Muhammad Zulfahmi bin Mohd Arifin (born 5 October 1991) is a Singaporean 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

defensive 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

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 ...

club

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 ...

and the Singapore national team. He is known for technical abilities with set-pieces, playmaking abilities and long range efforts. Primarily a defensive midfielder, Zulfahmi's versatility also allows him to play as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

and occasionally a

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. ...

Club career

Young Lions

Zulfahmi began his footballing career with Young Lions in the S.League. After two seasons with the club, he was selected in the

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 ...

squad for the 2013 season of the

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 ...

LionsXII

Zulfahmi failed to play any part in the first 6 games of the season. He was given his first start against

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 ...

in the MSL on 16 February 2013. Two more appearances followed until a road traffic accident in mid-April set him back a month. He managed one further start and a substitute appearance on his return as LionsXII won 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.

. Zulfahmi's potential was recognised as he had a run of six starts in the beginning of the 2014 campaign. Poor performances however meant that he was dropped to the bench in favour of

Firdaus Kasman Mohammad Firdaus bin Kasman (born 24 January 1988) is a Singapore international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tampines Rovers in the Singapore Premier League. Club career Tampines Rovers Firdaus began his professional football car ...

for the next three games. He marked his return to the starting line-up on 22 March by curling a free kick into the PKNS net to score his first LionsXII goal.

Home United

After LionsXII was disbanded, Zulfahmi went to sign 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 The 2016 S.League (also known as the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st season of the S.League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1996. The ...

. He made 17 appearances for the protectors before leaving the club at the end of the season.

Hougang United

Zulfahmi signed for the Cheetahs ahead of the

2017 Singapore Premier League Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American maga ...

season, joining former coach Phillipe Aw.

Chonburi

Zulfahmi's journey to Thailand happened after he made contacts with a Thai agent. Zulfahmi was on trial with second-tier club Angthong who had wanted to start negotiations after a day. However, Zulfahmi, on the advice of his agent, traveled to Chonburi instead for a 4-day trial. After playing 60 minutes in a 2–3 friendly defeat to

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, Chonburi offered him a contract which is only slightly higher than what he received at Hougang. Zulfahmi became only the third Lion to play in the Thai top tier, after

Hassan Sunny Hassan bin Abdullah Sunny (born 2 April 1984), better known as Hassan Sunny, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Singapore Premier League (S-League'')'' club Albirex Niigata (S). In 2016, UK based ''The Da ...

and John Wilkinson. Zulfahmi made his debut in a 1–0 loss to

Chiangrai United Chiangrai United Football Club ( Thai: สโมสรฟุตบอลเชียงราย ยูไนเต็ด) is a professional football club based in Chiangrai Province, Thailand's northernmost province. The club currently compete ...

. He has started Chonburi's first two games of the

Thai League 1 The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

, helping them to a draw and a loss.

Returned to Hougang United

After spending a season with Chonburi, Zulfahmi re-signed for

for the

2019 Singapore Premier League The 2019 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 2nd season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, sinc ...

season.

Loan to Suphanburi

After a year back in his native Singapore, helping Hougang to a 3rd-place finish, Zulfahmi found himself back in the

after an agent contacted him about

Suphanburi Suphan Buri () is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand. It covers ''tambon'' Tha Philiang and parts of ''tambons'' Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Mueang Suphan Buri District. As of 2006 it had a population of 26,656. The tow ...

's interest. Suphanburi's coach

Adebayo Gbadebo Adebayo Gbadebo (born 30 May 1974) is a Nigerian football manager and former player. Early life and education Gbadebo attended Ansar Ud Seen Primary School Odunfa at Ebute Metta in Lagos State and Ansar Ud Been Grammar School at Randle Avenue ...

had watched videos of Zulfahmi's previous games before expressing an interest in signing him. Zulfahmi suffered a difficult 2020, playing just 8 of Suphanburi's 15 league matches in a disrupted season, having returned to Singapore in August to be with his ailing mother, who later died from breast cancer. However, he was a fixture of Suphanburi's midfield before and after he returned to Singapore. He started their first four matches before the league's coronavirus-enforced hiatus and, following his return to Thailand, he started three of Suphanburi's last four league games and came off the bench in the other one.

Loan to Samut Prakan City

Zulfahmi signed a -season deal with top-tier Thai team Samut Prakan City, after his contract with Thai League 1 side, Suphanburi expired. He will play alongside his international teammate, goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, who joined the club in September.

