Muhammad Faris bin Ramli (born 24 August 1992) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays primarily as a winger or an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...

club

DPMM FC Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club (English language, English: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Brunei Football Club; Abbreviation, abbrev: DPMM or Brunei DPMM) is a professional association football, football club based in Bandar S ...

and the Singapore national team. Considered one of the best players in the country, Faris is known for his dribbling skills, trickery, speed and finishing. A forward, Faris primarily plays as a winger. In 2012, Faris made it to the top 52 of

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

's 'The Chance' competition, a worldwide talent hunt for young players. However, he was not drafted in the selection of the final 16 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. Faris played for the Young Lions prior to featuring for

LionsXII LionsXII ("Lions Twelve"), also known as Singapore LionsXII, was a Singaporean youth football club founded in 2011 that played in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football, from their inaugural season until their dissolutio ...

in the

Club career

Young Lions

Faris began his professional football career with Young Lions in the 2010 S.League.

LionsXII

In December 2012, the

Football Association of Singapore The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football in Singapore. Established in 1892 as the Singapore Football Association (SFA), it is the oldest football association in all of ...

announced that Faris was to join the

for the

2013 Malaysia Super League The 2013 Liga Super () also known as the Astro Liga Super for sponsorship reasons, is the 10th season of the Liga Super, the top-tier professional football league in Malaysia.

. He had his most prolific season yet in 2015, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, 8 in the MSL and 2 in the

2015 Malaysia FA Cup The 2015 Malaysia FA Cup (2015 XOX Piala FA) was the 26th season of the Malaysia FA Cup, a knockout competition for Malaysia's state football association and clubs. Pahang were the defending champions after beating FELDA United 2–1 the previou ...

, which was won by the LionsXII, and 1 in the 2015 Malaysia Cup. He had scored the first goal in the 3–1 win over

Kelantan Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...

that brought the Malaysia FA Cup to Singapore. His 8 goals in the league was good enough to see him finish the season as the LionsXII's top scorer in the league.

Home United

In 2016, although courted by high spending

Tampines Rovers Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

as well as

clubs,

Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

and

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

, Faris instead choose to signed for

Home United Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club based in Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Founded ...

for the 2016 S.League campaign after the

was disbanded following the conclusion of the 2015 MSL season. However, following the heights of 2015, Faris was brought down to earth by a disappointing 2016 as he was constantly plagued by injuries. Although he was once again wooed by some MSL sides, Faris chose to extend his contract with Home. He started the 2017 season in sensation form, scoring 3 goals in 4 appearances in the league for Home. He also has a further 4 goals in 6 games in the

2017 AFC Cup The 2017 AFC Cup was the 14th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Defending champions Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya defeated Istiklol in the final to win their second AFC Cu ...

, helping his team become the first team to qualify for the zonal semi-finals. The 9–3 thrashing of Brunei DPMM has to be his best game of the season as he scored 4 and assisted another 4. He eventually finished as the joint local top-scorer of the league with Shahril Ishak, amassing 11 goals in the league. In total, Faris had a standout 2017, scoring 21 goals and notching 21 assists in all competitions, earning him an S.League Player of the Year nomination.

PKNS

On 5 January 2018, Faris signed a contract with

club PKNS based in

Shah Alam Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...

. He scored his first goal for his new club in a 3–4 defeat to

Kedah FA Kedah Darul Aman Football Club () is a professional football club based in Alor Setar, Kedah. The team competes in the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, the second tier of Malaysian football. They are the first team in the history of Malaysian footb ...

. He had a good first season with PKNS, finishing joint-second top scorer for his team with 6 league goals to his name.

Perlis

After speculations of a move to

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

, in January 2019, Faris signed a contract with newly promoted

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League () was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. It replaced the Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier League was contested by 12 clubs. The season usually ra ...

club,

Perlis Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...

. He was also linked up again with former PKNS teammates

Safee Sali Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali (born 29 January 1984) is a former Malaysian footballer who played as forward. He played for Kuala Lumpur FA, Telekom Melaka, Sarawak, Selangor, Johor Darul Ta'zim, PKNS, Perlis and Petaling Jaya City before return ...

as well as Khyril Muhymeen, whom joined the club in December 2018. However, after revelation of Perlis financial difficulties and subsequent exclusion from the Malaysian league, Faris opted to terminate his contract in January 2019.

Hougang United

After Faris terminated his contract with Perlis, he returned to Singapore and sign with

Singapore Premier League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as the SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), wh ...

side,

Hougang United Hougang United Football Club is a professional football club based in Hougang, Singapore. The club competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singaporean football. Founded in 1998 as Marine Castle United, the club changed its ...

on 7 February 2019. He made his debut in the opening match and scored his first goal in penalty against

in a 5–1 defeat on 21 April 2019. Faris was consistent in the year and was the top local-born goal scorer in the 2019 Singapore Premier League season, winning the Player of the Year award.

Terengganu

In January 2020, Faris signed for Malaysia Super League side

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

ahead of the 2020 season. On 29 August 2020, he scored his first league goal of the season in a 4–0 victory against

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

. On 25 September 2020, he scored a brace in a 4–0 victory against PDRM. He made only 10 appearances before leaving the club.

