Safee Sali

2.1. Kuala Lumpur FA

Safee began his career with Kuala Lumpur FA, where his talent was recognized by coach Igor Novak, who brought him into the team. In his debut season with the club, he achieved his first career hat-trick in a MPL 2 match against Perak TKN, contributing to a dominant 6-2 victory. He concluded his first season as the second-highest local goalscorer, netting 11 goals, trailing only Azman Adnan. However, in the 2004 season, his league goal tally dropped to just two. In his final season with Kuala Lumpur, he scored 7 league goals, added 3 goals in the 2005 Malaysia FA Cup where the team reached the semi-finals, and also scored 1 goal in the 2005 Malaysia Cup. Overall, he recorded 20 appearances and 11 goals in the league, with a total of 24 appearances and 11 goals across all competitions during his three spells with the club.

2.2. Telekom Melaka

In 2003, Safee was loaned to Telekom Melaka for the 2003 Malaysia Cup competition, as Kuala Lumpur FA had failed to qualify. During his loan spell, he scored one goal against Sarawak FA in Telekom Melaka's final group match. Following the club's failure to advance to the knockout rounds, he returned to Kuala Lumpur FA. He made a total of one appearance in the Malaysia Cup during this period.

2.3. Sarawak FA

After his time at Kuala Lumpur FA, Safee joined Sarawak FA in East Malaysia. He quickly made an impact, becoming the top local goalscorer for the club with 10 goals in the league. His impressive performances garnered attention from fans and national team coaches. By the end of the 2005-2006 season, Safee had scored a total of 19 goals across all competitions, making him Sarawak's leading scorer for that season. He made 10 league appearances and 6 cup appearances, for a total of 19 appearances with 10 goals.

2.4. Selangor FA

In the 2006-2007 season, Safee made a significant move to Selangor FA, a club he had aspired to play for since the beginning of his career. At Selangor, he was given the prestigious number 10 jersey, previously worn by the legendary Selangor FA and Malaysian national team player, the late Mokhtar Dahari. Under coach K. Devan, Safee's contributions were vital in leading Selangor to both the Malaysia FA Cup and Malaysia Cup finals. However, Selangor unfortunately lost to Kedah FA in both finals by an identical score of 3-2. He scored 11 goals in his inaugural season with Selangor.

In the 2007-2008 season, Safee started strongly, scoring 11 goals in 10 matches, but an injury caused him to miss half of the season. He later rebounded to become the second top scorer in the 2010 season. He also netted the winning goal for Selangor in a 2-1 victory against Negeri Sembilan FA in the 2010 Malaysia Charity Shield. After his outstanding performance at the 2010 AFF Championship and in the early stages of the 2011 Super League Malaysia season, Safee decided to join Indonesian Super League team Pelita Jaya to gain more experience. His final match for Selangor was a 1-1 draw against Kuala Lumpur FA before his departure to Karawang, Indonesia. With Selangor, he accumulated 36 league appearances with 14 goals, and a total of 68 appearances and 33 goals across all competitions.

2.5. Pelita Jaya

On 5 February 2011, Safee officially transferred to Pelita Jaya in the Indonesian Super League. The transfer fee was 30.00 K USD, and his monthly salary reached 10.00 K USD (approximately 30.36 K MYR). He signed a one-year contract, becoming the first Malaysian player to play in the Indonesian Super League. Initially assigned the number 10 shirt, he later opted for number 55 due to a registration issue.

Safee made his league debut against Sriwijaya FC. In an unofficial match against amateur club Ragunan FC, he scored two goals and assisted twice in a 6-0 victory. His official league debut against Sriwijaya FC ended in a 1-0 win, with Safee scoring the decisive goal, marking Pelita Jaya's first victory in five matches, and earning him the "Man of the Match" award. In his first season with Pelita Jaya, he scored 7 goals in 13 appearances.

On 12 October 2011, Safee was announced as the captain of Pelita Jaya for the upcoming 2011-12 Indonesia Super League season and was able to switch his jersey number back to 10. On 24 March 2012, he scored four goals against Persegres Gresik United. Safee concluded that season with an impressive 20 league goals. Across his two seasons with Pelita Jaya, he made 42 appearances and scored 27 goals.

2.6. Arema Cronus

For the 2013 season, Safee transferred to Arema Cronus. However, his tenure there was brief, as he made only two appearances and scored one goal before being loaned to Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. in Malaysia.

