View source for Safee Sali

{{short description|Malaysian footballer}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Malay name|Mohd Safee|Mohd Sali}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Safee Sali
| image = Safee Sali - 53823492285.jpg
| caption = Safee in 2024
| fullname = Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1984|1|29}}<ref>{{FIFA player|212029}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Kajang]], [[Selangor]], Malaysia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/mohd-safee-player-stats|title = MLS News, Scores, & Standings}}</ref>
| height = {{height|meter=1.72}}
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| currentclub = 
| clubnumber = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| youthyears1 = 
| years1 = 2003–2005
| clubs1 = [[Kuala Lumpur FA]]
| caps1 = ?
| goals1 = 20
| years2 = 2003
| clubs2 = → [[Telekom Malaysia F.C.|Telekom Melaka]] (loan)
| caps2 = ?
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2005–2006
| clubs3 = [[Sarawak FA]]
| caps3 = ?
| goals3 = 10
| years4 = 2006–2011
| clubs4 = [[Selangor F.C.|Selangor]]
| caps4 = ?
| goals4 = 36
| years5 = 2011–2013
| clubs5 = [[Madura United F.C.|Pelita Jaya]]
| caps5 = 42
| goals5 = 27
| years6 = 2013
| clubs6 = → [[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Ta'zim]] (loan)
| caps6 = 16
| goals6 = 2
| years7 = 2014–2017
| clubs7 = [[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Ta'zim]]
| caps7 = 32
| goals7 = 4
| years8 = 2017–2018
| clubs8 = [[PKNS F.C.|PKNS]]
| caps8 = 33
| goals8 = 9
| years9 = 2019
| clubs9 = [[Perlis FA|Perlis]]
| caps9 = 3
| goals9 = 0
| years10 = 2019–2020
| clubs10 = [[Petaling Jaya City FC|Petaling Jaya City]]
| caps10 = 20
| goals10 = 4
| years11 = 2021–2022
| clubs11 = [[Kuala Lumpur F.C.|Kuala Lumpur City]]
| caps11 = 13
| goals11 = 1
| nationalyears1 = 2004–2010
| nationalteam1 = [[Malaysia national under-23 football team|Malaysia U-23]]
| nationalcaps1 = 26
| nationalgoals1 = 14
| nationalyears2 = 2006–2017
| nationalteam2 = [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysia]]
| nationalcaps2 = 76<ref name='MNFT'>[https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mx5CzGyQPJs6ndxe2LXPogmQRPPq1K9m Safee Sali International Caps & Goals]</ref>
| nationalgoals2 = 23
| nationalyears3 = 2008–2013
| nationalteam3 = [[Malaysia League XI|Malaysia XI]]
| nationalcaps3 = 8
| nationalgoals3 = 2
| club-update = 24 June 2022
| nationalteam-update = 24 May 2017
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|MAS}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asean Football Championship]]}}
{{medal|W|[[2010 AFF Suzuki Cup|2010]]|[[2010 AFF Suzuki Cup squads#Malaysia|Team]]}}
{{medal|RU|[[2014 AFF Championship|2014]]|[[2014 AFF Championship squads#Malaysia|Team]]}}
}}

'''Mohd Safee bin Mohd Sali''' (born 29 January 1984) is a former [[Malaysia]]n [[Association football|footballer]] who played as [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. He played for [[Kuala Lumpur FA]], [[Telekom Malaysia F.C.|Telekom Melaka]], [[Sarawak FA|Sarawak]], [[Selangor F.C.|Selangor]], [[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Ta'zim]], [[PKNS F.C.|PKNS]], [[Perlis FA|Perlis]] and [[Petaling Jaya City FC|Petaling Jaya City]] before returning to Kuala Lumpur. In 2011, Safee became the first Malaysian to play in the [[Indonesia Super League]] with [[Madura United F.C.|Pelita Jaya]].

A [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysian international]] between 2006 and 2017, Safee won the [[2010 AFF Championship]] and scored a total of nine goals in four consecutive editions of the tournament.