Sukhothai

On 9 September 2021, Zulfahmi left his parent club, Hougang United to joined

Thai League 2 Thai League 2 (), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. Seasons typically run from August to May, with each team playing 34 games : two agai ...

club, Sukhothai which will be his fourth Thai League club. However, Zulfahmi has to serve a 14 days quarantine period. He is the 5th Singaporean player to play overseas in 2021. He make his debut for the club on 25 September 2021 against Chainat Hornbill which resulted in a 2–2 draw. On 17 November 2021, He scored his first goal for the club against Rajpracha in a 4–2 win.

Third spell at Hougang United

On 15 February 2022, Zulfahmi rejoins Hougang United for the

2022 Singapore Premier League The 2022 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 5th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, sin ...

season. On 27 February 2022, he make his league return appearances after two years against

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 ...

. In his first season back at the club, he helped the club to capture their first ever piece of silverware in the club history winning the 2022 Singapore Cup Final against

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 ...

. Zulfahmi was named the club captain from the

2023 Singapore Premier League The 2023 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 6th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since ...

season onwards.

Bhayangkara

On 9 November 2023, Zulfahmi join Indonesia Liga 1 club, Bhayangkara where he make his debut for the club on the same day in a league match against RANS Nusantara. He became the second singapore to play for the club since

Agu Casmir Agu Casmir (born 23 March 1984) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker or attacking midfielder. Born in Nigeria, he played for the Singapore national football team, Sin ...

in 2013. Zulfahmi is then being partnered in midfield with world class footballer,

Radja Nainggolan Radja Nainggolan (born 4 May 1988) is a Belgian professional association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Challenger Pro League club K.S.C. Lokeren-Temse, Lokeren-Temse. Nicknamed ''Il Ninja'', he spent almost his entir ...

at the club.

Fourth Spell at Hougang United

On 29 October 2024, it was announced that Zulfahmi had returned to Singapore to rejoin

club

for his fourth spell with the club. He will be replacing midfielder Ajay Robson who is set to be enlisted for National Service in 2025. On the same day, Zulfahmi made his return debut in a 2–1 league 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 ...

International career

Zulfahmi was first called up to the Singapore national team for a friendly match against

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

on 24 August 2011. He was also part of the

2012 AFF Championship The 2012 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 9th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of Southeast Asia. It was co-hosted for group stage by Malaysia and Thailand a ...

winning squad although he did not made any appearances in the competition. Zulfahmi was handed his first international start 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 ...

on 10 October 2013. Along with

Hariss Harun Hariss bin Harun (born 19 November 1990) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays predominantly as a Midfielder (association football)#Defensive midfielder, defensive-midfielder or a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centr ...

, he has been identified by national coach

Bernd Stange Bernd Walter Stange (born 14 March 1948) is a German football manager who last managed the Syria national team. During his playing career, he played for Chemie Gnaschwitz, Vorwärts Bautzen, and HSG DHfK Leipzig as a defender. Playing care ...

as the future of Singapore's midfield. Zulfahmi had also been part of the Singapore squad for the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and

2016 AFF Championship The 2016 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016, was the 11th edition of the AFF Championship, the Association football, football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation ...

s. Zulfahmi scored his first goal after 40 appearances for the Lions in a 1–1 draw with

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

on 23 March 2019, scoring a late equaliser from a free-kick in the

2019 AIRMARINE Cup The AIRMARINE Cup 2019 is the first edition of the AIRMARINE Cup, an international football tournament with four countries participating. It is played on 20 and 23 March 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ananth S. Nathan, Executive Chairman of AIR ...

. In 2022, Zulfahmi was included in the team for the

2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series The 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series was a three-team association football tournament held at the National Stadium, Singapore, National Stadium in Kallang, Singapore between 23 and 29 March 2022 for the men's competition and at Jalan Besar Stadium bet ...

and

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 ...

Singapore Selection Squad

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

Career statistics

Club

* 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

International goals

:''As of match played 12 October 2023. Singapore score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zulfahmi goal.''

Honours

Club

LionsXII *

: 2013 Hougang United *

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

International

Singapore *

AFF Championship The ASEAN Championship (formerly known as the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the biennial football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) for men's natio ...

: 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zulfahmi Arifin Living people 1991 births Singaporean men's footballers Singapore men's international footballers Singaporean expatriate men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Singaporean Muslims Singapore Premier League players Thai League 1 players Thai League 2 players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players Malaysia Super League players Young Lions FC players LionsXII players Lion City Sailors FC players Hougang United FC players Chonburi F.C. players Suphanburi F.C. players Samut Prakan City F.C. players Sukhothai F.C. players Bhayangkara Presisi Lampung F.C. players Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia Singaporean expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Singaporean expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Singaporean people of Malay descent Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games SEA Games bronze medalists for Singapore SEA Games medalists in football Competitors at the 2013 SEA Games Asian Games competitors for Singapore Singapore men's youth international footballers Competitors at the 2021 SEA Games