2.7. Johor Darul Ta'zim

In 2013, Safee returned to Malaysia to join Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) on loan, a move that saw him become part of the southern team's transformation. He made an immediate impact, scoring two goals in his debut pre-season match against Melaka United. He later joined JDT permanently. In 2015, Safee was selected to start in the 2015 AFC Cup Final against FC Istiklol at Pamir Stadium, where JDT secured a historic 1-0 victory, winning the club's first-ever AFC Cup title. He won three consecutive Super League titles with JDT (2014, 2015, 2016), and also lifted the Malaysian Charity Shield in 2015 and 2016, and the Malaysia FA Cup in 2016. In total, he made 48 league appearances with 6 goals, and 97 appearances with 23 goals across all competitions for JDT.

2.8. PKNS FC

Safee signed with PKNS in 2017. He spent two seasons with the club, making 33 league appearances and scoring 9 goals. Under coach Datuk K. Rajagobal, Safee partnered with two-time S.League Golden Boot winner Rafael Ramazotti. Their first match together was a 2-2 draw against Terengganu FC. Days later, on 7 February 2018, Safee scored a winning goal in injury time during their 1-0 home victory against Pahang at Shah Alam Stadium. Overall, he played 43 matches and scored 12 goals for PKNS.

2.9. Perlis and PJ City

In 2019, Safee had a brief stint with Perlis FA, playing three matches. However, the Malaysian Football League (MFL) subsequently canceled Perlis' participation in the league due to insufficient financial planning. Following this, he signed with PJ City on 20 February 2019. He made 14 league appearances for PJ City, scoring 3 goals in 2019, and 6 appearances with 1 goal in 2020. In total, he played 29 matches for PJ City, scoring 5 goals.

2.10. Kuala Lumpur City

Safee joined Kuala Lumpur City on 24 December 2020. He made his debut on 6 March 2021, in a 1-0 defeat against Penang. In the 2021 Malaysia Cup, Safee secured his first-ever Malaysia Cup title in his 20-year career after Kuala Lumpur City defeated Johor Darul Ta'zim 2-0 in the final. In 2022, Safee set a record as the first Malaysian footballer to play in two AFC Cup finals when he came on as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat against Al Seeb. He played 13 league matches, scoring 1 goal, and made 19 appearances across all competitions for Kuala Lumpur City.

3.1. Youth National Team

Safee began his international career representing the Malaysia U-23 squad during the qualifiers for the 2004 Summer Olympics. He played in all qualification matches, primarily coming on as a substitute. He was then selected for the 2005 Pre-Southeast Asian Games in Thailand under coach Bertalan Bicskei, scoring one goal against the Philippines U-23. However, he did not make the squad for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, where Malaysia won a bronze medal. After these games, coach Norizan Bakar gave Safee another opportunity to represent the U-23 side for the 2006 Doha Asian Games, but he again failed to make the final squad.

Following the U-23 team's poor performance at the 2006 Asian Games, Safee was chosen as the main striker by coach B. Sathianathan. Partnering with Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak, they led Malaysia U-23 to win the 2007 Merdeka Tournament by defeating Myanmar 3-1 in the final, with Safee becoming the tournament's top scorer with 4 goals. He then represented Malaysia at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, scoring 2 goals. However, the U-23 team failed to advance to the semifinals after a draw against rivals Singapore.

In 2008, Safee was again selected as the main striker for the 2008 Malaysia Intercontinental Cup. He scored all three of Malaysia's goals in the tournament: one in a 1-3 loss to the Republic of Ireland, one in a 1-0 win against Iraq, and one in an impressive 1-1 draw against Nigeria. The match against Nigeria marked his last appearance with the Malaysia U-23 team. In 2010, he was called up for the Asian Games squad and played three matches in the Eximbank Cup in Vietnam, but was not selected as one of the three senior members for the final Asian Games squad. In total, he made 26 appearances and scored 14 goals for the Malaysia U-23 team.

3.2. Senior National Team

After a strong season with Sarawak in the Malaysia Premier League, Safee earned his first call-up to the senior national team. He debuted on 19 February 2006, against New Zealand, and scored his first international goal in his second cap against the same opponent.

He was part of the national team preparing for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and was included in the final squad. He made his only appearance in the Asian Cup during the third group match against Iran, which Malaysia lost 0-3. In the 2008 Merdeka Tournament, Safee scored a goal against Nepal similar in style to one he scored earlier in the 2008 Sultan of Selangor Cup. He finished as the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals, despite Malaysia losing 6-5 on penalty kicks to Vietnam in the final.

In November 2010, Safee was called up by coach K. Rajagopal for the 2010 AFF Championship. His performance was crucial to Malaysia's success. He scored twice against Vietnam in the first leg of the semifinals, securing a 2-0 victory. In the first leg of the final against Indonesia, Safee again scored two goals in a 3-0 win. In the second leg of the final, he added another goal, bringing his tournament tally to 5 goals, making him the top goalscorer. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Championship title for the first time in their history.

