Welcome to my show: Safee Sali posing with Football Association of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin at the premiere of his docu-series ‘SEPULUH’.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former national striker Safee Sali believes Arif Aiman Hanapi is capable of shouldering the goalscoring burden for Harimau Malaya.
Unlike Safee during his playing days, Arif is not an orthodox No. 9 but instead plays as a winger.
Despite this, the 21-year-old has been receiving plaudits for his knack for scoring goals for both the national team and his club Johor Darul Taz’im (JDT).
Recently, Arif sensationally scored a double for JDT against Thailand’s Pathum United in a group match in the AFC Champions League.
“Arif is not a pure No. 9 but he is a very skilful player and I enjoy watching him play,” said Safee.
“He is capable of scoring goals as well as creating opportunities for others.
“He’s still young and there is plenty of time for him to develop and contribute to the national team.
You’ll enjoy it: Safee speaking ahead of the screening.
“I believe he can score more goals for the team.”
Safee though feels that local strikers face a tough task to shine for their clubs and break into the national team due to fierce competition from foreigners.
“It’s really hard for the national team as there is a dearth of top local strikers,” said Safee.
“This is the problem we face as local players need to compete against foreigners to feature for their clubs.
“Currently, I can only think of Darren Lok, who we have as a striker for the national team.”
Meanwhile, Safee hopes to inspire the current crop of players through his documentary titled ‘SEPULUH’.
The documentary series, which is set to be officially released on Nov 24 in Astro Arena, showcases his life and footballing career.
“The journey during my career was full of ups and downs,” said Safee during the premiere of the docu-series in Pavillion in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“I want my story to inspire the young generation of athletes.
“I want them to not be afraid of pitfalls. Setbacks make you stronger and will eventually lead you to success.
“For me, the release of this docu-series is a historic moment in my life,” added Safee.
Safee watching among the audience.
On his most memorable moment, Safee said: “Winning the AFF Suzuki Cup (now AFF Mitsubishi Cup) in 2010 under the guidance of coach Datuk K. Rajagopal.
“That for me was my best moment in national colours.
“I had a great understanding with strike partner Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and midfielder Safiq Rahim in the team at that time.”
Safee had played a crucial role by scoring two goals in the first leg of the final against archrivals Indonesia and another goal in the second leg to hand Malaysia a 4-2 win.
Malaysia have not won the AFF Cup since.
Safee though is hopeful that the current team can go places under Kim Pan-gon, starting with the Merdeka Tournament which kicks off on Friday.
“This is a good preparation for the team to face strong countries,” said Safee.
“The team are doing well now and the players are highly motivated.
“I don’t want them to feel undue pressure. They just need to execute the coach’s strategy well.
“I hope they can perform well especially at home in Bukit Jalil.”
