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 or forward for Singapore Premier League club Albirex Niigata (S) and the Singapore national team.[1][2]
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ilhan bin Fandi Ahmad | ||
Date of birth | (2002-11-08) 8 November 2002 (age 20) | ||
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) | 17 | (15) |
National team‡ | |||
2017 | Singapore U16 | 7 | (0) |
2021– | Singapore U23 | 2 | (1) |
2021– | Singapore | 4 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 October 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 September 2022 |
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 8 September 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]
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 7 August 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 15 August 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]
Ilhan notched 2 goals for the Young Lions before leaving for Albirex in the mid-season transfer window.[13] In total, Ilhan has grabbed 13 goals in 33 games, a better strike rate than his older brothers, striker-turned-defender Irfan (eight in 43) and forward Ikhsan (10 in 52), managed during their time in the SPL.[14]
On 21 April 2022, Albirex Niigata (S) confirmed they had signed Ilhan for the remaining 2022 season.[15] Ilhan signed the contract which runs until the end of the 2022 season.[16][17] Ilhan made his debut on 27 May 2022 in a 8–2 win against Geylang International. His presence after coming on changed the game and he was awarded the man of the match, where he was involved in 3 of the 5 Albirex goals after coming on for 22 minutes, showing his vision, strength and composure respectively.[18] He also assisted and scored on his debut.[19] In his first four games for the White Swans, Ilhan has already racked up three goals.[20] Ilhan notched his first career hat-trick in his sixth game for the club, which included an outrageous bicycle kick that opened the scoring for Albirex.[21] He has managed 12 goals in his first 11 matches for the Japanese side.[22] Ilhan won the 2022 Singapore Premier League title with the White Swans, with 2 games to spare, helping his team's cause by averaging almost a goal a game with 14 goals for the White Swans since his arrival at Jurong East Stadium.[23] Ilhan was rewarded for his efforts in the season as he clinched the SPL Young Player of the Year and the Goal of the Year awards, and was also named in the SPL Team of the Year.[24]
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.[25][26] Ilhan played in an unofficial closed-door friendly against Afghanistan on 29 May 2021.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29][30]
Ilhan plays as an attacking midfielder, noted for his footwork, coordination and composure as cited by Singapore football legend, Noh Alam Shah.[31] 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.[32]
Ilhan is the third son of Singaporean footballing legend Fandi Ahmad and South African model Wendy Jacobs. His brothers, Irfan and Ikhsan, are also footballers playing for BG Pathum United.[33] He has an older sister Iman and a younger brother Iryan who plays for Hougang United under-17.
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Young Lions | 2019 | Singapore Premier League | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 | |
2020 | Singapore Premier League | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 2 | ||
2021 | Singapore Premier League | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 7 | ||
2022 | Singapore Premier League | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | ||
Total | 33 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 13 | ||
Albirex Niigata (S) | 2022 | Singapore Premier League | 17 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 15 | |
Total | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 15 | ||
Career total | 50 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 28 | ||
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Singapore | |||
2021 | 1 | 0 | |
2022 | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 4 | 0 |
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 June 2021 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ![]() | 0–4 (lost) | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second Round |
2 | 26 March 2022 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | ![]() | 2–1 (won) | 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series |
3 | 29 March 2022 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | ![]() | 2–0 (won) | 2022 FAS Tri-Nations Series |
4 | 21 September 2022 | Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | ![]() | 0–4 (lost) | 2022 VFF Tri-Nations Series |
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 February 2022 | Prince Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | ![]() |
3-1 (lost) | 2022 AFF U-23 Championship |
2 | 19 February 2022 | Prince Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | ![]() |
7-0 (lost) | 2022 AFF U-23 Championship |
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 March 2017 | Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong | ![]() | 0–6 | 2017 Jockey Cup |
2 | 18 March 2017 | Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong | ![]() | 1–5 | 2017 Jockey Cup |
3 | 19 March 2017 | Po Kong Village Road Park, Hong Kong | ![]() | 3–0 | 2017 Jockey Cup |
4 | 9 July 2017 | IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand | ![]() | 0–2 | 2017 AFF U-15 Championship |
5 | 13 July 2017 | IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand | ![]() | 0–2 | 2017 AFF U-15 Championship |
6 | 15 July 2017 | IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand | ![]() | 0–2 | 2017 AFF U-15 Championship |
7 | 17 July 2017 | IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium 1, Thailand | ![]() | 0–2 | 2017 AFF U-15 Championship |
Albirex Niigata (Singapore)