On 28 November 2012, Safee scored in his third consecutive AFF Championship tournament, netting the second goal in Malaysia's 4-1 win over Laos in their second group match of the 2012 AFF Championship. On 29 November 2014, he scored in his fourth consecutive AFF Championship tournament, getting the first goal in Malaysia's 3-1 win over Singapore in their third group match of the 2014 AFF Championship. Beyond that goal, he had a subdued performance throughout the tournament. His last international goal was on 11 June 2015, against Timor-Leste in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match. He retired with 76 senior international caps and 23 goals.

3.3. Malaysia XI

Safee also had several appearances for the Malaysia XI squad in friendly matches against prominent European clubs. He played against Chelsea F.C. at Shah Alam Stadium on 29 July 2008, where Malaysia XI lost 0-2. Despite the loss, he was noted as one of the impressive Malaysian players, and Chelsea's coach Luiz Felipe Scolari praised the team's determination.

On 16 July 2011, Safee was included in the squad that faced Liverpool F.C., a match Malaysia XI lost 3-6. He came on as a substitute and remarkably scored two goals. He also featured against Arsenal F.C. and Manchester City F.C. in 2012, both ending in defeats (0-2 and 0-3 respectively). His final appearance for Malaysia XI was on 21 July 2013, again against Chelsea, where they lost 1-4. He made 27 appearances for Malaysia XI, scoring 9 goals.

5.1. Commercial Endorsements

Safee Sali has been involved in several prominent commercial endorsement deals throughout his career. He was previously the face of Adidas for Southeast Asia, but later secured a sponsorship deal with the American sports-brand, Nike. As part of this endorsement, Nike exclusively provided Safee with his own custom Mercurial Football Boot, personalized with his name.

5.2. Super Safee Comic

In 2012, in collaboration with Komik-M, a comic series titled "Super Safee" and "SS10 (SuperSafee10)" was created. The comic series narrated Safee's journey from his childhood to becoming a professional footballer, highlighting his career and achievements.

6.1. Social Media Controversy

Safee gained notoriety on social media in 2014 following controversial statements directed at fans who criticized his performance for the Malaysian national team during the 2014 AFF Championship. After Malaysia's 3-2 loss to Thailand in the group stage, Safee responded to negative comments on Instagram with a message in Malay, translated as: "Those commenting negatively here, have you played at the international level? If not, you'd better shut up...Don't put down the efforts of those fighting for the country's honour...IF YOU SHAME TO SUPPORT HARIMAU MALAYA BETTER CHANGE TO ANOTHER FLAG". This strongly worded retort stirred significant public outcry.

Despite the controversy, Malaysia managed to reach the final of the tournament, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the semifinals to defeat Vietnam 5-3 on aggregate in the second leg. Safee was reportedly rested for the second leg due to injury. Following the victory over Vietnam, he posted another Instagram photo celebrating, with a caption that translated to: "To the fans who swapped flags after being told off last time, don't hide your faces behind pillows ok..just wipe them with tissues". One of the photo's hashtags was "#amikkau," a Malay phrase meaning "take that!" These remarks further inflamed Malaysian fans, leading to Safee being booed by home supporters during the final match against Thailand.

7.1. Club Statistics

7.2. International Statistics

Safee Sali's international career spanned over a decade, representing Malaysia in various tournaments and friendly matches.

The following table lists his international goals:

Appearances for Malaysia XI:

8.1. Club Honours

• Selangor
  • Malaysia Super League: 2009, 2010
  • Malaysian Charity Shield: 2009, 2010
  • Malaysia FA Cup: 2009
• Johor Darul Ta'zim
  • Malaysia Super League: 2014, 2015, 2016
  • Malaysian Charity Shield: 2015, 2016
  • Malaysia FA Cup: 2016
  • AFC Cup: 2015
• Kuala Lumpur City
  • Malaysia Cup: 2021
  • AFC Cup: 2022 runner-up

8.2. International Honours

• Malaysia U-23
  • Pestabola Merdeka: 2007 winner
• Malaysia
  • AFF Championship: 2010 winner
  • Pestabola Merdeka: 2008 runner-up
  • AFF Championship: 2014 runner-up

8.3. Individual Honours

• Pestabola Merdeka Top Scorer: 2007, 2008
• AFF Championship Top Scorer: 2010
• Goal.com readers' Asian Best XI: 2011
• Astro Arena Most Liked Male Athlete: 2010
• AFF Championship All-time XI: 2021