 Amirul with Malaysia in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Muhammad Amirul Hadi bin Zainal | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 May 1986 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Alor Gajah, Malacca, Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Selangor | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2012 | Selangor | 39 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Pahang | 23 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 67 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018 | → Johor Darul Ta'zim II (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Malaysia U23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Malaysia | 39 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Johor Darul Ta'zim II (assistant coach) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 July 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 September 2017 | |||||||||||||||||
Muhammad Amirul Hadi bin Zainal (born 27 May 1986) is a Malaysian former professional footballer who last plays for Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim II and the Malaysian national team as a central midfielder. Born in Alor Gajah, Malacca but raised in Klang, Selangor, Amirul is the son of former top Selangor player in 1990s, Zainal Nordin.
Amirul Hadi joined Pahang from Selangor ahead of the 2013 season.[1] For Pahang, he played as a central midfielder. He was man of the match as Pahang took a one-goal lead in the quarter-final of the 2013 Malaysia Cup against PKNS,[2] and on 3 November 2013, he assisted Pahang to defeat Kelantan 1–0 in the Cup Final which ended the team's 21-year drought in the Cup.[3] In the 2013 Malaysia Super League season, he scored once in 19 appearances.[4] After reviving his career with Pahang FA and helped them to lift the long sought trophy, he decided to not extend the contract with them for the upcoming season as he joined Johor Darul Takzim FC later for the new challenge down south.
Amirul has represented the Malaysian under-23 side for the 2008 Olympic Games qualifier. He scored a brilliant solo goal against the Hong Kong under-23 teams in the qualifier.
Amirul made his senior debut against Bahrain in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Malaysia lost their first match of the qualifier 4–1 before drawing 0–0 at Shah Alam. Amirul also represented the Malaysia XI squad against Chelsea F.C. at Shah Alam Stadium on 29 July 2008. He was one of Malaysia's more impressive player in the match after getting three attempts on goal but failed to score. The Malaysia XI eventually lost 0–2.[5] However, Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari praised the Malaysia XI for giving a good fight against his team.
Amirul scored his first international senior goal against Myanmar in 2008 Merdeka Tournament. He was also part of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games winning squad.
In November 2010, Amirul was called up to the Malaysia national squad by coach K. Rajagopal for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup. Amirul scored in the final group game against Laos in a 5–1 victory. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup title for the first time in their history.
On 14 July 2016, Amirul announced his retirement from international football after 34 'A' international caps and 7 'A' international goals.
Amirul was arrested by NCID Johor State Police following found drug Methamphetamine on 10 July 2022 in Johor Bahru and charged with drug possession
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 March 2007 | Mongkok Stadium, Hong Kong |  Hong Kong |
0–1 |
0–1 (W) |
2008 Summer Olympics qualification |
| 2. | 3 December 2007 | Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand |  Laos |
1–0 |
4–0 (W) |
2007 SEA Games |
| 3. | 8 December 2007 | Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand |  Singapore |
1–0 |
1–1 (D) |
2007 SEA Games |
| 4. | 2 December 2009 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane |  Timor-Leste |
10–0 |
11–0 (W) |
2009 SEA Games |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 October 2008 | National Stadium, Bukit Jalil |  Myanmar |
4–0 |
4–0 (W) | 2008 Merdeka Tournament |
| 2. | 11 November 2008 | Thuwunna Stadium, Myanmar | Myanmar |
2–1 |
4–1 (L) | 2008 Myanmar Grand Royal Challenge Cup |
| 3. | 29 November 2008 | MBPJ Stadium | Singapore |
2–2 |
2–2 (D) | Friendly Match |
| 4. | 11 September 2009 | MBPJ Stadium |  Lesotho |
4–0 |
5–0 (W) | Friendly Match |
| 5. | 7 December 2010 | Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium | Laos |
3–1 |
5–1 (W) | 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup |
| 6. | 9 February 2011 | Shah Alam Stadium | Hong Kong |
2–0 |
2–0 (W) | Friendly Match |
| 7. | 18 June 2011 | Sultan Mohammad IV Stadium |  Myanmar |
1–0 |
2–0 (W) | Friendly Match |
