet". Borneo Bulletin. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Brunei football team in China for training camp". Borneo Bulletin. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Asian Qualifiers: Mongolia 2-0 Brunei Darussalam". Asian Football Confederation. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Brunei former coach Servais hails Nur Asyraffahmi and Naziruddin". Borneo Bulletin. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "BRUNEI SEA GAMES FOOTBALL TEAM EASE PAST DPMM FC U-19 IN FRIENDLY". BruSports News. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Brunei lose 7-0 to Singapore". Borneo Bulletin. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ @bruneifootball (20 September 2022). "The Brunei Darussalam squad list for the upcoming international friendly games". Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Brunei lose to Maldives 3-0". Borneo Bulletin. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Brunei beat Laos 1-0". Borneo Bulletin. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Match Report of Timor-Leste vs Brunei Darussalam - 2022-11-08 - AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup". Data Sports Group. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Brunei secure berth in AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup group stage". Borneo Bulletin. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Brunei lose 5-1 to Philippines in AFF meet". Borneo Bulletin. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ "Brunei lose 5-1 to Cambodia". Borneo Bulletin. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ @fa.bruneidarussalam (4 September 2023). "Confirmed! 26 senior players has been called for the upcoming preparation international friendly match vs Sabah FC this Wednesday". Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ @fa.bruneidarussalam (9 October 2023). "Here's the 25 players that will be representing Brunei Darussalam in the World Cup Qualifiers". Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Indonesia vs. Brunei - 12 October 2023 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "U-18s suffer narrow loss to Vietnam". The Brunei Times. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
External links edit
- Nazirrudin Ismail at Soccerway
- Nazirrudin Ismail at National-Football-Teams.com