View source for Fauzi Saari

{{short description|Malaysian professional football player|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Malay name|Ahmad Fauzi|Saari|note=on}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name        = Fauzi Saari
| image       =<!-- Deleted image removed:  [[Image:Ahmad Fauzi.jpg]] -->
| fullname    = Ahmad Fauzi bin Saari
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1982|4|30}}<ref>[https://www.eurosport.com/football/ahmad-fauzi-saari_prs379502/person.shtml Ahmad Fauzi Saari - Eurosport]</ref>
| birth_place = [[Kulim]], [[Kedah]], Malaysia
| height      = {{height|meter=1.73}}
| currentclub = [[Kedah Darul Aman F.C.|Kedah Darul Aman]] (Team Coordinator)
| clubnumber  = 
| position    = [[Central midfielder]]
| youthyears1 = 2002–2004
| youthclubs1 = [[Kedah FA|Kedah FA President's Cup Team]]
| years1 = 2004–2011
| clubs1 = [[Kedah FA]]
| caps1  = 
| goals1 = 
| years2 = 2012
| clubs2 = [[Johor FC]]
| caps2  = 
| goals2 = 
| years3 = 2013
| clubs3 = [[Felda United]]
| caps3  = 
| goals3 = 
| years4 = 2014
| clubs4 = [[ATM FA]]
| caps4  = 
| goals4 = 
| years5 = 2015
| clubs5 = [[Negeri Sembilan FA]]
| caps5  = 0
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2016
| clubs6 = [[Perlis FA]]
| caps6  = 5
| goals6 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2004 
| nationalteam1  = [[Malaysia national under-23 football team|Malaysia U-23]] 
| nationalcaps1  = 
| nationalgoals1 = 
| club-update    = 4 September 2019
| nationalteam-update = 15 May 2014
}}

'''Ahmad Fauzi Saari''' (born 30 April 1982), is a Malaysian professional football player who last plays as a [[central midfielder]] for [[Malaysia Super League]] side [[Perlis FA]].

==Early life==
Ahmad Fauzi Saari grew up in Ladang Anak Kulim, where his father was a supervisor ({{langx|ms|mandor}}) and her mother used to ease their financial burden by tapping rubber there. He started playing football since he was a schoolboy, often with his multi-racial friends at the estate. In age of 16, his non-stop running style and talent in football was then discovered by teachers at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Serdang (a secondary school in Serdang, Kedah).

== Club career ==

===Early career===
There was no stopping Fauzi, or known as Pak Long among his [[Kedah FA]] teammates and fans. In 2002, he was selected for the [[Sukma Games]] to represent the [[Kedah]] state.

===Kedah FA===
His game is valued highly by the [[Kedah FA]] management who have placed their trust on him to stoke the engine room starting from 2004 season. He has been playing an important role in Kedah's good run in season 2006/07 and has scored some important goals for the club, mainly from long range. And sometimes, Fauzi was given the captain's armband whilst [[Victor Andrag]] and [[Cornelius Huggins]] were out from the team. He also a part of the squad that won historical double treble titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/8/26/sports/22169255&sec=sports |title=Radhi: Difficult to win double treble again |last=Noh |first=Dasheer |date=26 August 2008 |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |access-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212163325/http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F8%2F26%2Fsports%2F22169255&sec=sports |archivedate=12 February 2009 }}</ref>

==National team==
In 2004, his ability to cover acres of space, no doubt due to his running around during his estate days, was discovered by [[Allan Harris]]. The Englishman, who helmed the [[Malaysia national football team]] from 2000 to 2004, quickly roped him in as an all-action man for the pre-Olympic campaign. Fauzi played in one match – in the 4–1 defeat to [[Iran national football team|Iran]] on 3 March 2004. It was an unforgettable moment for the slightly-built player, because he remembered being outplayed by the physically superior Iranians. That remains to this day Fauzi's only appearance in the national jersey. That has not dampened his spirits. He recalled his first cap for Malaysia during an interview in 2006: {{cquote|''I found out the hard way the standard between the national league and the Asian level. The gap is worlds apart. That was the only time I was called for duty. Maybe the selectors thought I did not have the physique to survive the modern game.''|cquote}}
<ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.tmfootballchannel.com/portal/Main2?id=player 
 |title=It all began in an estate 
 |publisher=tmfootballchannel.com 
 |date=28 February 2007 
 |accessdate=28 February 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011430/http://www.tmfootballchannel.com/portal/Main2?id=player 
 |archivedate=28 September 2007 
}}</ref>
During the [[2007 AFC Asian Cup]] campaign, Fauzi was called by head coach [[Norizan Bakar]] to represent the country. Although he was part of the squad that thrash by China, Uzbekistan and Iran, he was not selected to play any single match on the tournament.

==Honours==

===Kedah===
* [[Malaysia Super League]]: 2006/07, 2007/08
** Runner-up: 2003
* [[Malaysia Premier League]]: 2002, 2005/06
** Runner-up: 2005
* [[Malaysia FA Cup]]: 2006/07, 2007/08
* [[Malaysia Cup]]: 2006/07, 2007/08
** Runner-up: 2004

==References==
<references />

{{Malaysia Squad 2007 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{Perlis FA squad}}

[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Malaysian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Malaysia men's international footballers]]
[[Category:2007 AFC Asian Cup players]]
[[Category:Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players]]
[[Category:Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. players]]
[[Category:FELDA United F.C. players]]
[[Category:21st-century Malaysian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Armed Forces F.C. players]]
[[Category:Perlis FA State Football Team players]]
[[Category:Negeri Sembilan FC players]]
[[Category:Malaysia Super League players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Footballers from Kedah]]
[[Category:Malaysian people of Malay descent]]


{{Malaysia-footy-midfielder-stub}}