Retirement for Hassan Sunny, the Singaporean goalkeeper adored by Chinese fans

From Singaporean goalkeeper to viral sensation in China! Hassan Sunny became a surprisingly hot topic on Chinese social media thanks to his performance in the World Cup qualifiers on June 11, which made many Chinese fans grateful.

However, the Singaporean goalkeeper has announced his retirement, much to the dismay of his supporters, particularly those in China. ESPN reported on August 19 that Hassan Sunny had announced his surprising retirement to let "younger goalkeepers take over".

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

Hassan Sunny is a Singaporean football goalkeeper who is part of the Singapore national football team. He is also the goalkeeper for the Singapore Premier League club, Albirex Niigata Singapore FC.

Born Hassan bin Abdullah Sunny on April 2, 1984, the goalkeeper is 40 years old and a Singapore native.

According to FIFA, Hassan Sunny had attempted to qualify for a midfielder or left winger position at the young age of thirteen when he first tried to join a football team. However, he was rejected for the position due to having asthma, and chose to run for the position of goalkeeper instead.

The same report from FIFA continues that Hassan Sunny was then selected to be a goalkeeper and this was the beginning of his career in football. He would go on to win a street football tournament, be granted the opportunity to train in London, and be scouted by Singapore’s national youth sport coach, Robert Lim, to join Singapore’s national team.

Hassan Sunny’s reputation as a goalkeeper grew immensely, and he was able to represent Singapore not just in his youth, but also till today! He has undeniably become one of Singapore’s most famous footballers, given his experience in the sport.

Other than being beloved as a footballer in Singapore, Hassan Sunny’s skill as a goalkeeper has surprisingly brought him to fame amongst Chinese netizens in an unexpected twist. According to The Straits Times, the goalkeeper’s skill in blocking 11 goals in the Singapore versus Thailand World Cup qualifiers awed many.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

Hassan Sunny's skills helped the Chinese national football team stay ahead of Thailand in this round of World Cup qualifiers in Asia, keeping China in contention for the 2026 World Cup, according to the South China Morning Post. Chinese football fans were grateful.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

Hassan Sunny owns a Nasi Padang food stall in Singapore, serving Malay cuisine in addition to his goalkeeping career. His contributions to China's World Cup run have driven his stall to the top of Chinese social media and drawn many thankful football fans, reports the BBC!

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

According to 8days, in addition to emptying out the food at his Nasi Padang business, Chinese fans have started mailing him money using his stall's QR code system.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

The same report from 8days states that the money sent in became so overwhelming that scammers resorted to distributing tampered QR codes online in order to cash in on the donations going towards the goalkeeper. Hassan Sunny has since urged Chinese fans to halt the cash donations, but is grateful for the support.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

In a surprising and virtuous move, Hassan Sunny had decided to donate the funds given to him by Chinese fans to charity. Channel News Asia reports that the goalkeeper had decided to donate part of his newly gotten funds to the Muhammadiyah Welfare Home.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram

ESPN reported on August 19 that Hassan Sunny had announced his retirement from football, just months after becoming a viral sensation. The news undoubtedly surprised many, and ESPN says that this departure leaves enormous shoes for potential successors to fill.

Image: hassansunny18 / Instagram