1. Overview
Mohd Faiz bin Subri, born on November 8, 1987, is a Malaysian professional footballer primarily known for his role as an attacking midfielder or forward. He has also played as a winger. Faiz Subri gained international recognition for his extraordinary free-kick goal, which earned him the prestigious 2016 FIFA Puskás Award, making him the first Asian player to receive this honor. Throughout his career, he has played for several Malaysian clubs, including Kedah FA, Tambun Tulang F.C., Perlis FA, PBDKT T-Team FC, Kelantan F.C., Terengganu F.C., Penang F.C., and Kuala Kangsar FC.
2. Early life and education
Mohd Faiz bin Subri was born and raised in Ayer Hitam, Kedah, Malaysia. He is the third of five siblings. His early education took place in Kedah, where he attended Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Laksamana for primary school and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permatang Bonglai for secondary school. He later transferred to Sekolah Menengah Teknik Arau in Perlis to complete his secondary education.
3. Club career
Faiz Subri's professional football journey began in 2006, leading him through various Malaysian clubs where he established himself as a versatile attacking player.
3.1. Early career: Kedah, Tambun Tulang, Perlis, T-Team
Faiz Subri started his football career with the Kedah youth team in 2006, playing with them until 2009. In 2009, he signed with FAM League club Tambun Tulang. During his season with the club, he made 14 league appearances and scored 6 league goals. Tambun Tulang also represented Perlis in the Piala Emas Raja-Raja 2009 and finished as runner-up in the 2009 Malaysia FAM League season.
In 2010, Faiz Subri joined Malaysia Super League side Perlis, playing for two seasons before moving to T-Team. He signed a one-year contract with T-Team in 2012.
3.2. Kelantan
In 2013, Faiz Subri signed a one-year contract with Kelantan FA, joining alongside his former teammate Zairo Anuar Zalani. During his time with Kelantan, he scored a goal against the Vietnamese club SHB Đà Nẵng in an AFC Cup group stage match. Faiz Subri had a successful season with Kelantan, making 28 appearances and scoring 5 goals before his departure at the end of the 2013 season.
3.3. Terengganu
Following his stint with Kelantan, Faiz Subri signed a one-year contract with Terengganu FA in 2014. He made 14 appearances and scored 1 goal during his season with the club.
3.4. Penang
After a brief period with Terengganu FA, Faiz Subri signed with Penang FA in 2015, accompanied by his Terengganu FA teammate Mazlizam Mohamad. He played a crucial role in helping Penang FA secure second place in the 2015 Malaysia Premier League, which resulted in the team's promotion to the 2016 Malaysia Super League. In 2022, Faiz Subri returned for a second spell with Penang.
3.5. Kuala Kangsar
In March 2021, Faiz Subri joined Kuala Kangsar FC, a club competing in the Malaysia M3 League.
4. International career
Faiz Subri received his first call-up to the Malaysia national football team in both 2012 and 2013 under coach K. Rajagopal. However, he did not make any appearances in either of these call-ups, often remaining on the bench. Following his strong performances with Penang in 2015, he was recalled to the national team in August 2015 by coach Dollah Salleh. Despite this second call-up, he still did not make an official appearance for the national team.
5. Style of play
Faiz Subri is recognized as an efficient attacking midfielder, but he also possesses the versatility to play as a winger or a striker. His key attributes include his notable speed, precise long-range shooting ability, and his effective range of passing to his teammates. He is particularly renowned for scoring spectacular free-kick goals, with one such strike against Pahang FA in 2016 becoming famous for its "physics-defying" trajectory, often described as a "tendangan bebas pisangbanana free-kickMalay".
6. FIFA Puskás Award 2016
On February 16, 2016, Faiz Subri scored an extraordinary free kick goal during a 2016 Malaysia Super League match between Penang and Pahang FA at the City Stadium in George Town. Penang won the match 4-1. Videos of his free kick quickly went viral on social media, with many describing it as "physics-defying" or "flight defying physics" (penerbangan menentang fizikMalay) due to its incredible swerve, which left the goalkeeper with no chance. It was widely noted that the ball "swerved so wickedly that the goalkeeper had no hope."
The Football Association of Malaysia nominated Faiz Subri's free-kick goal for the FIFA Puskás Award later that year, and FIFA accepted the nomination. Faiz Subri advanced to the final three-player shortlist for the award, surpassing renowned international stars such as Lionel Messi and Neymar.
On January 9, 2017, Faiz Subri was officially awarded the FIFA Puskás Award during The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony held in Zurich, Switzerland. He became the first-ever Asian footballer to win this international award for the best goal of the year. Faiz Subri secured a significant victory in the online voting, garnering nearly 60% of the votes, far ahead of Brazil's Marlone and Venezuela's Daniuska Rodriguez, who finished second and third, respectively. He joined a prestigious list of previous winners including Cristiano Ronaldo (2009), Hamit Altintop (2010), Neymar (2011), Miroslav Stoch (2012), Zlatan Ibrahimović (2013), James Rodríguez (2014), and Wendell Lira (2015).
7. Career statistics
This section details Mohd Faiz Subri's club career statistics, providing an overview of his appearances and goals across various competitions.
7.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Malaysia Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tambun Tulang | 2009 | 14 | 6 | - | 14 | 6 | |||||
| Perlis | 2010 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | - | 22 | 5 | |
| Perlis | 2011 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 22 | 3 | |||
| T-Team | 2012 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | - | 36 | 11 | |
| Kelantan | 2013 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 5 |
| Terengganu | 2014 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 14 | 1 | |
| Penang | 2015 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 1 | - | 23 | 10 | |||
| Penang | 2016 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 17 | 2 | |||
| Penang | 2017 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 22 | 2 | |||
| Penang | 2018 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | 16 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 243 | 39 | 14 | 4 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 272 | 48 | |
8. Honours
Kelantan
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2013
- Malaysia Cup runner-up: 2013
Penang
- Malaysia Premier League promotion: 2015
Individual
- FIFA Puskás Award: 2016
- PFAM Player of the Month February: 2016
- FAM Football Awards - FAM Special Award: 2016
- Ahli Cemerlang Semangat Jerai Kedah (ASK): 2017