On 21 February 2023, Safee announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 39. He had 76 caps and 23 goals with the [[Malaysia national football team]] on the international stage and scored a total of 180 goals (153 goals with Malaysian League club, 27 goals with Indonesian League club) in club football.<ref>[https://semuanyabola.com/bukan-137-pengumpul-data-devinder-singh-bentang-statistik-204-gol-dijaringkan-safee-sali-sepanjang-kariernya/ Bukan 137, Pengumpul Data Devinder Singh Bentang Statistik 204 Gol Dijaringkan Safee Sali Sepanjang Kariernya] - Semuanyabola, 21 February 2023</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/devinder00/status/1627905280200810496 Safee Sali] - Devinder Singh, Sportimes.</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/HarimauMYstats/status/1627897120232714240 Selamat bersara buat Safee Sali] - HarimauMYstats.</ref>

==Club career==
===Kuala Lumpur FA===
Safee was brought to [[Kuala Lumpur FA]] by coach Igor Novak. He scored his first hat-trick in a [[Malaysia Premier League|MPL 2]] match against [[Thang Kiang Nam F.C.|Perak TKN]], which ended 6-2. He netted 11 goals in his first season to become the second top local goalscorer behind [[Azman Adnan]].<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/malay03.html 2003 England League]</ref> However, during the 2004 season, he only managed to score 2 league goals. In his last season with Kuala Lumpur, he scored 7 league goals, 3 goals in the 2005 [[Malaysia FA Cup]], where Kuala Lumpur reached the semi-finals, as well as 1 goal in the 2005 [[Malaysia Cup]].

===Telekom Melaka===
Safee was loaned to [[TM F.C.|Telekom Melaka]] for the 2003 [[Malaysia Cup]] after Kuala Lumpur failed to qualify for the cup competition. He scored one goal in the competition against [[Sarawak FA|Sarawak]] in their final group match.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/malay03.html 2003 Malaysia Cup]</ref> He returned to Kuala Lumpur following TMFC's failure to qualify for the knockout round.

===Sarawak FA===
Safee later joined [[Sarawak FA]]. He became the top local goalscorer with 10 goals. At the end of the season, he scored a total of 19 goals in all competition, making him the top scorer for Sarawak during the 2005/06 season.

===Selangor FA===
In 2006/2007 season, Safee joined [[Selangor FA]]. He was given the number 10 jersey which was once worn by legendary Selangor FA and [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysian national team]] player, the late [[Mokhtar Dahari]]. With Selangor, Safee impressed [[K. Devan]] by bringing the team both to the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup final. However, Selangor lost to [[Kedah FA]] in both finals with the same score of 3–2. He scored a total of 11 goals in his first season with Selangor.

On his second season with Selangor, he scored 11 goals in 10 matches, but he had an injury that made him missed half of the 2007/08 season. He returned to be the second top scorer on the 2010 Season. He also scored the winning goal for Selangor in a 2–1 win against [[Negeri Sembilan FA]] at the [[Malaysia Charity Shield|2010 Malaysia Charity Shield]].

After the [[2010 AFF Suzuki Cup]] and his superb performance at the early stages in the [[2011 Super League Malaysia|2011 Super League Malaysia season]], Safee agreed to join the [[Indonesian Super League]] team, [[Pelita Jaya]] to gain more experience. Safee's last game with Selangor was a 1–1 draw against [[Kuala Lumpur FA]]. This was Safee's last game before his departure to [[Karawang]], [[Indonesia]] to join [[Pelita Jaya]].

===Pelita Jaya===
On 5 February 2011, Safee officially transferred to the [[Indonesian Super League]] team, [[Persipasi Bandung Raya|Pelita Jaya]] on a USD 30,000 transfer fee and his salary reached USD 10,000 or RM 30,360. .<ref>[http://www.aseanfootball.org/v2/?p=7184 PELITA JAYA IT IS FOR SAFEE]. aseanfootball.org (7 February 2011). Retrieved at 3 May 2014</ref> Safee signed a one-year contract with Pelita Jaya. This transfer made Safee the first Malaysian player to play in the Indonesian Super League.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mnftfc.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/safee-pergi-ke-pelita-jaya.html|title=Safee pergi ke Pelita Jaya '''(Malay)'''|date=7 February 2011|publisher=MNFT FC|access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref> Safee originally was given the number 10 shirt. But due to a registration problem, he chose the number 55 instead of his original number. Safee made his [[Indonesian Super League|league]] debut against [[Sriwijaya FC|Sriwijaya]]. Safee scored 7 goals in 13 appearances in his first season with Pelita.

