Mohammad Hendra Azam bin Mohammad Idris (born 10 August 1988) is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brunei Super League club Indera and the Brunei national team.[1]
 Hendra with Brunei in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammad Hendra Azam bin Mohammad Idris | ||
| Date of birth | 10 August 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Brunei | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Indera | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Majra | ||
| 2009–2011 | QAF | ||
| 2012–2024 | DPMM | 157 | (5) |
| 2024– | Indera | 5 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2014 | Brunei U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2011 | Brunei U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2009– | Brunei | 23 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editHendra began his career with Majra FC where he once scored from the halfway line seconds after the opposing team were celebrating an equalizer and failing to prepare for the restart.[2] He moved to QAF FC in 2009 where he won the Brunei Premier League in his first season with them.[3]
Hendra joined DPMM in 2012,[4] and broke into the first team the following year, scoring in the semi-final of the 2013 Singapore League Cup.[5]
By the 2019 season, Hendra became an integral part of the DPMM squad, starting in most matches as a deep-lying playmaker.[6] On 28 April in the home fixture against Hougang United FC, deep into injury time with the game poised at 2–2, Hendra floated in a 40-yard free-kick which bounced directly into the net to score the game-winning goal.[7] That goal became an important moment in DPMM's season as they became the league champions come September, overcoming Hougang's own title challenge.[8]
DPMM participated in the domestic FA Cup in 2022, and Hendra was instrumental in the team's advancement all the way to the final on 4 December against Kasuka FC.[9] Hendra started in midfield and was victorious with a 2–1 win, bringing DPMM their second FA Cup triumph after last winning the competition in 2004.[10]
After the end of the 2023 Singapore Premier League, Hendra was released from the DPMM roster along with Wardun Yussof, Fakharrazi Hassan, Helmi Zambin, Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman and Razimie Ramlli.[11] He moved to Indera SC at the start of the 2024–25 Brunei Super League, and made his debut in the first fixture of the competition on 30 August 2024 against MS PPDB, scoring the first goal for Indera and thus the league itself in a 2–0 victory.[12]
International career
editHendra made his debut for the national team in the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification against hosts Sri Lanka in a 1–5 loss, when the whole team was represented by his then club side QAF FC for the tournament.[13] He made further appearances in the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying rounds of 2012 and 2014.
Hendra saw action for the Under-23s at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia. He was selected for the Under-21s in the 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy a year later, playing in the final for the host's maiden success. Picked again for 2014 as an overage player, he started 3 games as Brunei narrowly failed to advance from the group stage.
After featuring for the DPMM first-team for the last few seasons Hendra was in line to be called up for international duty in June 2019, but declined the invitation to play for Brunei at the 2022 World Cup qualification.[14]
Hendra returned to the international fold in 2022, taking up captaincy and playing in three friendly games against Malaysia, the Maldives and Laos.[15] He led Brunei to qualification for the 2022 AFF Championship with victory over Timor-Leste that November, winning 6–3 on aggregate.[16][17] The following month in the group stage of the tournament Hendra played two games from the start and two as a substitute as Brunei failed to earn any points in the regional tournament.[18]
Hendra stayed as captain for the 6 September 2023 unofficial friendly against Sabah FC at the Track & Field Sports Complex, which ended in a 1–3 loss.[19] He did not travel to Hong Kong for the away friendly against the Hong Kong national football team five days later, which resulted in an acrimonious 10–0 drubbing by the home side.[20] In the following month, he led the Wasps for the 2026 World Cup qualification two-legged match against a daunting opponent in Indonesia.[21] Recognising the gulf in strength, Hendra jested that their opposition would "play a 1-1-8 formation" against his team, a comment that amused Indonesia's head coach, Shin Tae-yong.[22] He started in the first leg and also the second leg five days later in Brunei but suffered a 0–6 defeat in both matches, resulting in Brunei's elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[23]
After his release from DPMM in early 2024, he missed out on traveling with the Wasps at the 2024 FIFA Series and subsequent friendly games against Sri Lanka, relinquishing the captain's armband to cousin Azwan Ali Rahman who was already captaining his club. Having proven his match fitness at Indera, Brunei interim head coach Jamie McAllister selected him for the play-off round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualification two-legged tie against Macau that following September.[24] He made the starting eleven in the first match at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on 6 September, partnering Azwan in center midfield and gave a commandeering display in a 3–0 victory.[25] A month later, he also played the first leg at home against Timor-Leste for the 2024 ASEAN Championship qualification in a 0–1 loss, the goal by Gali Freitas ultimately deciding the tie and incurred Brunei's elimination from the year's regional meet.[26]
Honours
editQAF
DPMM
Brunei U-21
Individual
Meritorius Service Medal (PJK) (2012)[27]
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Personal life
editHendra's cousins are Brunei internationals Azwan Ali Rahman and Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman.[28] His elder brother Dannie Hendra is a former footballer.[29] His younger brother Hendra Putera is also a footballer who plays for Kota Ranger FC as a goalkeeper.
References
edit- ^ "Singapore Premier League Week 11: Roundup". Football Association of Singapore. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "Never-say-die Majra bury Wijaya". The Brunei Times. 25 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "MS ABDB gun down Majra to move top". The Brunei Times. 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "DPMM FC get fresh legs". The Brunei Times. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Hendra fires DPMM FC into final". The Brunei Times. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "DPMM OPEN SIX-POINT LEAD IN SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE". ASEAN Football Federation. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "HENDRA AZAM TAMES CHEETAHS WITH LATE WINNER". BruSports News. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "DPMM SPL champions as Hougang stumble". The Straits Times. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Anticipation builds over FA Cup battle". Borneo Bulletin. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Crown Prince joins group photo session with DPMM FC". Borneo Bulletin. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "DPMM FC releases 6 players". DPMM FC. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ @ligabrunei (30 August 2024). "The Brunei Super League 2024/25 kicks off today at Tutong Sports Complex as Indera SC secures 2-0 victory MS PPDB with goals from Hendra Azam and Hamizan Aziz". Retrieved 31 August 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Sri Lanka too strong for QAF FC". Borneo Bulletin. 5 April 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Brunei national team set to miss nine key players". Borneo Bulletin. 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ "Brunei ready for 'high intensity match' against Maldives, says head coach". Borneo Bulletin. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "'We will give a good fight' – Hendra". ASEAN Football Federation. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Brunei DS edge Timor Leste for place in AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022". ASEAN Football Federation. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Brunei lose 5-1 to Cambodia". Borneo Bulletin. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Players excited to play before fans, says Brunei head coach". Borneo Bulletin. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "Result: Hong Kong, China 10 - 0 Brunei". HKFA. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ @fa.bruneidarussalam (9 October 2023). "Here's the 25 players that will be representing Brunei Darussalam in the World Cup Qualifiers". Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Kapten Brunei Tak Takut Lawan Timnas Indonesia di GBK". CNN Indonesia. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "NO HOME COMFORT FOR WASPS". BruSports News. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ @fa.bruneidarussalam (5 September 2024). "Called up national team squad list for AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers: Brunei v Macau". Retrieved 10 September 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Macau vs Brunei Darussalam live score, H2H and lineups Sofascore". Sofascore. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Timor-Leste qualify for ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024". ASEAN Football Federation. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Sultan sees HBT stars as nucleus of national team". Borneo Bulletin. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "HBT Alumni shares experience in winning the 2012 edition". New Brunei Daily. 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "Super League promises more action". Borneo Bulletin. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
External links
edit
- Hendra Azam at National-Football-Teams.com
- Mohd Hendra Azam bin Mohd Idris at Soccerway