Faiz Subri's free kick goal last night which became an overnight world sensation was not a fluke.
The 29-year-old Penang footballer said as a striker, he trained hard to perfect free kicks, including the "knuckleball" technique currently being discussed worldwide.
"I always train in free kicks as a striker. Sometimes the shots are good and sometimes they are not.
"When I had the ball last night, my every intention was to make the shot and score," he told a press conference called by the Football Association of Penang (FAP) this evening.
The "knuckleball" technique in football refers to a ball kicked at a very low spin. Along its straight path, the ball deviates laterally and appears to be unpredictable, which is frustrating for goalkeepers attempting to block it.
Faiz's "knuckleball" free kick has made international headlines, highlighted by British dailies like
The Independent and Daily Mirror, and Australia's Sydney Morning Herald.
The goal was said to have defied physics, amid talk that it deserved the FIFA Puskas award, which was named after 1950s Real Madrid striker Ferenc Puskas and established in 2009 by FIFA to recognise players who scored the most beautiful goals of the year.
The shot was also compared to the "banana free kick" made by Brazilian football superstar Roberto Carlos when Brazil met France in the 1997 Tournoi de France.
Faiz's name has been trending on social media platform Twitter. A video clip of his goal is also on YouTube.
Taken aback by his overnight fame, Faiz said he had never expected to be such a sensation, although he admitted that it was his best goal ever.
He said many people, including his teammates and friends, were excited over the shot in last night's game against Pahang in the Malaysian Super League, which Penang won 4-1.
"I really did not expect much to happen. 'Saya ingat tiada apa. (I thought it was nothing).
"But it was all over the Internet when I woke up this morning," he said.
Faiz said he felt honoured and humbled that his performance on the field last night had become such a huge deal.
"How can I compete with someone like Roberto Carlos? The man is a legend.
"The Puskas Award? Alhamdulillah (thank God), if I can really get it," said the footballer, who still appeared to be in disbelief.
Before playing for Penang, Faiz played professionally for Perlis, T-Team, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Faiz, whose ambition had been to play football professionally since he was a primary school boy in Kedah, said he also felt honoured that FAP wanted to auction off the jersey, shorts, socks and boots he had worn in the match last night.
FAP treasurer Datuk M. Murly said the whole set would be put up for an online auction on the association's website.
The auction will start next week and continue for at least two weeks or more if there is encouraging response.
"The reserve price is RM100,000 for the whole set. Each item is signed by Faiz.
"We want to do this to gauge how much support FAP can get for Penang football. The sport here has not been getting much support from the private sector," he said.
Murly also touched on comments posted online about Faiz's free kick, which many said was due to luck.
"If you watch the video of the shot repeatedly, you will see that there is precision in the manner he took the shot," he said.
Head coach Jackson F. Tiago said Faiz was good in free kicks while FAP vice-president Datuk Gary Nair said Faiz was a capable and talented player.
He said it was one of the best goals he had had a chance to witness, and that knowing Faiz, the shot was no fluke.
"Knowing him and what he is capable of doing, it is no fluke shot. Last year he had scored some beautiful goals for Penang but this one beats the odds.
"He is a cheeky guy. If he is let loose to do what he likes or try, I think he can do wonders."
FAP president Datuk Seri Nazir Ariff said the association was very proud of Faiz, whose goal also caught the attention of
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Najib had commented on the beauty of the shot while in the US.
"It is a global phenomenon in the football world," he said, adding that the entire Penang team had performed well last night.
He said Penang football's reputation has been on the rise over the last two years and the association would continue to motivate the players to do their best on the field.
"The team will continue to get incentives for playing well. This is a reward for all of us." – February 17, 2016.
Mohd Faiz Subri (lahir 8 November 1987) merupakan pemain bola sepak Malaysia yang bermain sebagai pemain tengah menyerang untuk kelab Liga Super Malaysia Pulau Pinang.
Faiz dilahirkan dan dibesarkan di Air Hitam Kedah. Beliau mempunyai 5 orang adik beradik dan dia adalah yang ketiga. Beliau menerima pendidikan awal di Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Laksamana. Kemudian, beliau melanjutkan pelajarannya di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permatang Bonglai sebelum berpindah ke Sekolah Menengah Teknik Arau di Perlis. [1]
Club kerjaya [sunting]
Dia bermain dengan Kedah skuad remaja dari 2006 hingga 2009. Dia beralih untuk bermain dengan pasukan kelab Perlis KSK Tambun Tulang dalam Piala FAM liga 2009, dan juga mewakili Perlis dalam Piala Emas Raja-Raja 2009. [2] Beliau berpindah untuk bermain dengan Perlis pada awal tahun 2010. Faiz kemudiannya menandatangani kontrak setahun dengan T-Team pada tahun 2012 musim. [3] [4]
Pada tahun 2013 Faiz meninggalkan T-Team dan menandatangani kontrak dengan Liga Super Malaysia kelab teratas, Kelantan bersama-sama dengan bekas rakan sepasukan Zairo Anuar Zalani. [5] [6] Setahun kemudian dia menyertai Terengganu FA, dan pada tahun 2015 dia menukar kelab lagi sebagai dia jatuh satu bahagian untuk menyertai Penang FA bersama-sama dengan rakan sepasukan Terengganu beliau Mazlizam Mohamad. [7] dengan Pulau Pinang, beliau membantu mereka untuk tempat kedua dalam 2015 Malaysia Liga Perdana Inggeris dan kenaikan pangkat ke 2016 Malaysia Liga Super.
Semasa perlawanan liga menentang Pahang F.C. pada Februari 2016, dia menjaringkan sepakan percuma yang luar biasa yang kemudiannya tersebar di laman media sosial untuk 'fizik-ingkar penerbangan' itu. [8] [9]
Kerjaya antarabangsa [sunting]
Faiz pertama kali dipanggil untuk pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan Malaysia pada tahun 2012 dan 2013 di bawah K. Rajagopal, tetapi dia tidak pernah tidak muncul sama ada dalam panggilan-up. Selepas prestasi yang kukuh pada tahun 2015 dengan Pulau Pinang FA pasukannya, beliau dipanggil semula ke skuad kebangsaan pada bulan Ogos 2015 di bawah jurulatih Dollah Salleh. [10]
Gaya permainan [sunting]
Pemain tengah menyerang, Faiz juga boleh bermain sebagai pemain sayap dan penyerang. aset beliau termasuk kelajuan, menembak jarak jauh tepat dan pelbagai beliau lulus ke arah rakan sepasukan. Beliau juga adalah penting untuk menjaringkan sepakan percuma yang menakjubkan