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Daniel Bennett (footballer)

Daniel Mark Bennett (born 7 January 1978) is a former professional footballer. Mainly a centre-back, Bennett is a versatile player who is a strong reader of the game, allowing him to make crucial interceptions despite not being blessed with great pace; he is also known for his trademark long-range free kicks.

Daniel Bennett
Bennett with Singapore in 2008
Personal information
Full name Daniel Mark Bennett[1]
Date of birth (1978-01-07) 7 January 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth Great Yarmouth, England[1]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, full-back
Youth career
1993–1995 Tiong Bahru
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Tiong Bahru 33 (4)
1999–2000 Balestier Central 17 (1)
2000–2001 Tanjong Pagar United 35 (0)
2002 Wrexham 6 (0)
2002 Singapore Armed Forces 13 (0)
2002–2003 Wrexham 18 (0)
2003–2004 Singapore Armed Forces 42 (1)
2005–2006 Woodlands Wellington 57 (4)
2007–2016 Warriors 239 (5)
2016 Geylang International 20 (2)
2017–2021 Tampines Rovers 81 (3)
2022 Tanjong Pagar United 17 (1)
Total 578 (21)
International career
2002–2017 Singapore 146 (7)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Singapore
Asean Football Championship
Winner AFF Suzuki Cup 2004 2004
Winner AFF Suzuki Cup 2007 2007
Winner AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 2012
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Born in England, his family moved to Singapore when Bennett was a toddler. A youth product and subsequently a first team player of the then Tiong Bahru United,[nb 1] he renounced his British nationality for Singaporean citizenship in September 2002, with the intention to represent the Singapore national team in international football, the country he has lived in for most of his life.[2]

With 146 caps for Singapore over a span of two decades, he holds the national record for the most international matches played.[3] Aside from that, Bennett is also the oldest goal scorer in the AFC Champions League and the Singapore Premier League history.

Early life

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Bennett was born in Great Yarmouth, England. However, his family moved to Singapore shortly after when he was two years old. He was educated in Singapore at Tanglin Trust School and the United World College of South East Asia, where his father Andrew was a teacher and later headmaster until 2004.[4] Bennett graduated with an honours degree in Sports Science from Loughborough University.[5]

Club career

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Early career and club debut

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Bennett was selected to join the FAS Milo Scheme for talented young footballers at the age of 12.[4] He was drafted as a trainee by National Football League side Tiong Bahru three years later, giving him the opportunity to train with the team before he left Singapore to further his tertiary studies in England.[6]

Balestier Central

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Bennett returned to Singapore in 1999 hoping to make a career as a professional footballer. Then Balestier Central coach P. N. Sivaji gave him his first opportunity with the S.League club.

Tanjong Pagar United

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Bennett moved to previous club Tanjong Pagar United (formerly Tiong Bahru) in May 2000.[7] Having played as a midfielder for 15 years, his defining career shift to defence came when coach Tohari Paijan played him as a centre-back in the absence of regular stopper Lim Tong Hai in a league match.[8]

Recognition of his performances came when he was selected in the Singapore selection that faced Manchester United and Liverpool in a couple of high-profile friendly matches, and culminated in a S.League Player of the Year award.[9][10]

Wrexham

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Bradford City manager Jim Jefferies was impressed with Bennett and offered him a trial at the Yorkshire club.[11] On 8 February 2002, Wrexham manager Denis Smith signed him on a short-term contract til the end of the 2001-02 Football League.[12] Although it is not known how much Wrexham had paid to secure the deal, the club's fans paid money to ensure the club could secure Bennett's signature.[13] He made his league debut against Port Vale on 6 March 2002, partnering Trinidad & Tobago international Dennis Lawrence in the heart of defence. He was assessed as "enjoying a remarkable start, looking composed at the back and reading the game superbly" by the fans, who had contributed money to sign the player.[14][15] Bennett made over 20 appearances for the Welsh side but with the Welsh side 4th from bottom in the league, relegation was confirmed at the end of the season.[13]

Bennett made a brief return to the S.League in 2002, playing 11 games for Singapore Armed Forces during their title-winning season.[16]

He returned to Wrexham in the 2002-03 season.[13] His second spell was more successful, making 21 appearances, including 3 League Cup games as he helped the club win the FAW Premier Cup and clinch promotion to the Second Division.[17][18] Bennett was offered new terms by Wrexham at the end of the season but chose to reject the contract to return to Singapore to improve his chances of featuring regularly for the national team.[19]

Return to the S.League

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Amid interest from Home United, Tampines Rovers and Woodlands Wellington after his Wales stint, Bennett signed for defending champions Singapore Armed Forces in mid-2003.[20]

Woodlands Wellington

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He moved to ambitious Woodlands Wellington in 2005, joining his international colleagues Agu Casmir, Itimi Dickson, Goh Tat Chuan and Masrezwan Masturi.[21] Bennett led the team to 3rd place in the 2005 S.League, and 2nd and 3rd placing in the 2005 and 2006 Singapore Cup respectively.

