Former Singapore international striker Noh Alam Shah often led the line with passion and aggression. His hunger for victory has seen him win multiple accolades, during a career that spanned 18 years, including two ASEAN Football Championship winners’ medals, in 2004 and 2007.

A stellar performance in the 2007 tournament saw Alam Shah crowned as both the top scorer and Most Valuable Player. He is currently the overall top scorer in the history of the championship with 17 goals to his name.

Alam Shah’s recent appointment as the assistant team manager for the Singapore national team will once again reunite him with ASEAN’s biggest football tournament, this time from the dugout.

Here we profile one of Singapore’s football legends and the record-breaking impact he has made on the ASEAN Football Championship.

Age: 37

Clubs: Sembawang Rangers, Singapore Armed Forces, Tampines Rovers, PDRM FA, Arema Cronus, PSS Sleman International Appearances (Goals): 84 (35)

ASEAN Football Championship Appearances: 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010

ASEAN Football Championship winner: 2004, 2007

The Early Years

In 1998, a then 18-year-old Noh Alam Shah began his professional career with the now defunct Sembawang Rangers in the S-League.

Following impressive stints with both Sembawang and Singapore Armed Forces FC, Alam Shah joined Tampines Rovers in 2003 in a move that proved to be the catalyst for Alam Shah to become one of the best and most feared forwards in Southeast Asia.

Between 2004 and 2005, Alam Shah won consecutive S-League titles and the Singapore Cup with Tampines and achieved success with the Singapore national team in the 2004 ASEAN Football Championship. The striker scored four goals during the tournament, including a hat-trick in the second leg of the semi-final against Myanmar as the Lions advanced after extra-time.

His good form and outstanding performances earned him trials with Notts County in England and Skonto Riga in Latvia. However, neither trial led to a deal due to work permit issues and language problems respectively.

History in the Making

Epitomising his hunger for success, Alam Shah returned to Singapore undeterred by the failed trials. In a 2007 ASEAN Football Championship group stage match between Singapore and Laos, the forward scored seven goals in an 11-0 win for Singapore.

His seven-goal haul, a record number of goals scored by an individual player in an ‘A’ international game for Singapore, included a bicycle kick which coincidentally was the last ever bicycle kick to be scored at the old National Stadium in Singapore.

Singapore followed up their success in the 2004 edition by going on to win the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship after Alam Shah again netted crucial goals in the knockout rounds.

The striker equalised in a 1-1 first-leg draw with Malaysia in the semi-finals, before scoring in the penalty shootout in the second leg as the holders set up a final against Thailand, where he scored in a 2-1 first-leg win as Singapore eventually won 3-2 on aggregate to retain their title.

Alam Shah also scooped two individual trophies for his outstanding performances, winning the Most Valuable Player and the top scorer award. He remains the most prolific striker in the tournament history with 17 goals to his name.

Southeast Asia Takes Notice

Alam Shah’s outstanding performances and sharpshooting had many clubs across Southeast Asia chasing his signature.

Eventually he joined Arema in Indonesia where he played from 2009 to 2011 and was part of a successful squad that won the Indonesian Super League in 2010.

Alam Shah also scored a penalty for Arema against Japanese giants Cerezo Osaka in an AFC Champions League group stage match, becoming the first Singaporean footballer to find the back of the net in the competition for a non-Singapore club.

The striker continued to enjoy more success in Indonesia as he won the Indonesian First Division during his spell with PSS Sleman before returning to Tampines Rovers where he enjoyed a swansong season in 2015.

The Return

Since retiring in 2015, Alam Shah has been working full-time outside of football as an operations executive. However, he will make a long awaited return to the Lions national team setup as he has been appointed the assistant team manager to work alongside Fandi Ahmad as the side prepares for the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup.