 Shawal warming up before the 2023–24 AFC Champions League match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Muhammad Shawal bin Anuar | ||
| Date of birth | 29 April 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Singapore | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger / Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lion City Sailors | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013 | Keppel Monaco | ||
| 2014–2019 | Geylang International | 108 | (31) |
| 2020–2022 | Hougang United | 26 | (5) |
| 2023– | Lion City Sailors | 21 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016– | Singapore | 35 | (11) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 May 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 | |||
Muhammad Shawal bin Anuar (born 29 April 1991) is a Singaporean professional footballer who mainly plays either as a winger or striker for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team. Considered as one of the best players in the league, Shawal is known for his dribbling skills, speed and finishing.
Shawal started his career with semi-professional club, Keppel Monaco in the National Football League earning $50 allowance per match while also working as a mover, cleaned glass panels at malls and delivering scooters. At this point, earning money was essential and professional football was far from his mind.
In 2014, Shawal signed a contract with Geylang International earning $500 a month being signed for six months to the team's reserve Prime League squad, Shawal also managed to appear for the senior team, clocking in 69 minutes of football in the 2014 S.League season.[1]
In the following year, Shawal received his first professional contract earning $1,800 which he decided to quit his odd jobs and turn his full attention to football. Shawal went on to have a solid full debut season for the Eagles in the 2015 S.League, scoring 4 goals in 22 appearances, helping his team finish 8th in the league.[2]
Shawal built on his debut season and helped his team win the 2016 Singapore League Cup Plate, Geylang's first trophy since 2009, while earning a call-up to the national team.[3][4][5] His performances in 2016 prompted his head coach Hasrin Jailani to identify him as one of the players to watch for in the 2017 S.League season.[3]
Shawal started in the season open against Hougang United and scored his first goal of the season in the following match, helping his team to 3 points over Balestier Khalsa.[6][7] He got his second of the season in a 2–0 win over the Garena Young Lions in Geylang's 5th game of the season.[8]
As the end of the 2018 Singapore Premier League season, Shawal has notched 22 goals in 77 appearances for Geylang International in his time with the club.[9]
Shawal started the 2017 season on a good note. Following Geylang International and Matsumoto Yamaga signing of a MOU in November 2016, Shawal, together with fellow winger Gabriel Quak, were selected to go on a one-week trial with the J2 League side.[10] Both players were not offered a contract, with the Japanese side saying that the pair was good enough to play in the J3 League with potential to feature in the top-tier J.League club if they fulfill their potential.[11][12]
After scoring 9 goals over 16 appearances with Geylang International in the 2019 Singapore Premier League and also being named in the 2019 Singapore Premier League Team of the Year, Shawal was snapped up by Hougang United for the 2020 Singapore Premier League season signing a two years contract.[13]
Shawal ended his career at Hougang with 14 goals and 10 assists, helping them win their first ever silverware in the form of the 2022 Singapore Cup.[14]
On 21 December 2022, Shawal was unveiled officially as part of the Lion City Sailors squad ahead of the 2023 Singapore Premier League season.[15]
On 26 July 2023, as the Sailors played their first match in their history at the Singapore National Stadium against Tottenham Hotspurs in a friendly match, Shawal scored first which give Lion City Sailors the lead against the English giants which cause an upset to the away fans and a roaring crowd from the Sailors fans. Shawal becomes the third Singaporean to scored against an English team since Fandi Ahmad against Nottingham Forest in 1995 and Indra Sahdan against Manchester United in 2001.[16][17] On 21 October, Shawal scored his first senior hat-trick in a 7–0 win against Tanjong Pagar United in the 2023 Singapore Cup. During the 2023–24 AFC Champions League match against Korean club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on 8 November, Shawal provided the assist twice to Richairo Živković who sets up the goal to secure a 2–0 home win for Lion City Sailors.[18] On 23 November, Shawal was named in the 2023 Singapore Premier League Team of the Year. On 9 December, he scored during the 2023 Singapore Cup final against his former club to lift the trophy.
Shawal was called up for the first time to the senior team by Singapore's head coach V. Sundramoorthy in 2016 for matches against Malaysia and Hong Kong. He made his international debut against Hong Kong in the 79th minute, replacing Gabriel Quak.[19]
Shawal scored his first international goal, in his second international cap, against Afghanistan. He scored in the 46th minute to equalise for the Lions. However, Singapore fell to an eventual 2–1 defeat.[20]
He scored his third and fourth international goal in a 3–1 win over Maldives in a final friendly game ahead of the 2022 AFF Championship.[21] Shawal then scored his fifth international goal in his next game, coolly slotting in a 74th-minute winner, from a Zaiful Nizam long punt, to help the Lions to win their 2022 AFF Championship opening game against Myanmar.[22] He notched his sixth goal in Singapore's 2–0 win over Laos in the 2022 AFF Championship, nicking the ball from Laos goalkeeper, Keo-Oudone Souvannasangso in the 94th minute of the game.[23]
As the national team returned to the Singapore National Stadium after 15 months, On 16 June and 18 June 2023, he scored in both the friendly against Oceania continent, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands which both games resulted in a draw. In the second legged match in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, he scored the only goal in the match against Guam to secured the win which see Singapore advanced to the second round.
On 21 November 2023, Shawal scored a goal in the second-round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification group stage fixtures against Thailand after receiving a pass from teammate Song Ui-young. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against China on 21 March 2024, he assisted teammate, Jacob Mahler who then scored the equaliser goal in a 2–2 draw.
Shawal studied at Kent Ridge Secondary School where he played field hockey and badminton but chose football as a co-curricular activity (CCA).
| Club | Season | S.League | Singapore Cup | Singapore League Cup |
Asia | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Geylang International | 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2016 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2017 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 23 | 9 | ||
| 2018 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 9 | ||
| Total | 89 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 31 | |
| Hougang United | 2020 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| 2021 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 14 | |
| Total | 55 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 67 | 21 | |
| Lion City Sailors | 2023 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 16 |
| Total | 21 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 16 | |
| Career total | 165 | 56 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 209 | 68 | |
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2017 | Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Afghanistan |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 29 March 2022 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore |  Philippines |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series |
| 3 | 17 December 2022 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Jalan Besar, Singapore |  Maldives |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 3–1 | |||||
| 5 | 24 December 2022 |  Myanmar |
3–2 | 3–2 | 2022 AFF Championship | |
| 6 | 27 December 2022 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos |  Laos |
2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 7 | 16 June 2023 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore |  Papua New Guinea
|
2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 8 | 18 June 2023 |  Solomon Islands
|
1–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 9 | 12 September 2023 | Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore |  Chinese Taipei |
3–1 | 3–1 | |
| 10 | 17 October 2023 | GFA National Training Center, Dededo, Guam |  Guam
|
1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 21 November 2023 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore |  Thailand
|
1–1 | 1–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Geylang International
Hougang United