Back to SAFFC

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After two seasons with the Rams, Bennett rejoined Singapore Armed Forces for a second time, achieving the S.League and Singapore Cup double in 2007 and 2008.

In the 2007 Singapore Cup final won by Singapore Armed Forces on 25 November, Bennett was involved in a clash with Tampines Rovers' Noh Alam Shah, a fellow Singapore national team player towards the end of the match. Noh Alam Shah kneed Bennett in the head in a tussle for the ball and after being dragged away by his team-mates, returned and kicked Bennett in the head.[22] Bennett was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to hospital while Alam Shah was sent off by referee Abas Daud.[23] The incident resulted in Alam Shah receiving a 12-month global ban which was reduced to 7 months on appeal.[24][25][26]

Bennett was handed the club's captaincy in 2012.[27] As captain he won the Singapore Cup in 2012 as well as the league title in 2014.

Geylang International

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After playing for the Warriors for nine years and amassing four league titles and winning the Singapore Cup three times, Bennett signed for Geylang International ahead of the 2016 S.League campaign.[28] He was a key cog of the Eagles defence, helping the team to the league's third-best defensive record, with 29 goals conceded in 24 games as Geylang finished fifth in the nine-team competition.[29]

Tampines Rovers

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In 2017, Bennett joined the 6th S.League club of his career, signing for Tampines Rovers for the 2017 S.League season.[29] He made 31 appearances in all competitions for the Stags last season and was a key member of league's best local defence, earning him a two-year extension with the club despite almost reaching 40 years old.[30] On 7 July 2021, Bennett scored the only goal for Tampines Rovers in the 2021 AFC Champions League group stage fixtures encounter against Gamba Osaka in an 8–1 defeat at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At 43 years and 181 days, Bennett also eclipsed Dejan Damjanović (39 years and 341 days) as the oldest ever scorer in the tournament’s history.

Tanjong Pagar United

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In January 2022, Bennett returned to Tanjong Pagar United for the second time after over 20 years. He will play for the Jaguars for the 2022 Singapore Premier League season.[31] On 9 March 2022, Bennett scored a header against Hougang United which put him to become the league's oldest scorer at 44 years and 239 days breaking Aleksandar Đurić's record of scoring at 43 years and 284 days.

International career

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Daniel Bennett at Changi Airport, returning home with the triumphant Singapore team after the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship final.

After deliberating two years, Bennett applied for Singaporean citizenship and therefore became eligible to become a Singapore national footballer.[32] He made his debut under then head coach Jan B. Poulsen in a friendly match against the Philippines on 11 December 2002.[33] He had a goal disallowed that day, an effort that he still maintains was a legitimate goal.

He would score his first international goal against Hong Kong on 4 August 2003.[34] His timely citizenship meant that he took part in the 2002 ASEAN Football Championship in co-hosts Singapore. However, the Lions failed their target of reaching the final.[35]

However, Bennett and his country would achieve significant successes in football within the next few years. Under coach Radojko Avramović, Bennett never missed a call-up to Singapore's tournament squad. He scored with a long-range effort in the 3rd minute of the 2004 finals first leg against Indonesia in front of an intimidating 100,000 Senayan crowd.[36] This meant that Singapore went on to became champions of Southeast Asia, their second title after their 1998 triumph.

Bennett earned his 100th cap against Thailand on 24 August 2011 and was inducted into the FIFA Century Club.[37][38][nb 2] With his 122nd appearance in the away leg of the 2012 ASEAN Football Championship finals, Bennett surpassed Aide Iskandar and Malek Awab as Singapore's most capped player.[39] Bennett subsequently completed a hat-trick of titles with tournament wins in 2007 and 2012.

