Hafizul wants to keep his hands on the No. 1 spot

PETALING JAYA: Perak goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim (pic) believes that to remain as the one between the posts, he has to consistently prove his worth.

The 27-year-old has more reasons to remind fans that he has been Perak’s top gun since 2016 and intends to remain so against the challenges from two upcoming custodians in the squad.

National Under-23 goalkeeper Azri Ghani, signed from Kedah, will surely give Hafizul a run for his money. Then there is Nasrullah Aziz, who played the first five matches last season.

“Both of them are talented and strong goalkeepers. For me, every year is a challenge to stay in the first 11 and it will be the same this year. Azri is a new signing and Nasrullah is highly rated too, so I will continue working hard to gain the coach’s trust, ” said the 27-year-old, a former student of St. Michael’s Institution in Ipoh.

“It had not been good for the past three seasons. My form was not that great, and I had lots of injuries too. I hope to regain my form and fight to be in the first 11 week in and week out. Once that happens, I will be aiming for a return to the national team. That’s my personal target for 2021, ” said Hafizul, who has played for Perak over six seasons.

Others who have been faithful stalwarts are Shahrul Saad, Nazirul Naim, D. Kenny Pallraj and Amirul Azhan Aznan who more or less form the core of the team.

When asked why they have stayed so long with Perak, Hafizul said: “I think it’s because of the family spirit the team have cultivated over the years and also their love for the state.

“We are like one family, and there is a great camaraderie between the players and the coaching staff.

“Plus, most of us are from Perak. Actually, we are like brothers.

“All of us want to repeat the Malaysia Cup winning feat of 2018. And we have signed new players like Shakir (Hamzah) and Danish (Haziq Shamsuddin) to beef up the team for that task.”

Meanwhile, the players’ salary woes would be solved soon following the assurance given by the State Youth, Sports, Communications and Multimedia Committee chairman Khairul Shahril Mohamed.

He said several state government-linked companies have pledged to settle the issue by next week.