Shahrul Saad
Malaysian footballer
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Mohd Shahrul bin Mohd Saad (Jawi: محمد شهرول بن محمد سعد, IPA: [mohd shahrul bɪn sa'ad]; born 8 July 1993) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Malaysia national team.
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Shahrul in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mohd Shahrul bin Mohd Saad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 July 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Positions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Johor Darul Ta'zim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Perak President's Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Harimau tua B / Harimau tua A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Harimau Muda B | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Harimau Muda A | 41 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Felda United | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Perak | 94 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 49 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Malaysia U23 | 27 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Malaysia | 64 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 October 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shahrul has individually won 3 FAM Football Awards 'Best Defender Award' in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Club career
Youth
Shahrul started his career at Perak youth team. He was then transferred to Malaysia national youth setup and has played for Harimau Muda B in the 2011 Malaysia league and Harimau Muda A in the 2012 Singapore S.League. In 2014, he played 22 matches for Harimau Muda in the Australian National Premier Leagues.[2]
Felda United
In 2015, Shahrul graduated from the national youth setup and was signed by Felda United. At Felda, he was converted from a defender to a defensive midfielder by head coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim.[3] He made his debut in the second match of 2015 Malaysia Super League against Sime Darby coming on from a bench in the 81st minute. He made his first start against Johor Darul Ta'zim on 3 May 2015 and become a regular until the end of the season. His only league goal for Felda was in the final league match against Johor Darul Ta'zim, where Felda won 2–1.
Perak
In 2016, Shahrul returned to his hometown club Perak where he won the 2018 Malaysia Cup with the club and finished as Malaysia Super League runners up in 2018, hence qualified to the AFC Champions League play-off round.
Johor Darul Ta'zim
On 8 May 2021, Shahrul joined Johor Darul Ta'zim. He was given the number 32 shirt. He made his debut against Sabah in the 2021 Malaysia Cup. He also scored his first goal for Johor Darul Ta'zim in the same competition against Kelantan.
In 2024, Shahrul changed his jersey number from no.32 to no.3 after Adam Nor Azlin left the club. He debuted in the no.3 jersey during a friendly match against Singapore side, Lion City Sailors on 4 April 2023 at Bishan Stadium. During the 2024 Malaysia FA Cup first leg match on 29 June 2024 against Malaysian University, Shahrul scored Johor Darul Ta'zim 1000th goal since being rebranded in 2013 scoring the fourth goal in 5–0 win.
International career
Youth
In 2012, Shahrul made his debut for the Malaysia U23 team in the final match of 2012 Olympic qualifiers against Syria. He featured in two Southeast Asian Games (2013 and 2015) and 2014 Asian Games for the Malaysia national under-23 team. He was also a part of the 2013 Merdeka Tournament winning team and played for the 2013 Malaysia Universiade team.
Senior
Shahrul made his debut for Malaysia on 8 October 2015 in a 3–1 win against Laos.[4][5]
On 10 September 2018, he scored his first international goal against Cambodia in a friendly.
He achieved his 50th cap against the Solomon Islands on 14 June 2023.[6] On 20 June 2023 which was also his 51st cap, he was chosen as the captain for the Malaysia national team against Papua New Guinea.[7][8]
Shahrul was also a member of the Malaysia squad at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar.
Personal life
Shahrul has two older brothers who also have played professional football, Shahrizal Saad and Syamsul Saad. Like him, both brothers have played for Perak and Malaysia national team. Shahrul even played under Syamsul when his brother was the head coach of Perak in 2016.[9]
From May to December 2023, Shahrul, along with Goh Sze Fei and Nur Dhabitah Sabri, was appointed as the brand ambassador for Nutrilite Malaysia.[10]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Harimau Muda B | 2011 | Malaysia Premier League | 17 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | – | – | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Harimau Muda A | 2012 | S.League | 19 | 0 | – | – | – | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | National Premier Leagues | 22 | 0 | – | – | – | 22 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 0 | – | – | – | 41 | 0 | |||||
| Felda United | 2015 | Malaysia Super League | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | 28 | 1 | |
| Total | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | 28 | 1 | |||
| Perak | 2016 | Malaysia Super League | 16 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 27 | 3 | |
| 2017 | Malaysia Super League | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | – | 31 | 4 | ||
| 2018 | Malaysia Super League | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | Malaysia Super League | 21 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
| 2020 | Malaysia Super League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2021 | Malaysia Super League | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 94 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 145 | 12 | ||
| Perak II | 2021 | Malaysia Premier League | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2021 | Malaysia Super League | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 20 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Malaysia Super League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 50 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 199 | 10 | 25 | 0 | 52 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 284 | 15 | ||
- 1 appearances against Selangor in 2011 Malaysia FA Cup and 1 appearances against Hougang United in 2011 Singapore Cup.
- 1 appearances in 2022 Piala Sumbangsih and 4 appearances in 2022 Malaysia FA Cup.
International
- As of 14 October 2025[13]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 15 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2020 | – | ||
| 2021 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 64 | 5 | |
International goals
- As of match played 8 June 2022. Malaysia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Shahrul Saad goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2018 | Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | 17 |  Cambodia | 1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 December 2018 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia | 26 |  Vietnam | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2018 AFF Championship |
| 3 | 2 June 2019 | 30 |  Nepal | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 5 October 2019 | 36 |  Sri Lanka | 2–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 5 | 9 December 2021 | Bishan Stadium, Bishan, Singapore | 38 |  Laos | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2020 AFF Championship |
Honours
Club
- Perak
- Malaysia Super League runner-up: 2018
- Malaysia Cup: 2018
- Malaysia FA Cup runner-up: 2019
- Malaysia Charity Shield Runner-up: 2019
- Johor Darul Ta'zim
International
Malaysia U23
- Merdeka Tournament: 2013
Malaysia
- AFF Championship runner-up: 2018
Individual
- Malaysia Super League Best Defender: 2018, 2019, 2022