Nur Ikhwan Othman Explained

Nur Ikhwan
Fullname:Mohammad Nurikhwan bin Othman
Birth Date:1993 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Brunei
Currentclub:DPMM
Clubnumber:19
Position:Defender, Midfielder
Youthyears1:2010–2012
Youthclubs1:Sports School
Years1:2010–2011
Clubs1:Brunei Youth Team
Years2:2012–2015
Clubs2:Indera
Goals2:16
Years3:2016–
Clubs3:DPMM
Caps3:71
Goals3:1
Nationalyears1:2012–2014
Nationalteam1:Brunei U21
Nationalcaps1:11
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2012–2013
Nationalteam2:Brunei U23
Nationalcaps2:5
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2012–
Nationalteam3:Brunei
Nationalcaps3:16
Nationalgoals3:2
Pcupdate:12 August 2024
Ntupdate:11 June 2024

Mohammad Nurikhwan bin Othman (born 15 January 1993) is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for DPMM and the Brunei national team.

Club career

Nurikhwan attended Brunei's Sports School as a youngster and progressed enough to be a regular in the national youth team side that played in the Brunei Premier League II in 2010 and 2011.[1] After the creation of the Brunei National Football League (precursor to the Brunei Super League) by the newly formed NFABD,[2] the young prodigy chose Indera SC as his club, becoming league champions in 2012-13 and 2014.[3]

Nurikhwan signed for professional side DPMM FC of the S.League in 2016 and made his debut in a 3–2 loss to Albirex Niigata (S) on 13 February.[4] [5]

Nurikhwan was converted into a defender by new head coach Adrian Pennock in the 2019 season, mirroring his teammate Yura Indera Putera in doing so. On 6 July of that season, in the away game against Warriors FC, he was shown a straight red for felling Sahil Suhaimi in the penalty box and was adjudged by the referee to have denied the Singaporean a goal-scoring opportunity. This turned the tide to the home side's advantage and the game finished in a 3–3 draw.[6]

Nurikhwan became a Singapore Premier League champion in September 2019 in his first season operating as a centre-back, his club also registering the joint-best defense in the league.[7]

Nurikhwan scored his first DPMM FC goal in the first DPMM FC fixture of the 2021 Brunei Super League against BAKES FC on 28 June 2021.[8] With his team playing domestically for the third year in a row in 2022, he performed solidly against local opposition at the 2022 Brunei FA Cup, being awarded the Player of the Tournament after the final where his team won 2–1 against Kasuka FC on 4 December.[9]

International career

Nurikhwan played with the Brunei Under-21s in the 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy when the home side emerged as victors. He played every game and scored in the semi-final against Myanmar. He was made captain for the 2014 edition although his side failed to defend the title.

Nurikhwan's full international career began when he played the first half in a friendly against Indonesia on 26 September 2012.[10] He played for the Wasps in the 2012, 2014 and 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying rounds. He was also poised to join the national team for the 2022 World Cup first-round qualifying but declared himself unavailable.[11]

Nurikhwan returned to the national team in September 2022 for the friendly matches against the Maldives and Laos.[12] He started the match against the island nation on 21 September which ended in a 0–3 loss.[13] Later that November, he played at centre-back for both legs of the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup qualifying against Timor-Leste held in Brunei.[14] The Wasps qualified for the Cup by winning 6–3 on aggregate.[15] The following month, he made three starts against Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia and managed to score against Cambodia in a 5–1 defeat.[16]

After missing the whole of 2023 with injury, Nurikhwan was selected for the national team playing in the 2024 FIFA Series in March 2024. He played two games from the start against Bermuda in a 2–0 loss and against Vanuatu in a 2–3 victory, scoring the second goal for Brunei in the match.[17] He also made two appearances in central midfield against Sri Lanka the following June where both games resulted in 1–0 victories to the Wasps.[18]

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 29 December 2022 1–0 1–5 2022 AFF Championship
2. 27 March 2024 2–2 3–2 2024 FIFA Series

Honours

Team

Indera SC
DPMM FC

International

Brunei national under-21 football team

2012

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: PIP dip into fountain of youth. 27 May 2010. The Brunei Times. 27 May 2015.
  2. Web site: Let football league begin!. 3 December 2011. The Brunei Times. 27 May 2015.
  3. Web site: Indera SC repeat as champs. 3 September 2014. The Brunei Times. 27 May 2015.
  4. Web site: DPMM FC start season. 13 February 2016. The Brunei Times. 15 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160223205538/http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2016/02/13/dpmm-fc-start-season. 23 February 2016. dead.
  5. Web site: S.League.com - Match Details. 13 February 2016. S.League. 15 February 2016.
  6. Web site: Pennock pleased with crucial point against Warriors. 8 July 2019. Borneo Bulletin. 8 July 2019.
  7. Web site: DPMM SPL champions as Hougang stumble. The Straits Times. 16 September 2019. 30 September 2019.
  8. Web site: DPMM FC stage grand return to action. 28 June 2021. Borneo Bulletin. 28 June 2021.
  9. Web site: Crown Prince joins group photo session with DPMM FC. 6 December 2022. Borneo Bulletin. 6 December 2022.
  10. Web site: Hat-Trick Irfan Bachdim Hantam Brunei Darussalam. 27 September 2012. Goal.com. 27 May 2015.
  11. Web site: Brunei national team set to miss nine key players. 4 June 2019. Borneo Bulletin. 18 June 2019.
  12. bruneifootball . 20 September 2022. Ciuut9yJy0W . The Brunei Darussalam squad list for the upcoming international friendly games.. 20 September 2022.
  13. Web site: Brunei lose to Maldives 3-0. 22 September 2022. Borneo Bulletin. 28 September 2022.
  14. Web site: WASPS ON VERGE OF AFF CUP DREAM. 5 November 2022. BruSports News. 9 November 2022.
  15. Web site: Brunei DS edge Timor Leste for place in AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022. 8 November 2022. ASEAN Football Federation. 9 November 2022.
  16. Web site: REPORT: CAMBODIA 5-1 BRUNEI DARUSSALAM. 29 December 2022. AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup. 18 April 2023.
  17. Web site: Flurry of goals concludes inaugural FIFA Series . . 27 March 2024 . 28 March 2024.
  18. Web site: Brunei beat Sri-Lanka 1-0 in international friendly. 12 June 2024. DPMM FC. 12 June 2024.
  19. Web site: Sultan sees HBT stars as nucleus of national team. 6 April 2012. Borneo Bulletin. 21 September 2022.