Hassan Sunny retires from international football
Having kept a promise, Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny listened to his body and decided that the time has come for him to leave international football.
His last match in a Singapore shirt – a 3-1 loss to Thailand in a World Cup qualifier on June 11 – was memorable for his 11 saves, which not only helped China qualify for the next round at the Thais’ expense, but also made him a star among their fans.
Hassan, who announced his retirement on social media on Aug 18, told The Straits Times that it felt like the “jigsaw pieces have fallen into place”, prompting him to step aside after 115 appearances in over 20 years, which made him the most-capped Lions custodian.
The 40-year-old said: “Firstly, (this decision) is down to my age. I feel it’s time to listen to my body, which is telling me to give it a rest when it comes to the national team and we’ve got others to take over.
“Secondly, it’s down to the timing of the Thailand game. The result wasn’t the best, but in terms of performance, it’s something for me to remember. That was one of the highs out of many lows in my career, so it feels like the jigsaw pieces have fallen into place.
“I still remember it was at the airport where Tatsuma whispered to me and said, ‘I want you to play until 40’ and I promised him, so that’s one of the promises I’ve fulfilled.”
Hassan, who turned 40 in April, was referring to former national coach Tatsuma Yoshida, who quit in 2021 after guiding the Lions to their first Asean Football Federation Championship semi-final appearance since 2012.
While it took him less than a week in late July to arrive at that decision, Hassan said it was nevertheless emotional as he stared at his phone for minutes while writing the Instagram post’s caption.
Since his international debut in a World Cup qualifier against India 20 years ago, Hassan has clinched two AFF Championship titles with the Lions in 2004 and 2007.
The father of four, whose heroic performances have earned him the “Superman” nickname, also won the local league four times with as many clubs – Tampines Rovers (2011), Warriors FC (2014), Lion City Sailors (2021) and Albirex Niigata (2023). He also had stints with the now-defunct Thai club Army United.
Having signed a two-season contract extension with Albirex in June 2023, Hassan believes he can still contribute at club level.
While there are no concrete plans of his future involvement with the Lions, he hopes to take up the role of a training partner, like he did previously with the Under-23 team.
Hassan said: “I’m able to push (the other goalkeepers), share a little bit of my experience… like a mentor. I don’t mind doing that again.”
He added that he will miss singing the national anthem and playing in front of sold-out crowds, but has backed his younger colleagues to step up, including BG Tampines Rovers’ Syazwan Buhari, Young Lions’ Aizil Yazid and the Lion City Sailors’ Zharfan Rohaizad and Izwan Mahbud.
Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura said the national selectors will be deciding on their next No. 1 in the coming international windows.
The Japanese tactician, who was appointed on Feb 1, paid tribute to Hassan, saying: “In the short time I have been here, Hassan has fought hard for his teammates and for Singapore and he was always a model professional and a leader on the team.
“He’s an example of how one can extend their professional playing career by taking good care of himself outside of football. We will miss his presence on the pitch and in the dressing room.”
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