The Most Famous
SOCCER PLAYERS from Malaysia
This page contains a list of the greatest Malaysian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 8 of which were born in Malaysia. This makes Malaysia the birth place of the 111th most number of Soccer Players behind Faroe Islands, and Bahrain.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Malaysian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Malaysian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Soh Chin Ann (b. 1950)
With an HPI of 59.39, Soh Chin Ann is the most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.
Yang Berbahagia Datuk Wira Soh Chin Ann (or Soh Chin Aun due to misspelling by Malaysian media; simplified Chinese: 苏进安; traditional Chinese: 蘇進安; pinyin: Sū Jìn'ān; born 28 July 1950) is a Malaysian former footballer who played as a defender. He was affectionately known as Tauke or Towkay (Boss) by his teammates and fans. Soh was regarded as the most capped player in men's international football, though the total varied by source. The RSSSF and IFFHS credited him with 219 appearances, a record later surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2025. FIFA, by contrast, recognised 195 official caps, a record overtaken by Bader Al-Mutawa in 2022.
2. Mokhtar Dahari (1953 - 1991)
With an HPI of 56.41, Mokhtar Dahari is the 2nd most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Dato' Mohd Mokhtar bin Dahari (Jawi: محمد مختار بن داهاري, IPA: [mohd mokhtar bɪn daharɪ]; (13 November 1953 – 11 July 1991) was a Malaysian professional footballer who played for Selangor. He is considered a legendary footballer in Malaysian history. FIFA acknowledged his 89 goals in international matches and took his team to an World Football Elo Ratings of 61 in 1977. A prolific forward, he was nicknamed Supermokh due to his playing skills and strength. Mokhtar is the all-time top scorer for the Malaysian national team.
3. Mohd Faiz Subri (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 42.65, Mohd Faiz Subri is the 3rd most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Mohd Faiz bin Subri (born 8 November 1987) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Malaysia Super League side Penang. He is best known for his free-kick goal which won him the 2016 FIFA Puskás Award.
4. Wan Zack Haikal (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 42.12, Wan Zack Haikal is the 4th most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.
Wan Zack Haikal bin Wan Noor (born 28 January 1991) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a striker or midfielder, for Penang in the Malaysia Super League. He is also a member of the Malaysia national team.
5. Dion Cools (b. 1996)
With an HPI of 38.67, Dion Cools is the 5th most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Dion-Johan Chai Cools (born 4 June 1996) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays either as a full-back or centre-back for J.League club Cerezo Osaka and captains the Malaysia national team. Cools was raised in Belgium, and represented that country at youth level with 28 caps, but later chose to play for his native Malaysia, and made his senior debut on 3 June 2021.
6. Shaun Maloney (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 38.55, Shaun Maloney is the 6th most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.
Shaun Richard Maloney (born 24 January 1983) is a Scottish football coach, and former player. He is currently the Professional Player Pathway Manager at Celtic after his recent spell as the manager of EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Maloney played for Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Chicago Fire, Hull City and the Scotland national team as an attacking midfielder or winger. Maloney started his career at Celtic, playing 215 matches across all competitions and winning honours including five Scottish Premier League titles. He was the first player to claim both the SPFA Players' Player of the Year and the SPFA Young Player of the Year awards in the same season, doing so in 2005–06. He had a spell in the Premier League with Aston Villa, before returning for a second spell at Celtic. Maloney returned to English football in 2011 with Wigan Athletic, helping them win the 2013 FA Cup final. Maloney then briefly played in Major League Soccer for Chicago Fire. He last played for Hull City for two seasons, before retiring due to injury in 2017. Maloney made his senior international debut for Scotland in 2005 and he went on to earn 47 caps, scoring seven goals. After retiring as a player, Maloney worked for Celtic and the Belgium national team as a coach. He was then appointed manager of Scottish club Hibernian in December 2021, but was sacked after four months. Maloney was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in January 2023. He departed the club in March 2025.
7. Tadashi Takeda (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 36.96, Tadashi Takeda is the 7th most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Tadashi Takeda (竹田 忠嗣, born 27 July 1986) is a Japanese former professional football player who played as a defender.
8. Hadi Fayyadh (b. 2000)
With an HPI of 26.97, Hadi Fayyadh is the 8th most famous Malaysian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh bin Abdul Razak (born 22 January 2000) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysia Super League club PDRM.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as Malaysian soccer players born between 1950 and 2000. Of these 8, 7 (87.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Malaysian soccer players include Soh Chin Ann, Mohd Faiz Subri, and Wan Zack Haikal. The most famous deceased Malaysian soccer players include Mokhtar Dahari. As of April 2024, 1 new Malaysian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Hadi Fayyadh.
Living Malaysian Soccer Players
Go to all Rankings
Soh Chin Ann
1950 - Present
HPI: 59.39
Mohd Faiz Subri
1987 - Present
HPI: 42.65
Wan Zack Haikal
1991 - Present
HPI: 42.12
Dion Cools
1996 - Present
HPI: 38.67
Shaun Maloney
1983 - Present
HPI: 38.55
Tadashi Takeda
1986 - Present
HPI: 36.96
Hadi Fayyadh
2000 - Present
HPI: 26.97