Lion City Sailors

On 21 January 2021, Faris returned to Singapore to signed with

Lion City Sailors Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional association football, football club based in Bishan, Singapore, Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Si ...

after leaving Terengganu. He won the league title in his first season at the club. Faris started off the 2022 season on a sour note as he missed out on the first game against

due to contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. It was only until the Sailors' 10th league match when manager Kim Do-Hoon gave Faris his first start of the season in the league. He scored his first goal of the season against

Balestier Khalsa Balestier Khalsa Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Toa Payoh, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League. Founded in 1898, the club is considered as the oldest Football in Singapore, foot ...

in June 2022 but remained largely used as a substitute until Kim left the club in August. His successor, Luka Lalić, also used Faris as a substitute in his first two games, in which Faris bagged 2 assists apiece. Faris managed to make the starting lineup in the next game against Hougang United, in which he scored 2 goals in a 9–4 thrashing victory. However, as the Sailors suffered a massive dip in form in the closing stages of the season, Faris, too, struggled badly, missing several crucial chances. In the penultimate round of the league, he was told that he would be leaving the Sailors next season. Faris managed to score a brace against Young Lions on the final day of the 2022 season, ending off his 2022 league campaign with the Sailors with just 5 goals. The Sailors remained sinking in the domestic cup tournament. While Faris did well to score in the first cup match against Balestier Khalsa, the Sailors were knocked out at the group stage after a defeat against

Albirex Niigata (S) , simply known as Albirex Niigata (S), is a football (soccer), football club based in Jurong East, Singapore, which plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of J2 League, Japan. Mostly the team is mad ...

. Faris ended off his journey with a marvelous goal with his weak foot against

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

in a friendly match which was a farewell goal of sorts.

Tampines Rovers

On 18 January 2023, Faris signed for

ahead of the 2023 season. In his first 4 games with Tampines, he has named been in the starting 11 and have scored a goal in each of the consecutive four matches. On 24 May 2024, Faris scored his 100th professional career goal in a 4–2 league win over Balestier Khalsa.

International career

Faris made his first international debut on 9 September 2014 against

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. He scored his first international goal against

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

on 17 November 2014 at the

Yishun Stadium Yishun Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Yishun, Singapore, within the vicinity of Khatib MRT station. The stadium has a capacity of 3,400. History * 1996 to 2003: Home to the Sembawang Rangers FC, Sembawang Rangers. * 2006 S.League Season: ...

. By early March 2017, he had garnered 29 caps for Singapore. In the

2016 AYA Bank Cup The 2016 AYA Bank Cup was a four-nation football tournament hosted in Yangon, Myanmar from 3–6 June 2016. The tournament followed a straight knockout format with Vietnam and Hong Kong facing in the first semi-final and the first match of the ...

and the 2019 AIRMARINE Cup, Faris scored the only goal in both game against

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

and causeway rivals,

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

which see Singapore advancing to the final of the cup respectively. In the

2020 AFF Championship The 2020 AFF Championship (officially AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the 7th and the last edition ...

, Faris made the front page for his stoppage-time penalty miss. Had Faris scored, Singapore would have defeated

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and move on to the finals. However, the penalty miss ultimately caused 9-man Singapore to fall 4–2 to Indonesia after extra time, which caused some frustration amongst Singaporeans. On 26 March 2023, Faris earned his 75th cap for Singapore against

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

at the Macau Olympic Complex Stadium. In the

2022 AFF Championship The 2022 AFF Championship (officially AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 due to sponsorship reasons) was the 14th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and was the 1 ...

, Faris failed to score despite two good opportunities against

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, causing much widespread criticism for his playing style. While he managed to register his first goal of the tournament against

, Singapore would still go down 4–1. In March 2024, Faris returned to the national team after nearly a year where on 21 March 2024, he scored the equaliser goal during the

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...

match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

8 seconds later from kick off after China scored a goal.

Others

Singapore Selection squad

He was selected as part of the Singapore Selection squad for The Sultan of Selangor's Cup to be held on 6 May 2017.

Selangor Selection squad

As a player of PKNS in the

2018 Malaysia Super League The 2018 Malaysia Super League (), known as 2018 Unifi (internet service provider), unifi Malaysia Super League () for sponsorship reasons, was the 15th season of the Malaysia Super League, the top-tier professional association football, football ...

season, Faris was selected as part of the Selangor Selection squad for the 2018 Sultan of Selangor's Cup that was held at the

Shah Alam Stadium The Shah Alam Stadium () was a multi-purpose stadium and one of the largest stadiums in the world located in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It was used mostly for Association football, football matches but also had facilities for Sport of athle ...

. He came on as a substitute for his PKNS teammate, Zac Anderson on the 60th minute. Selangor eventually won the match 1–1 (5–3) on penalties after he scored the winning penalty.

Early life and education

Faris studied in Loyang Primary School and Loyang Secondary School and Temasek Polytechnic. His brother Fuad Ramli had two stints in the Singaporean league with

Geylang International Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 and played their first season ...

Career statistics

Club

. Caps and goals may not be correct. * Young Lions and LionsXII are ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues. * Young Lions withdrew from the 2011 and 2012 Singapore Cup, and the 2011 Singapore League Cup due to participation in AFC and AFF youth competitions.

International goals

:''As of match played 5 September 2019. Singapore score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ramli goal.''

U23 International goals

:''Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

: 2013 *

FA Cup Malaysia The Malaysia FA Cup () is an annual association football, football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP, Malaysian ...

: 2015

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

* Singapore Community Shield: 2022

Individual

: Best Asean Player of the Year:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Player of the Year: 2019 *

Team of the Year: 2019 *

Player of the Month: February/March 2023

References

External links

* {{Hougang United FC squad Living people 1992 births Temasek Polytechnic alumni Singaporean men's footballers Singapore men's international footballers Singaporean expatriate men's footballers LionsXII players Singapore Premier League players Singaporean people of Malay descent Men's association football wingers Malaysia Super League players Young Lions FC players 21st-century Singaporean sportsmen Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games SEA Games bronze medalists for Singapore SEA Games medalists in football Competitors at the 2013 SEA Games Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Asian Games footballers for Singapore Singapore men's youth international footballers