MiB FC Player Profile: Faizal

9. Faizal

Position on the Pitch: Started off as goalie, promoted to striker, now “General” in midfield

Nicknames: Zal, Abang Roy

Player he Tries to Emulate: No one in particular but his play now resembles a certain Roy Keane

Memorable Quotes: “I F**ed YOUR MUM!! 3 WAYS!!”
“Guys, this is Ian.”
“Let me introduce you guys to backstage.”
Nothing. Just puffing furiously after Rizvi made him watch Forbidden
Kingdom.

Will most likely say: “So what time are we going drinking?”

Will never be caught saying: “Alright guys let’s play board games and the Playstation the
whole night!!”
“Liverpool? Pretty decent team to me!”


Faizal is MiB’s most unique personality, but you really have to know him well to know that fact. Most of the guys have now spent more than 10 years of their life trying to understand and figure out who Zal really is, but till today, no one really can say for sure. Brilliantly eccentric one minute, playful the next, serious in the next instance and then suddenly “emo”, we have seen Faizal in all sorts of moods and looks. From the long curly hair to the “escape from Changi” botak look, Zal is perhaps the only guy in MiB to have seen and done what the rest of us can only imagine.


To Faizal’s credit, he has stuck around with MiB all these years and become one of our closest friends, eventhough sometimes it feels like MiB and Zal were never cut out for the same thing. But the one thing that really unites the two is football, and on the pitch, Zal is one monster of a player. From starting off as the goalie who would take the ball and dribble everyone and score, he then occupied MiB’s prized “No 9” jersey, and took on the mantle of being our main goal getter. Some of Faizal’s goals are truly memorable and his knack of meeting crosses with crisp volleys is his signature on the pitch.


In recent years however, Zal has dropped further into midfield and now reprises the role of a modern defensive midfielder, breaking up the opponent’s play and starting attacks for his own team. Think of the Mascheranos of the world. It is only due to the hard work of players like them that the so-called stars are able to shine. And similarly, despite being a big game player, Zal has never been one to hog the limelight. His tenacious tackling and never say die attitude in MiB is truly inspiring and I personally remember the Rotaract Cup tournaments at NUS where Faizal really came to the fore. Playing in front of him and as a striker later, I felt really confident that we were not going to let in any goals, because Zal was going to stop the next attack or hack down the opponent and stare at him when he was lying on the floor bleeding. Roy Keane anybody? That’s the new Faizal in a nutshell.


Always one to be different, I am glad that our aspiring film-producer and internet journalist has done pretty well so far. Never one to comply with the ordinary, Zal completed his diploma and is destined for greater things, though it might not be the same vein of success that the rest of us deem to be. It is always refreshing to have a friend like Faizal around, and we are glad to have him as a integral part of MiB. Though we might not always do the things he loves to do, we do appreciate him and above all, if all else fails, we know we have a beach-house in Phuket waiting for us.

Faizal Mazlan, a man of few words and a killer stare, try to dribble him look at the floor you'll end up there.