| Hanafi Akbar | |
| Fullname: | Mohamad Hanafi bin Mohd Akbar |
| Birth Date: | 7 February 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Singapore |
| Currentclub: | Tampines Rovers |
| Clubnumber: | 2 |
| Youthyears1: | 2008–2013 |
| Youthclubs1: | National Football Academy |
| Years1: | 2014–2017 |
| Clubs1: | Balestier Khalsa |
| Caps1: | 12 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2018– |
| Clubs2: | Tampines Rovers |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2021— |
| Nationalteam1: | Singapore |
| Nationalcaps1: | 0 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 02:57, 23 November 2014 (UTC) |
Mohamad Hanafi bin Mohd Akbar (born 7 February 1995) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Singapore Premier League side Tampines Rovers and the Singapore national team.
Hanafi represented the Singapore national under-14 team at the 2009 Asian Youth Games, and was part of the national under-15 team which won the bronze medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.[1] He attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Juventus FC for his exploits at youth level.[2]
However, he failed to capitalise on his talents, choosing the influence of bad company instead, Hanafi skipped training with the National Football Academy and quit the team in 2013.[3]
He eventually signed a two-year contract with S.League club Balestier Khalsa in December 2013 after being written off as a "rebel" by many coaches.[4] [5]
However, he was arrested for drug use in 2015 and was eventually sentenced for a year's imprisonment.[6] Hanafi rejoined the Tigers in 2017 after his release and made his return to football in a S.League game against Garena Young Lions on 2 April 2017. Coming on as a half-time substitute, Hanafi showed his early promise by playing a part in his team's solitary goal of the game. Hanafi controlled the ball on his chest before sending a glorious cross-field volley to teammate Hazzuwan Halim, who squared the ball for Myanmar forward Aung Kyaw Naing to slot home the winner from close range.
Singapore U15