Ilhan Fandi

Ilhan bin Fandi Ahmad (born 8 November 2002), more commonly known as Ilhan Fandi or mononymously as Ilhan, is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward for Singapore Premier League club Albirex Niigata (S) and the Singapore national team.[1][2]

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Fandi is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Ilhan.
Ilhan Fandi
Personal information
Full name Ilhan bin Fandi Ahmad
Date of birth (2002-11-08) 8 November 2002
Place of birth Singapore
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, forward
Club information
Current team
 Albirex Niigata (S)
Number 17
Youth career
i2i Football Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Young Lions 33 (13)
2022– Albirex Niigata (S) 0 (0)
National team‡
2017 Singapore U16 7 (0)
2021– Singapore U23 2 (1)
2021– Singapore 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 March 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2022

Club career

Early career

Ilhan embarked on his quest to become a professional footballer in Europe, by enrolling in an English school to study and train. The teenager left for England on September 8, 2017 to study at the Queen Ethelburga's College in York for the next two years. Ilhan trained with the i2i Football Academy, which has links to English football club Leeds United. The academy also has partnerships with both York College and York St John University and will assist in linking up players with English professional and semi-professional clubs.[3][4]

Young Lions

Ilhan signed with the Singapore Premier League club Young Lions in 2019. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Brunei DPMM on August 7, 2019. He became the third son of Fandi Ahmad to lace up his boots for the Young Lions - following in the footsteps of his brothers Irfan Fandi and Ikhsan Fandi.[5] Ilhan made his first professional start in a league game at the age of 16 years and 331 days, where he scored his first goal in a 1-4 loss against Albirex Niigata Singapore on August 15, 2019.[6][7][8]

Ilhan scored his third goal for the club in a heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of Hougang United in the Young Lions' opening match of the 2020 Singapore Premier League season.[9] As of April 2020, Ilhan has scored 3 goals in just 5 matches for the Young Lions.[10][11]

IIhan scored the first goal of the Young Lions' 2021 Singapore Premier League season, helping his team to a 3-3 draw against Balestier Khalsa FC. He ended the 2021 Singapore Premier League season with 7 goals in 18 league matches.[12]

Albirex Niigata (S)

On 21 April 2022, Albirex Niigata (S) confirmed they had signed Ilhan for the remaining 2022 season.[13] Ilhan signed the contract which runs until the end of the 2022 season.[14][15]

International career

Despite being only 17, Ilhan has been invited to train with the Singapore under-22 team. Ilhan received his first senior team training session in 2021.[16][17] Ilhan played in an unofficial closed-door friendly against Afghanistan on 29 May 2021.[18] Ilhan made his official international debut and started in the second-round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Palestine on 3 June 2021.[19] On his second cap against Malaysia on 26 March 2022, Ilhan played alongside his brothers Irfan and Ikhsan. It was the first time that the three Fandi brothers played in the same match for the national team together. It was also the first time in Singapore's history to have three brothers on the pitch for the national team.[20][21]

Style of play

Ilhan plays as an attacking midfielder, noted for his footwork, coordination and composure as cited by Singapore football legend, Noh Alam Shah.[22] In the 2020 season, he was given the role as a false 9 as he "has really good technique and good reading of the game", pointed out by head coach Nazri Nasir.[23]

Personal life

Ilhan is the third son of Singaporean footballing legend Fandi Ahmad and South African model Wendy Jacobs. His brothers, Irfan Fandi and Ikhsan Fandi, are also footballers playing for BG Pathum United.[24] He has an older sister Iman and a younger brother Iryan.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 2 April 2022.[25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Asia Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Young Lions 2019 Singapore Premier League 420000—42
2020 Singapore Premier League 820000—82
2021 Singapore Premier League 1870000—187
2022 Singapore Premier League 320000—32
Total 33130000003313
Albirex Niigata (S) 2022 Singapore Premier League 000000—00
Total 0000000000
Career total 33130000003313
  • Young Lions are ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues.

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Singapore
202110
202220
Total30

International caps
NoDateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
13 June 2021King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Palestine0–42022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second Round
226 March 2022National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore Malaysia2–12022 FAS Tri-Nations Series
329 March 2022National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore Philippines2–02022 FAS Tri-Nations Series

U16 International caps
NoDateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
117 March 2017Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong Hong Kong0–62017 Jockey Cup
218 March 2017Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong Thailand1–52017 Jockey Cup
319 March 2017Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong Qatar3–02017 Jockey Cup
49 July 2017IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand Laos0–22017 AFF U-15 Championship
513 July 2017IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand Myanmar0–22017 AFF U-15 Championship
615 July 2017IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand Thailand0–22017 AFF U-15 Championship
717 July 2017IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand Indonesia0–22017 AFF U-15 Championship

References
  1. "Ilhan Fandi made his professional debut against DPMM FC | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. "'Being in the UK on my own was tough, but I just needed to suck it up and deal with it' - Inside the life of Singapore's star in the making Ilhan Fandi (exclusive)". Goal. 6 January 2021.
  3. Tham, Raymond (12 September 2017). "Fandi Ahmad's third son, Ilhan, to train and study in England for two years". Today Sports. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  4. "Football legend's son "wants to do a sacrifice" and serve NS early". The Independent. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. Alif, Chandra (9 August 2019). "Ilhan Fandi made his professional debut against DPMM FC". Goal. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  6. Tan, Gabriel (15 September 2019). "Ilhan Fandi nets first professional goal with scorcher for Young Lions". Fox Sports Asia. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  7. "Fandi's 3rd son scores on professional debut at 16 years & 331 days". Mothership.sg. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. "Fandi's 3rd son scores on professional debut at 16 years & 331 days". mothership.sg. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  9. Nagib, Adeena Mohamed (2 March 2020). "Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari plays starring role in win". The New Paper.
  10. Parmar, Jay. "From Ilhan Fandi to Farhan Zulkifli - Meet the future of Singapore". GOAL.com. GOAL.
  11. "From Ilhan Fandi to Farhan Zulkifli - Meet the future of Singapore | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  12. Kwek, Kimberly (7 October 2021). "Khairin and Chua the way forward in Fandi brothers' absence". The New Paper. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  13. "Swans sign Ilhan Fandi Ahmad!". Albirex Niigata Singapore. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  14. "Football: I want to reach a new level, says Ilhan Fandi as he joins Albirex Niigata". The New Paper. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  15. "Ilhan Fandi joins Albirex Niigata (S)". Singapore Premier League. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  16. Singh, Dilenjit (24 March 2021). "Ilhan the latest Fandi in the Lions' den". The New Paper. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  17. hermesauto (23 March 2021). "Football: Ilhan Fandi, 18, follows in his father and brothers' footsteps with Lions call-up". The Straits Times. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  18. "Football: Yoshida happy with new 'leaders' as Lions draw 1-1 with Afghanistan". The Straits Times. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  19. "Lions fall to defeat against Palestine - Football Association of Singapore". 4 June 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  20. "Football: Ikhsan Fandi brace gives Lions win over Malaysia in front of record crowd". The Straits Times. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  21. "S'pore beats M'sia 2-1 in FAS Tri-Nations Series, Ikhsan Fandi scores both goals". Morhership. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  22. "Football: I want to carry on my dad's legacy and make him proud, says Ilhan Fandi". The Straits Times. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  23. "Ilhan relishes the pressure of being a Fandi". The New Paper. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  24. "Spotlight on adidas footballers Marc and Ilhan – sons of Singapore legends". Yahoo Sports. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  25. Ilhan Fandi at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
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