After his 11 saves against Thailand in the World Cup Qualifier match between Singapore and Thailand, goalie Hassan Sunny became a hero amongst China fans.
On his recent visit to Shanghai, many flocked to his location to catch a glimpse of the Singapore Lions’ player.
Hassan’s Newfound Fame
This overnight popularity found Hassan after the Singapore versus Thailand match during the World Cup qualifiers.
The Thai team needed a three-goal margin to move past China and advance to the next round, but since Singapore lost to Thailand 3-1, China advanced instead.
Much of this score was attributed to Hassan’s 11 defensive saves, as Chinese fans hailed him a hero for indirectly helping China advance to the next round.
In light of this, fans publicised details of his Nasi Padang store in Tampines, as those in Singapore flocked there to show their support.
Many were seen on 12 June 2024 taking pictures with the store’s green signboard donning football merchandise.
Chinese fans took the time to leave 5-star reviews of the store, with a small handful even deciding to transfer money after the store’s QR code payment was circulated on the internet.
Talk about a strong fandom.
The fan craze followed Hassan as he and his wife and daughter arrived in Shanghai on 16 June 2024.
Real estate giant Capitaland had invited him to visit their shopping malls in Shanghai.
Visiting various stores like the PUMA store in Changning Raffles City, Hassan was recognised by fans almost instantly.
The event was not promoted in advance, but many fans were still able to find him and rushed to take photos with him.
Very soon, news of his presence in the Chinese city spread on social media as a crowd was seen waiting outside Hongkou Commercial Center to greet the Lions goalkeeper.
It became apparent that the crowd was quickly growing and more than initially predicted, so the mall had to deploy additional security guards temporarily to maintain order.
More fans arrived in droves at his next visit location, North Bund Raffles City, as Hassan took pictures and entertained hundreds of Chinese fans.
Many fans praised him, calling him “very handsome” and stating that he had no airs about him.
Hassan also thanked his fans, stating that it was amazing seeing the love and support he was getting in China.
Previously the goalkeeper also thanked fans in a short video filmed by fellow teammate Ikhsan Fandi, with a short and succinct “xie xie China.”
His performance and subsequent fandom are warranted as Hassan was ranked one of the world’s top goalkeepers.
Back in 2016, Hassan Sunny was ranked 18th on The Daily Telegraph’s list of the world’s top 20 goalkeepers.
Despite being past the typical football retirement age, Hassan is still going strong and we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.