On 12 October 2011, Safee was announced as the captain of [[Persipasi Bandung Raya|Pelita Jaya]] for the upcoming [[2011–12 Indonesia Super League]] season and changed his jersey number to 10 instead. On 24 March 2012, Safee managed to score four goals against [[Persegres Gresik United|Gresik United]]. Safee ended the season with 20 league goals.

==== Cardiff City trial ====
In 2011, Safee was offered a two-week trial with [[Football League Championship]] club, [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/cardiff-city-hand-safee-sali-1810528|title= Cardiff City hand Safee Sali, 'Malaysia's David Beckham', his big chance |date=22 November 2013|publisher=Abg Teror|access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref>

===Arema Cronus===
In [[2013 Indonesia Super League|2013 season]], Safee transferred to [[Arema Cronus F.C.|Arema Cronus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Sukan/20121013/su_04/Safee-ke-Arema-Malang|title= Safee ke Arema Malang|date=22 November 2013|publisher=Abg Teror|access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref>

===Johor Darul Takzim===
In 2013, Safee returned to Malaysia to join [[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Takzim]]. He made his debut and scored two goals in the pre-season match against [[Melaka United]]. In 2015, Safee was selected to start in the [[2015 AFC Cup Final]] in a 1–0 victory against [[FC Istiklol|Istiklol]] at [[Pamir Stadium]].

===PKNS===
Safee signed with PKNS in 2017. He spent two season and made 33 league appearances scoring 9 goals.

===Perlis and PJ City===
In 2019, Safee briefly played for Perlis. Malaysian Football League (MFL) canceled Perlis participation in the league due to their financial planning were insufficient to manage the team for competition in the M-League.<ref>[https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2019/02/462065/mfl-cancel-perlis-malaysia-league-participation MFL cancel Perlis' Malaysia League participation] - New Straits Times, 20 February 2019.</ref> He later signed with PJ City on 20 February 2019.<ref>[https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2019/02/20/safee-sali-joins-pj-city-fc/1725037 Safee Sali joins PJ City FC] - Malay Mail, 20 February 2019.</ref>

===Kuala Lumpur City===
Safee signed with Kuala Lumpur City on 24 December 2020.<ref>[https://hubmedia.my/sukan/old-is-gold-for-kuala-lumpur-as-safee-comes-on-board/ ‘OLD IS GOLD’ FOR KUALA LUMPUR AS SAFEE COMES ON BOARD] - HubMedia, 25 December 2020.</ref> He made his debut in a 1-0 defeat against Penang on 6 March 2021. In [[2021 Malaysia Cup]], Safee won his first ever Malaysia Cup title in 20 years of his career after defeating Johor Darul Ta'zim 2-0 in the final.<ref>[https://labolamalaya.com/20-tahun-main-bola-safee-sali-masih-kempunan-julang-piala-malaysia/ 20 Tahun Main Bola, Safee Sali Masih Kempunan Julang Piala Malaysia] - La Bola Malaya, 9 October 2021.</ref><ref>[https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2022/02/773412/new-chapter-safees-career New chapter in Safee's career] - New Straits Times, 22 February 2022.</ref> In 2022, Safee set a record as the first Malaysian footballer to play in two AFC Cup finals as he come in as substitutes in a 3-0 defeat against Al Seeb.<ref>[https://www.bharian.com.my/sukan/bola/2022/10/1015878/dua-minit-paling-manis-bermakna-buat-safee Dua minit paling manis, bermakna buat Safee] - Berita Harian, 23 October 2022.</ref>

==International career==

===Youth team===
Safee started representing Malaysia Under-23 during the [[2004 Olympic Games]] qualifiers. He played all the qualification matches but mostly played as the substitute. He was then selected to represent Malaysia Under-23 at the 2005 Pre-South East Asian Games in Thailand under the then-coach [[Bertalan Bicskei]]. He managed to score only one goal in the tournament against the [[Philippines national football team|Philippines Under-23]]. He however did not make it into 2005 South East Asian Games squad that won the bronze medal. After the 2005 South East Asian Games, Safee was given a chance by coach [[Norizan Bakar]] to represent the Under-23 side for the [[2006 Asian Games|2006 Doha Asian Games]]. He again failed to make it into the squad.

After the national Under-23 sides failure in the 2006 Asian Games, Safee was selected as the main striker by coach B. Sathianathan. Together with striking partner [[Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak]], they managed to win the [[2007 Merdeka Tournament]] after defeating [[Myanmar national football team|Myanmar]] 3–1 in the final and becoming the top scorer with 4 goals. He then was chosen to represent the country in the 2007 South East Asian Games in Thailand. Safee managed to score 2 goals in the tournament but the Under-23 national team failed to advance into the semifinal after a draw against rivals the [[Singapore national football team|Singapore]].

For 2008, Safee was chosen as the main striker in the [[Inter Continental Cup|2008 Malaysia Intercontinental Cup]]. He managed to score all Malaysia's 3 goals in Malaysia's 1–3 defeat to the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]], 1–0 win against the [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]] and an impressive 1–1 draw against the [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]]. The match against Nigeria was Safee's last game with Malaysia national under-23 team.

In 2010, Safee received called up for the Asian Games squad. He played three matches in Eximbank Cup in [[Vietnam]]. He did not chosen as the three senior members for the final squad to the Asian Games.

===Senior team===
After an impressive season with Sarawak in the Malaysia Premier League, Safee managed to make it into the national team. He was given his first senior caps against [[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]] on 19 February 2006. He then scored his first international goal on his second cap against [[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]].

He then became the part of the national football team preparing for the [[2007 AFC Asian Cup]]. He was then chosen into the squad of Malaysia 2007 Asian Cup. He only made his first appearance in the Asian Cup in the third group match against [[Iran national football team|Iran]] where Malaysia lost 0–3.

For the 2008 Merdeka Tournament, Safee scored another similar style of goal that was scored earlier during the 2008 Sultan of selangor Cup against the [[Nepal national football team|Nepal]]. He became the top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals despite Malaysia losing 6–5 through penalty kicks against Vietnam in the final.

In November 2010, Safee was called up to the [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysia national squad]] by coach [[K. Rajagopal (footballer)|K. Rajagopal]] for the [[2010 AFF Suzuki Cup]]. Safee scored twice against [[Vietnam national football team|Vietnam]] to secure a 2–0 win in the first leg in the semi-finals. Safee again scored another two goals in the first leg of the finals to secure a 3–0 win against Indonesia. On the second leg of the Final, Safee scored another goal to earn 5 goals, thus becoming the tournaments top goal scorer. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 title for the first time in their history.

On 28 November 2012, Safee netted in his third consecutive AFF Championship tournament, scoring the second goal in Malaysia's 4–1 win over [[Laos national football team|Laos]] in their second group match. On 29 November 2014, Safee netted in his fourth consecutive AFF Championship tournament, scoring the first goal in Malaysia's 3–1 win over [[Singapore national football team|Singapore]] in their third group match. Other than that, he was invisible throughout the tournament.

===Malaysia XI===
Safee also represented in the [[Malaysia League XI|Malaysia XI]] squad against Arsenal and Liverpool at the [[Shah Alam Stadium]] on 29 July 2008. He was one of the impressive Malaysian players on the match. The Malaysia XI eventually lost.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080801214026/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=835383.html#chelsea+beat+malaysian+xi Chelsea beat Malaysian XI]. Fifa.com (29 July 2008). Retrieved on 11 August 2012.</ref>

On 16 July 2011, Safee was included in the match against [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in which the Malaysia XI lost 3–6. He came on as a substitute and scored 2 goals.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jul/16/charlie-adam-liverpool-malaysian-all-stars Charlie Adam and Alberto Aquilani star as Liverpool hit Malaysian side for six&nbsp;– Malaysia All-Star XI 3–6 Liverpool]. Guardian (16 July 2011). Retrieved on 11 August 2012.</ref>

==Attributes==
Safee previously wears the legendary jersey No. 10 which was once worn by legendary Selangor FA and [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysian national team]] player, the late [[Mokhtar Dahari]]. He is a member of the Malaysia national football team. His aggressive playing style, combined with great pace, good physique despite his height of 171&nbsp;cm and his shooting techniques recently made him a regular first team member for the national team. Being one of the Malaysian players with the best flair, Safee also contributes spectacular goals with his long shots and [[overhead kick]]s for both the national team and Selangor FA.

==Social media controversy==
Safee gained notoriety on social media after lashing out at fans for criticising his poor performances for the Malaysian national team in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup. After a 3–2 loss to Thailand in the group stage of the tournament, he responded to negative comments on [[Instagram]] by saying in Malay: {{sic|"Those commenting negatively here, have you played at the international level? If not, you'd better shut up...Don't put down the efforts of those fighting for the country's honour...IF YOU SHAME TO SUPPORT HARIMAU MALAYA BETTER CHANGE TO ANOTHER FLAG"}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2014/11/27/6543051/safee-sali-lashes-out-at-detractorson-instagram|title=Safee Sali lashes out on detractors...on Instagram - Goal.com|date=27 November 2014|work=goal.com|access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref>

Malaysia succeeded in making it to the final anyway, after overturning a 2–1 semi-final first leg deficit to win 5–3 on aggregate against Vietnam in the second leg. Safee was rested for the second leg, reportedly due to injury. Following the victory over Vietnam, he posted an Instagram photo of himself celebrating, with the caption (translated): "To the fans who swapped flags after being told off last time, don't hide your faces behind pillows ok..just wipe them with tissues". One of the photo's hashtags said "#amikkau", which means "take that" in Malay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ammboi.com/2014/12/12/malaysia-menang-safee-sali-sindir-peminat/|title=MALAYSIA MENANG, SAFEE SALI SINDIR PEMINAT|date=12 December 2014|work=ammboi.com|access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> This outraged Malaysian fans further, and Safee was booed by home supporters during the final game against Thailand.

==Commercial endorsements==
Safee is under sponsorship with American sports-brand, [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], after previously being the face of [[Adidas]] for South East Asia. Safee was given his own Mercurial Football Boot with his name on it. It was given exclusively by [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://img842.imageshack.us/i/safeeownboot.jpg/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019141719/http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/safeeownboot.jpg/|archive-date=19 October 2012|title=Safee's Nike Mercurial boot Release|publisher=Imageshack|access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{{updated|match played 22 October 2022}}<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://us.soccerway.com/players/safee-sali/10693/
|title=Safee Sali
|website= Soccerway.com
|access-date=10 December 2017
}}</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/keeshmatstats/status/1342032572839129088/photo/2 Statistik Pemain - Safee Sali]</ref>
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season
!colspan=3|League
!colspan=2|Cup
!colspan=2|League Cup
!colspan=2|Continental
!colspan=2|Other
!colspan=2|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Kuala Lumpur FA|Kuala Lumpur]]
|[[2003 Liga Perdana 2|2003]]
|[[Liga Perdana 2|Premier League 2]]
| ||11|| ||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–|| ||11
|-
|[[2004 Malaysia Premier League|2004]]
|[[Malaysia Premier League]]
| ||2|| ||0|| ||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–|| ||2
|-
|[[2005–06 Malaysia Premier League|2005–06]]
|Malaysia Premier League
| ||7|| ||3|| ||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–|| ||11
|-
!colspan="2"|Total|| ||20|| ||3|| ||1||colspan=2|–||colspan="2"|–|| ||24
|-
|rowspan=2|[[TM F.C.|Telekom Melaka]] (loan)
|[[2003 Liga Perdana 1|2003]]
|[[Liga Perdana 1|Premier League 1]]
|colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||1
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Sarawak FA|Sarawak]]
|[[2005–06 Malaysia Premier League|2005–06]]
|Malaysia Premier League
| ||10|| ||6|| ||3||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||19
|-
!colspan="2"|Total|| ||10|| ||6|| ||3||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–|| ||19
|-
|rowspan=6|[[Selangor FA]]
|[[Malaysia Super League 2006-07|2006-07]]
|[[Malaysia Super League]]
| ||0|| ||2|| ||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan=2|–|| ||3
|-
|[[Malaysia Super League 2007-08|2007-08]]
|Malaysia Super League
| ||11|| ||9|| ||6||colspan="2"|–||colspan=2|–|| ||26
|-
|[[Malaysia Super League 2009|2009]]
|Malaysia Super League
| ||12|| ||1|| ||5||colspan="2"|–||colspan=2|–|| ||18
|-
|[[Malaysia Super League 2010|2010]]
|Malaysia Super League
| ||12|| ||2|| ||3||5||3||colspan=2|–|| ||20
|-
|[[2011 Super League Malaysia|2011]]
|Malaysia Super League
|3||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan=2|–||3||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total|| ||36|| ||14|| ||15||5||3||colspan="2"|–|| ||68
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Pelita Jaya FC|Pelita Jaya]]
|[[2010–11 Indonesia Super League|2010–2011]]
|[[Indonesia Super League]]
|13||7||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||13||7
|-
|[[2011–12 Indonesia Super League|2011–2012]]
|Indonesia Super League
|29||20||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||29||20
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||42||27||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||42||27
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Ta'zim]] (loan)
|[[2013 Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. season|2013]]
|Malaysia Super League
|16||2||5||1||6||3||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||27||6
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||16||2||5||1||6||3||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||27||6
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.|Johor Darul Ta'zim]]
|[[2014 Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. season|2014]]<!--League app 9/22, 2-->
|Malaysia Super League
|9||2||3||1||1||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||13||3
|-
|[[2015 Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. season|2015]]
|Malaysia Super League
|15||1||1||0||8||3||10||4||colspan=2|–||34||8
|-
|[[2016 Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. season|2016]]
|Malaysia Super League
|8||1||3||0||5||2||7||3||colspan=2|–||23||6
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||32||4||7||1||14||5||17||7||colspan=2|–||70||17
|-
|rowspan=3|[[PKNS F.C.|PKNS]]
|[[2017 PKNS F.C. season|2017]]
|Malaysia Super League
|14||4||1||0||1||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||16||4
|-
|[[2018 PKNS F.C. season|2018]]
|Malaysia Super League
|19||5||4||2||4||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||27||8
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||33||9||5||2||5||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||43||12
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Perlis FA|Perlis]]
|[[2019 Perlis FA season|2019]]
|Malaysia Premier League
|3||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||3||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||3||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||3||0
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Petaling Jaya City FC|Petaling Jaya City]]
|[[2019 Petaling Jaya City FC season|2019]]
|Malaysia Super League
|14||3||2||1||6||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||22||4
|-
|[[2020 Petaling Jaya City FC season|2020]]
|Malaysia Super League
|6||1||colspan=2|–||1||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||7||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||20||4||2||1||1||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||29||5
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Kuala Lumpur City F.C.|Kuala Lumpur City]]
|[[2021 Kuala Lumpur City F.C. season|2021]]
|Malaysia Super League
|11||1||colspan=2|–||3||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||14||1
|-
|[[2022 Kuala Lumpur City F.C. season|2022]]
|Malaysia Super League
|2||0||1||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||5||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total||13||1||1||0||3||0||2||0||0||0||19||1
|}
{{notelist}}