As of January 2017, Bennett amassed 132 caps, tied with Shahril Ishak as Singapore's most-capped player.[29]

As of 2022, Bennett has 146 caps for Singapore.[3] He currently holds the national record for the most international matches played for his country.

Personal life

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Bennett married Cherry Cheung on 5 January 2005.[40][41]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 October 2021[42][43][44][45][46][47]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup[a][b] Continental[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tiong Bahru 1995 Premier League —
Balestier Central 1999 S.League — — 0 0
2000 — — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tanjong Pagar United 2001 S.League 35 0 — — 35 0
Wrexham 2001–02 Second Division 6 0 0 0 0 0 – 6 0
Singapore
Armed Forces 		2002 S.League 11 0 — — 11 0
Wrexham 2002–03 Third Division 18 0 – 18 0
Singapore
Armed Forces 		2003 S.League 15 0 — — 15 0
2004 27 1 — — 27 1
Total 42 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 1
Woodlands Wellington 2005 S.League 27 4 — — 27 4
2006 30 0 — — 30 0
Total 57 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 57 4
Singapore
Armed Forces 		2007 S.League 27 1 — — 27 1
2008 31 1 — 31 1
2009 32 1 1 0 4 0 8 0 45 1
2010 24 1 1 0 0 0 8 1 33 2
2011 26 0 3 0 0 0 — 29 0
2012 19 1 6 0 4 0 — 29 1
Total 159 5 11 0 8 0 16 1 194 5
Warriors[nb 3] 2013 S.League 26 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 33 0
2014 27 0 2 0 2 0 — 31 0
2015 27 0 3 0 2 0 — 32 0
Total 80 0 6 0 4 0 6 0 96 0
Geylang International 2016 S.League 22 1 3 0 0 0 — 25 1
Tampines Rovers 2017 Singapore Premier League 22 2 2 0 0 0 7 0 31 2
2018 23 1 2 0 0 0 7 0 32 2
2019 17 0 5 0 0 0 5 0 27 0
2020 13 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 15 0
2021 15 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 20 2
Total 90 4 9 0 0 0 26 1 125 5
Tanjong Pagar United 2022 Singapore Premier League 17 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 18 1
Career total 537 16 30 0 12 0 48 2 627 18
  1. ^ The inaugural Singapore League Cup was held in 2007.
  2. ^ Singapore Armed Forces withdrew from the 2007 Singapore League Cup due to prior pre-season commitments.[48]
  3. ^ The inaugural AFC Cup was held in 2004.

( - ) indicates unavailable referenced data conforming to reliable sources guidelines.

International

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Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bennett goal.
List of international goals scored by Daniel Bennett[49]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1[34] 4 August 2003 Kallang, Singapore   Hong Kong 1–0 4–1 Friendly
2[50] 28 January 2004 Kallang, Singapore   Norway 1–2 2–5 Friendly
3[51] 29 December 2004 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Myanmar 1–0 4–3 2004 ASEAN Football Championship
4[36] 8 January 2005 Jakarta, Indonesia   Indonesia 1–0 3–1 2004 ASEAN Football Championship
5[52] 8 June 2005 Penang, Malaysia   Malaysia 2–1 2–1 Friendly
6[53] 28 December 2006 Bangkok, Thailand   Vietnam 1–1 2–3 2006 King's Cup
7[54] 7 January 2007 Choa Chu Kang, Singapore   Philippines 1–0 4–1 Friendly

Honours

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SAFFC (Warriors FC)

Wrexham

Tampines Rovers

Singapore

Individual

Notes

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  1. ^ The club was renamed to Tanjong Pagar United FC in 1998.
  2. ^ Bennett earned his 128th cap against Jordan on 6 February 2013.
  3. ^ Singapore Armed Forces were renamed Warriors FC from the 2013 season.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Daniel Bennett". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Defender Bennett is finally a Singapore citizen". Today. 24 September 2002. p. 30.
  3. ^ a b Daniel Mark Bennett - Century of International Appearances Archived 9 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine, rsssf.org
  4. ^ a b Eric Ding (13 June 2005). "The rise and rise of Daniel Bennett". Today. p. 41.
  5. ^ Jose Raymond (18 July 2001). "Bennett's not sure". Today. p. 31.
  6. ^ "Counting on a 17-year-old". The Straits Times. 23 April 1995. p. 31.
  7. ^ Ernest Luis (12 May 2000). "Bennett's a Jaguar now". The Straits Times. p. 66.
  8. ^ Stanley Ho (24 March 2001). "Jaguars hope Bennett will cut out Cobras' venom". Today. p. 38.
  9. ^ Stanley Ho (9 February 2002). "Dan's the man for Wrexham". Today. p. 35.
  10. ^ Philip Allen (8 November 2001). "Bennett's Player of Year". The Straits Times. p. 1.
  11. ^ Stanley Ho (20 October 2001). "Bennett's off to England". Today. p. 30.
  12. ^ "Ex-Jaguar star joins Wrexham". Today. 8 February 2002. p. 52.
  13. ^ a b c "Once upon a time in Europe: Daniel Bennett, the Singaporean whom the English fans paid to sign". FourFourTwo. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  14. ^ Stanley Ho (7 March 2002). "Bennett gets first taste of tough English League". Today. p. 46.
  15. ^ Stanley Ho (8 February 2002). "Wrexham fans want to sign Singapore PR Bennett, with beer money". Today. p. 52.
  16. ^ Stanley Ho (4 May 2002). "Player of the Year Bennett signs with league-leading SAFFC". Today. p. 44.
  17. ^ Stanley Ho (6 April 2004). "English Div 3 clubs keen on Bennett". Today. p. 36.
  18. ^ "Wrexham is promoted". Today. 28 April 2003. p. 40.
  19. ^ Stanley Ho (19 May 2003). "Bennett quits". Today. p. 37.
  20. ^ "Bennett is back to lead SAFFC from the back". The Straits Times. 3 June 2003. p. 6.
  21. ^ Darren Lai (2 March 2007). "Team is Woodlands' mantra for 2007". Today. p. 65.
  22. ^ Leonard Lim (26 November 2007). "Alam Shah's red mist mars SAFFC win". The Straits Times. p. 36.
  23. ^ Marc Lim (29 November 2007). "He could have crippled me". The Straits Times. p. 56.
  24. ^ Wang Meng Meng (11 December 2007). "Alam Shah banned 1 year, fined $2,000". The Straits Times. p. 37.
  25. ^ Wang Meng Meng (30 January 2008). "Fifa: Alam Shah's ban is worldwide". The Straits Times. p. 35.
  26. ^ Stanley Ho (30 April 2008). "Alam Shah's ban cut to seven months". Today. p. 60.
  27. ^ "Warriors' new skipper speaks". Warriors FC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  28. ^ "Star Man – Daniel Bennett, Geylang International". FourFourTwo. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  29. ^ a b c "Bennett joins Tampines". The New Paper. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  30. ^ "Tampines Rovers Football Club". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  31. ^ "2022 Singapore Premier League season: Transfer Centre". Football Association of Singapore. 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  32. ^ Stanley Ho (5 July 2002). "Bennett says yes to Singapore". Today. p. 50.
  33. ^ "Singapore beat Philipines [sic] 2-0". FAS. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  34. ^ a b "Lions too friendly". The Straits Times. 5 August 2003. p. 2.
  35. ^ Stanley Ho (17 December 2002). "Lions' final target". Today. p. 39.
  36. ^ a b "Senayan silenced". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  37. ^ "FIFA Century Club fact sheet" (PDF). FIFA. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2013.
  38. ^ "Bennett set for Singapore century". AFC. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  39. ^ "Daniel Bennett: Singapore is my home and I will always live here". Goal. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  40. ^ "No Lions as Bennett keeps his big day private". The Straits Times. 6 January 2005. p. 9.
  41. ^ Marc Lim (25 December 2004). "Bennett's labour of love". The Straits Times. p. 14.
  42. ^ "Daniel Bennett". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  43. ^ "S.League - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  44. ^ "Singapore Cup - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  45. ^ "League Cup - fixtures & scores". sleague.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  46. ^ "AFC Champions League". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  47. ^ "AFC Cup". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  48. ^ "New Singapore pre-season cup for S.League clubs". Asian Football Business Review. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  49. ^ "Daniel Mark Bennett - Century of International Appearances". Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  50. ^ Jeffrey Low (29 January 2004). "No defence for terrible defence". The Straits Times. p. 7.
  51. ^ "Fearless Lions". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  52. ^ "Avramovic hails Singapore form". FAS. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  53. ^ "King's Cup 2006 (Thailand)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  54. ^ "Singapore 4:1 Pnilippines". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
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