Nazri Nasir - Leader and Player of his generation

Nationality: Singaporean

D.O.B: 17 Jan 1971

Club: Sembawang Rangers (1996), SAFFC (1997-2001), Tampines Rovers (2002-2007)

Position: Defender/Midfielder

Honour
S-league: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005
Singapore Cup: 1997, 2002, 2004, 2006
FA Cup: 1997
Tiger Cup: 1998
ASEAN Club Championship: 2005
Player of the Year: 1997

The first ever Singapore captain to lift an international trophy. That is an accomplishment one cannot take away from Nazri Nasir as he looked back on his career.

Nazri Nasir talents were spotted way before the concepts of S-league were given birth as he was handpicked along with Rafi Ali as the first recipients of the Goh Chok Tong Scheme in 1991.

Under that plan, talented footballers were send to Czechoslovakia (Now Czech Republic and Slovakia) to train for 3 months with a club picked by the host FA and with all costs borne by FAS.

And, he showed he was the only one worthy of that scheme as he emerged to be player of his Generation; outshining every player that was send, even when at that time, Rafi Ali was considered the more talented one.

The short-lived scheme ended in 1993 due to cost cuttings with record losses in the Malaysia Cup but Nazir football career was just beginning.

In 1996 as S-league was given birth, then 25-year-old, Nazri Nasir opted to start out his S-league career with Sembawang Rangers but what a mistake it was to be.

The Yishun-based club clearly lacked the vision and ambition to match his own even as their chairman talked of big dreams.

He then decided to leave the club after just one season; feeling disappointed that the Stallions had finished in the bottom two for both Series.

Immediately, SAFFC came in for the midfielder and it resulted in a tussle for Nazri Nasir still had a 2-year contract with the Stallions but the lure of winning his first S-league championship medal was proving too much as he demanded a transfer.

The tussle was frontpage news as both sides were far apart in their valuation of the player and was willing to take the matter up to the Ministry of Manpower as no end was in sight.

FAS had to step in; knowing how FIFA dislike such matter being interpreted by the Government and a figure of S$30000 - still the record transfer fee at this moment in time - were settled.

Nazri, in wanting to prove money was not his main motivation, paid half of the Warriors S$30000 transfer fee to pave the way.

It soon saw him getting his due dividend as the Warriors won the domestic Treble that very year and along with that, he also wrote history once again as he became the first local to scoop the Player of the Year award.

More trophies followed in the following year with the S-league title once again won by SAFFC and he played an important part; for in the final game of the season, against Gombak United, he had clear a goal-bound goal from the line in the dying moment to ensure the crown go to SAFFC thank to a superior goal difference.

Just a mere few months later, the 1998 Tiger Cup trophy – Singapore first ever international trophy – followed and it was extra special as he has became the first ever Singapore captain to lead Singapore to international glory.

By now, 27 year of age, Nazri Nasir has accomplished much but he was still in tussle with Rafi Ali on which player should be crowned the Player of their Generation but that was no doubts as the years continue to past by, the SAFFC player was just that more hungry.

He continue to lead the Warriors to glory as he won two more trophies during his stay with the Warriors - the 1999 Singapore Cup and the 2000 S-league crown, which he lifted as the Warriors captain.

But after the 2001 season, the Warriors management decided to release the international midfielder as they seek to revamp their team after a disappointing season which saw the Warriors lost a record 7 times – more than the combined total for them for 3 years.

The then 30-year-old opted to join Tampines Rovers and it proved no different as the hunger remained for in the very first year, he lead the Stags to their first ever trophy, the Singapore Cup.

He was an inspiring captain to his teammates for he was willing to defend them even with cost to himself.

For, after the Tiger Cup exit later that year, he found himself the subject of some scathing attacks from sections of the Lions supporters as he was willing to stand up for his ex-Warriors team mate Shahril Jantan.

He did a captain job and stood in front of his younger and thus inexperienced teammate to take the bows.

Nazri retired from international football soon afterward having amassed 100 international caps with Singapore.

At this junction, fans then started to question if he had lost his football abilities but there was nothing like doubters and critics to relit the fire in Nazri Nasir; even as he started to play in defence now and not the engine room.

That was why it was no surprise, in 2004, when the critics decried the Tampines Rovers team as the ‘Daddy Army’, he managed to rally his troopers to the finish as the Double Champions to prove the Stags were a force to be reckon in the coming years.

A year later, it was even better as history beckon again for Nazri as he added the honour of being yet again the first Singaporean captain to lift an international club trophy as the Stags won the 2005 ASEAN Club Championship in Brunei; defeating Pahang 4-2 in the Final.

The S-league champions also successfully defended their S-league crown, fencing off a tough challenge from SAFFC and Home United, and Nazir has now led the Stags to the pinnacle of their power.

They can claim to have joined SAFFC and Home United as the Kingpins of Singapore football and be recognized as one of the Big 3 and their captain, Nazir, deserved his accolades.

In 2006, despite challenging SAFFC all the way to the finish line, Tampines Rovers failed to win their third S-league crown but won their third Singapore Cup defeating Chonburi 3-2 in the Final.

In 2007, the Stags failed to finished above third in the league but they further cemented their place as a force of Singapore football and looking back it all started with Nazir Nasir leadership on the field just like SAFFC own rise a decade ago in 1997.

The 36-year-old then decided to hang up with boots after the season ended.

He has had a remarkable S-league career winning five S-league, four Singapore Cup and one FA Cup medal in his 12 years in the S-league while at the international front, he lifted both the 2005 ASEAN Club Championship and 98 Tiger Cup as captain; which no other before him has done.

A Leader and the Player of his Generation – That is the hallmark of Nazir Nasir.

SAFFC

Year	League App	Goal	Cup App	Goal
1997	-	4	-	0
1998	-	1	-	0
1999	20	2	5	0
2000	22	10	6	0
2001	30	11	5	0
Total	52	28	16	0

Tampines Rovers

Year	League App	Goal	Cup App	Goal
2002	31	5	5	0
2003	27 (1)	1	3	0
2004	25 (1)	1	5 (1)	0
2005	24	0	4	0
2006	22	1	6 (3)	1
2007	28 (4)	2	6 (1)	0
Total	157	10	29 (5)	1

TPUFC vs TAMPINES ROVERS – 4/5/02 

Tampines Rovers - Asia

Year	Asian App	Goal	Other	Goal
2005	12	0	2	0
2006	8	0	-	-
2007	6	0	-	-
Total	26	0	2	0