Shawal Anuar: From manual labor to the hope of the Singapore national team

Singapore striker Shawal Anuar has proven himself to be a classic example of a "late bloomer" in football. After struggling in lower-tier leagues during his early twenties and taking on various jobs to make ends meet, he rose late to become one of the most formidable forwards in the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup.

With 20 goals in 56 appearances since his debut for the Singapore national team in late 2016—less than two years after starting his professional career just before his 24th birthday—Shawal has established himself as an efficient striker, always playing with gratitude for the opportunities he has received.

From playing for Keppel Monaco in the National Football League, Singapore's lower division, and working as a mover and window cleaner to supplement his modest match fee of 50 SGD per game, the career path of the Lion City Sailors FC forward is a lesson in perseverance.

"The most important thing in my journey is that I kept working hard," Shawal shared. He signed his first professional contract in 2014 with Geylang International, after a year with Keppel Monaco and a season playing for Geylang's reserve team.

"I never gave up on what I wanted to do and what I wanted to achieve. I think that has always been with me since the beginning of this journey, from before I had to do manual labor until I entered football."

It has been over a decade since Shawal overcame the initial challenging period of his career to enter professional football. However, he still occasionally takes time to reflect on his unique journey, though he does not want to romanticize his past life.

"I've gone back there a few times. Every time I see that place, it reminds me to stay humble," Shawal said about the shopping center where he used to work. "It reminds me of where I started and that I just need to keep working hard.

For me, what stands out is how I climbed up from where I began. Other players come from academies, but in my time, I didn't even start from such academies. What I cherish is how I began and the amount of effort I put in to get to where I am now.

I treasure all those moments and the fact that hard work eventually paid off for me."

Shawal's dedication and determination to build a professional career then translated into a desire to make the most of every opportunity that came his way.

Although he made his national team debut in 2016, Shawal had to wait until 2022 to win his first career title, lifting the Singapore Cup with Hougang United FC.

Moving to Lion City Sailors the following season, he was part of the squad that won the 2024/25 Singapore Premier League title and reached the AFC Champions League Two final. He then helped the club successfully defend the national championship in the next season.

On an individual level, Shawal has been selected three times for the Singapore Premier League Team of the Year, and has represented Singapore in the ASEAN Championship in 2022 and 2024.

"If Shawal at age 20 saw me now, he would definitely be very surprised because back then I didn't even dare to dream of these things," he said. "Just representing the country and playing in this tournament never even appeared in my dreams."

Shawal was part of the Singapore team that reached the semifinals of the tournament two years ago, before missing out on a place in the final after losing to Vietnam, who went on to become champions.

The disappointment from that defeat will fuel Shawal's determination to go one step further as he and his Singapore teammates face Thailand, a seven-time tournament champion, in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup semifinals. The first leg will take place at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore at 20:00 on August 15.

"For me, I want to go as far as possible in this tournament, while helping the team achieve what we haven't been able to do so far. On a personal level, I also want to achieve more in the remaining time of my career," said Shawal, who scored in the 2-1 victory over Cambodia.

"This is a new year, so it's also a new semifinal, a different match, and possibly a different Thailand team. So, I think I just need to focus on the first leg.