Captain Hariss Harun proud as Raoul Suhaimi makes Lions debut; feels Perry Ng will ‘bring a lot’ to team

JAKARTA – There is a running joke among Singapore’s national footballers that Raoul Suhaimi looks so much like veteran Safuwan Baharudin that he could pass off as his younger brother.

The 21-year-old, who made his international debut on Sept 25, may soon be asked to step into the 35-year-old’s shoes, with the Tampines Rovers defender tipped as a long-term successor to the likes of captain Hariss Harun and Safuwan at the heart of Singapore’s defence.

Speaking to The Straits Times at Hotel Mulia Senayan on Sept 27, Hariss said: “Funnily, I think a lot of the boys in the team see a lot of Safuwan in him.

“You know, even looks wise, they call him Safuwan’s younger brother and he wore (Safuwan’s) number 21 in the last ASEAN Championship (in August) as well when Safuwan was not around. At first glance, maybe from the back view he does look like him a little bit.”

Asked about the resemblance, Raoul laughed and said: “They do joke about it and it’s good to hear that.

“I have looked up to both him and Hariss since young and I really admire how they have been playing overseas for quite a while... it’s always a dream of mine to play overseas also.”

Raoul’s first senior cap on Sept 25 came in the closing minutes of Singapore’s 2-0 defeat by hosts Indonesia in their FIFA ASEAN Cup opener at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with the Lions down to 10 men after Safuwan was sent off.

Calling it an honour to make his Lions debut, Raoul said: “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while… It’s a proud moment for me and my family, so when I got the opportunity to come on, I was just going to do my best to help the team out.”

Raoul has served notice of his potential for some time. In 2021, he became the youngest player to feature in the Singapore Premier League at 15 years and 239 days old as he made his debut for the Young Lions, though the record was later broken by Lion City Sailors’ Nathan Mao in 2023.

The lanky defender has been with Tampines since the 2025-26 season, which has given him exposure in regional competitions such as the ASEAN Club Championship and the Asian Champions League Two.

With Safuwan suspended for the Bangladesh match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Sept 28, Raoul is among the options to partner Hariss in central defence, alongside Lionel Tan and Jacob Mahler, said Lions coach Gavin Lee.

“He’s only 21, so that’s awesome, and to know that potentially he has a long journey ahead of him,” added Lee, who hopes that handing Raoul his Lions debut will spur him on.

“Because you wet his beak in that sense, and so hopefully that will make him even hungrier for more, and that will help him sustain his motivation as he progresses on in his career.”

Hariss, who has watched Raoul’s growth over the years, believes that while the youngster has lots to learn, he has also developed nicely.

The 35-year-old added: “He’s on a nice pathway with us, and I’m really proud and happy for him.”

The Lions, who are ranked 148th in the world, has also been boosted by another reinforcement in the backline.

Cardiff City’s England-born defender Perry Ng, who qualifies to play for the Republic through his grandfather, received his Singapore citizenship on Sept 27, which means the 30-year-old is in line to feature at the Asian Cup.

Hariss said: “Obviously, we know Perry’s level where he’s playing at and he’s going to bring a lot to the team.

“It goes a long way to show how much we’ve been wanting to have him in the team and I’m sure he’s got a lot to contribute, whichever position that he plays.

“I think healthy competition is important in the team and nobody is entitled to a spot, we always have to prove ourselves.”

Raoul shared his sentiments, adding: “It’s always good to have more players who’re competing for their spot.”

Looking ahead to their match against 181st-ranked Bangladesh, whom the Lions beat 1-0 in a dead-rubber Asian Cup qualifier in March, Lee said: “The context is different... The points actually matter now, but at the same time, our squad condition is also a little bit different.

“Our job is to manage all these different variables and find the best formula for us to go out there and succeed.”

Like the Lions, Bangladesh also need to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Thomas Dooley’s men had lost 3-0 to Malaysia in their opening game on Sept 25.

“I said to the players already that we need to play with a different mindset, a different attitude, and I want to win the game,” said the former United States captain, 65, who took over in May.

“I don’t care about how many rankings they are above us. We need to play football.”

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