Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny invited to visit China next month

SINGAPORE: Hassan Sunny, Singapore’s 40-year-old goalkeeper, recently became an unexpected hero for China after his stellar performance helped keep China’s 2026 World Cup dreams alive.

Following this, Hassan became a sensation on China’s social media. He was hailed for his 11 saves in a man-of-the-match performance despite Singapore’s 3-1 loss to Thailand on 11 June. Thailand needed to win by three goals to overcome their goal-difference disadvantage against China, but Hassan’s efforts thwarted their campaign.

On the social media platform Weibo, the hashtag “Singapore goalie thanks Chinese fans,” accompanied by a short clip of Hassan saying “Xiexie, China,” garnered over 130 million views.

In a recent TikTok Live session, Hassan expressed his gratitude for the support from Chinese fans, sharing his joy and appreciation.

“It’s a whole new experience. The Chinese fans are on a different level,” he said. He mentioned that his phone had been vibrating nonstop for the past few days with messages and emails, making it impossible to reply to everyone.

As a veteran of the Singapore national football team, Hassan assured his commitment to continue contributing as long as he is needed.

He also expressed his intention to create a Douyin account, the Chinese version of TikTok.

When asked by TikTokers whether he had plans to visit China, Hassan shared that he had indeed received an invitation to fly to China.

“I’m so happy to announce that, though it’s yet to be confirmed, I might be going there (China) next month. I have an invitation to visit some places there, and I will know more in the days to come.”

A Chinese influencer recorded Hassan’s TikTok Live session and reshared it on Douyin (Source: 好大壮在新加坡).

Dapur Hassan in Tampines overwhelmed by Chinese fans

Following Hassan Sunny’s exceptional 11 saves in the Singapore-Thailand match, his stall in a coffee shop at Block 144 Tampines Street 12 quickly became a hotspot for Chinese fans on 12 June.

Multiple videos shared on China’s social media platforms, including Douyin and Weibo, depicted a long queue of customers in front of Hassan’s stall. Some fans started waiting as early as 7:30 AM, and everything was sold out by 1:30 PM.

The QR payment code for Hassan’s stall began circulating among Chinese fans, leading some to transfer money to the stall to express their appreciation.

Other screenshots of payment transfers shared with Sina News show that the transfer amounts ranged between S$1 and S$100.

The support was tremendous over the past few days, leading to rumours that one fan transferred over S$5 million in tips to him. Hassan had to clarify online to refute the rumour.

“If I receive this huge amount, I won’t have to train here. This is impossible, especially in Singapore, where everything is written in black and white.”

Separately, Hassan also warned fans about fake QR codes of his nasi lemak stall, urging them to cease online transfers and support him rationally.