Calm before the storm: Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili (right) posing for a photograph with his Under-23 teammate Aysar Hadi Sapri. — Ubaidullah’s Instagram
PETALING JAYA: For Malaysia Under-23 football team captain Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili, the Thailand SEA Games feel less like an away tournament and more like a return to familiar ground.
His mother’s parents hail from Sungai Golok in Narathiwat, just across the Kelantan border, a place where the language blurs, the food tastes like home, and family ties run deep.
“My Atuk (Grandfather) and Nenek (Grandmother) are from Sungai Golok,” he shared.
“They were planning to see my games in Songkhla. But now that they have been shifted to Bangkok, they can’t come. But they are still supporting Malaysia despite staying in Thailand. They are bordering Malaysia and can speak Malay like us.”
For a boy from Kelantan who grew up loving tom yam, pad krapow (Thai basil leaf and chicken rice) and even sprinkling Thai slang like “susu” (fighting) into daily conversation, this SEA Games carries a personal weight. It is, quite literally, a tournament played on the land of his roots.
At 22, having celebrated his birthday on Nov 30, Ubaidullah enters his third and final SEA Games. The stakes feel different. The emotions heavier.
“This will be my last SEA Games,” he said.
“I have played in Hanoi, then Cambodia and now Thailand.”
He arrives as one of the most experienced names in the squad with 24 Under-23 caps, including six appearances this year in the AFF U-23 Championship and AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers.
His leadership is not just from tenure but temperament.
“As a captain, it is challenging because we have to motivate the boys,” he said.
Big role: Ubaidullah will be captaining the team in the SEA Games. — FAM
“We will help the coaches as well. It is a huge responsibility because you have to stabilise the harmony on the field and in the dressing room.”
Ubaidullah’s growth has been steady since his professional debut at 18 with FAM-MSN in the old Premier League.
His move to Terengganu in 2023 marked the true start of his ascent.
Season by season, he climbed into the first XI, becoming one of the Turtles’ trusted local defenders.
This year, he started eight of 13 matches across competitions, slotting in seamlessly at centreback or leftback.
His maturity showed on the international stage too.
On May 30, he made his senior debut in a World Cup 2026 qualifiers match against Cape Verde, and was named man of the match in a 1-1 draw – a moment that stamped his arrival.
He has since collected three more caps in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers and showed why he is one of the centrebacks to watch in the future, not just in Malaysia but regionally.
Ubaidullah has felt both the hope and heartbreak of the SEA Games.
In Hanoi 2021, Malaysia reached the bronze medal match but fell to Indonesia on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
In 2023, they failed to progress from the group stage, finishing behind Thailand and Vietnam.
He knows the challenge well and this year’s group, featuring Laos and Vietnam, is no less daunting.
“The grouping is tough but nothing is impossible,” he said.
“Both teams have quality but we will compete and do our best to go far in these Games.”
