THE focus of football fanatics is not limited to just the on-going Euro 2024 and Copa America. For supporters of the China national team, the object of their worship recently came in the unlikely shape of Hasan Sunny, goalkeeper of the Singapore national team.
China’s hopes of advancing in the World Cup qualifiers were hanging by a thread after losing to South Korea. Thailand could have leapfrogged into second place if they managed to beat Singapore by a margin of three goals in Bangkok on June 11.
Up stepped Hasan who put on a man-of-the-match performance to deny the Thais, pulling off a string of saves that kept the score at 3-1.
His heroics made him an overnight sensation among China football fans who have shown their appreciation by transferring funds to Hasan via his food stall’s QR code. The 40-year-old goalie has since appealed to fans to stop transferring funds, warning of bogus accounts propped up online.
However, this has not stopped the multitude of China tourists to the island republic flocking to Dapur Hasan to say a personal thank you to Singapore No 1.
@mothershipsg We wanted to try Dapur Hassan’s nasi lemak too but the queue was too long 😭😭😭 #hassansunny #fypsg #tiktoksg #singapore #china #football #dapurhassan #fyp ♬ original sound – Mothership
A video posted on Tik Tok by MothershipSG shows long queues at the food stall located in the suburbs of Tempines, Singapore.
The goalkeeper’s wife seemed to find all the attention amusing, especially the nicknames bestowed on her husband, such as ‘Father of Goalkeeping’ and ‘God of Goalkeepers’, while thanking the many visitors for their support.
This is a sample of the comments accompanying the Tik Tok video.
More than one pointed out that Hasan’s fame has been boosted by 1.4 billion followers!
One cheekily suggested that Singapore take advantage of Hasan’s cult status by appointing him as a special envoy to China.
One lamented that the tourists from the mainland have done more to support Hasan than the Singapore FA.
All said and done, this is a heartwarming story about a footballer who is not a multi-millionaire getting some dues. Hasan’s fame highlights the power of social media to create overnight sensations and unexpected windfalls. – June 22, 2024
Main photo credit: MothershipSG