===International Appearances===
{{updated|22 March 2017.}}<ref name="NFT">{{NFT player |id=13531 |name=Safee Sali|accessdate=4 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="MNFT"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=12 | [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysia national team]]
|-
!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|2006||4||1
|-
|2007||4||0
|-
|2008||11||7
|-
|2009||1||0
|-
|2010||6||5
|-
|2011||8||5
|-
|2012||16||3
|-
|2013||3||0
|-
|2014||13||1
|-
|2015||6||1
|-
|2016||3||0
|-
|2017||1||0
|-

!Total||76||23
|}

==International goals==
:''Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first.''<ref name="NFT"/><ref name="MNFT"/>
{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || 23 February 2006 || [[North Harbour Stadium]], [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]] || {{fb|NZL}} || align=center | '''1'''–1 || align=center | 1–2 || [[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|-
| 2. || 10 October 2008 || [[Bukit Jalil National Stadium]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]] || {{fb|PAK}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 4–1 || Friendly
|-
| 3. ||rowspan=2| 15 October 2008 ||rowspan=2| [[Petaling Jaya Stadium]], [[Petaling Jaya]], Malaysia ||rowspan=2| {{fb|NEP}} || align=center | '''2'''–0 ||rowspan=2 align=center | 4–0 ||rowspan=2| [[2008 Merdeka Tournament]]
|-
| 4. || align=center | '''3'''–0
|-
| 5. || 20 October 2008 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|AFG|2004}} || align=center | '''5'''–0 || align=center | 6–0 || 2008 Merdeka Tournament
|-
| 6. || 23 October 2008 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|MYA|1974}} || align=center | '''2'''–0 || align=center | 4–0 || 2008 Merdeka Tournament
|-
| 7. || rowspan=2| 6 December 2008 ||rowspan=2| [[Surakul Stadium]], [[Phuket Province|Phuket]], [[Thailand]] ||rowspan=2| {{fb|LAO}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || rowspan=2 align=center | 3–0 ||rowspan=2| [[2008 AFF Suzuki Cup]]
|-
| 8. || align=center | '''3'''–0
|-
| 9. ||rowspan=2| 15 December 2010 ||rowspan=2| Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ||rowspan=2 |{{fb|VIE}} ||align=center | '''1'''–0 || rowspan=2 align=center | 2–0 ||rowspan=2| [[2010 AFF Suzuki Cup]]
|-
| 10. || align=center | '''2'''–0
|-
| 11. ||rowspan=2| 26 December 2010 ||rowspan=2| Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia||rowspan=2 |{{fb|Indonesia}} ||align=center | '''1'''–0 || rowspan=2 align=center | 3–0 ||rowspan=2| 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
|-
| 12. || align=center | '''3'''–0
|-
| 13. || 29 December 2010 || [[Gelora Bung Karno Stadium]], [[Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]] || {{fb|INA}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 1–2 || 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
|-
| 14. ||rowspan=2| 23 July 2011 ||rowspan=2| [[Jalan Besar Stadium]], [[Jalan Besar]], [[Singapore]] ||rowspan=2| {{fb|SIN}} ||align=center | '''1'''–0 ||rowspan=2 align=center | 3–5 ||rowspan=2| [[2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|2014 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| 15. || align=center | '''3'''–4
|-
| 16. || 28 July 2011 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|SIN}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 1–1|| 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 
|-
| 17. ||rowspan=2|  16 November 2011 ||rowspan=2| [[Salt Lake Stadium]], [[Kolkata]], [[India]] ||rowspan=2|  {{fb|IND}} ||align=center | '''1'''–1 || rowspan=2 align=center | 2–3 ||rowspan=2| Friendly
|-
| 18. || align=center | '''2'''–3
|-
| 19. || 16 October 2012 || [[Mong Kok Stadium]], [[Mong Kok]], [[Hong Kong]] || {{fb|HKG}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 3–0 || Friendly
|-
| 20. || 14 November 2012 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|HKG}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 1–1 || Friendly
|-
| 21. || 28 November 2012 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|LAO}} || align=center | '''2'''–1 || align=center | 4–1 || [[2012 AFF Suzuki Cup]]
|-
| 22. || 29 November 2014 || [[National Stadium, Singapore|National Stadium]], [[Kallang]], [[Singapore]] || {{fb|SIN}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 3–1  || [[2014 AFF Suzuki Cup]]
|-
| 23. || 11 June 2015 || Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || {{fb|TLS}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 1–1 || [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification&nbsp;– AFC second round|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|}

==Radiography==

===Radio===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title 
! Station 
|-
| 12 August 2023 – present
| ''Super Safee ERA'' 
| [[Era (radio station)|Era]]
|}

==Honours==
<!--  LEAGUE AND FEDERATION-SANCTIONED AWARDS ONLY -->

===Club===
;Selangor
* [[Malaysian Charity Shield]] : 2009, 2010
* [[Malaysian Super League]] : [[2009 Malaysia Super League|2009]], [[2010 Malaysia Super League|2010]]
* [[Malaysian FA Cup]] : [[2009 Malaysia FA Cup|2009]]

;Johor Darul Ta'zim
* [[Malaysia Super League]]: [[2014 Malaysia Super League|2014]], [[2015 Malaysia Super League|2015]], [[2016 Malaysia Super League|2016]]
* [[Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup (Charity Shield Malaysia)|Malaysian Charity Shield]]: [[2015 Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup|2015]], [[2016 Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup|2016]]
* [[Malaysia FA Cup]]: [[2016 Malaysia FA Cup|2016]]
* [[AFC Cup]]: [[2015 AFC Cup|2015]]

;Kuala Lumpur City 
* [[Malaysia Cup]] : [[Malaysia Cup|2021]]
* [[AFC Cup]] : [[2022 AFC Cup|2022]] runner up

===International===
;Malaysia
* [[Merdeka Tournament|Pestabola Merdeka]] : [[2008 Merdeka Tournament|2008]] runner up
* [[AFF Championship]] : [[2010 AFF Championship|2010]] winner
* [[AFF Championship]] : [[2014 AFF Championship|2014]] runner up

;Malaysia U-23
* [[Merdeka Tournament|Pestabola Merdeka]] : [[2007 Merdeka Tournament|2007]] winner 

===Individual===
* [[Merdeka Tournament|Pestabola Merdeka]] Top Scorer : [[2007 Merdeka Tournament|2007]], [[2008 Merdeka Tournament|2008]]
* [[AFF Championship]] Top Scorer : [[2010 AFF Championship#Goalscorers|2010]]
* [[Goal.com]] readers' Asian Best XI: 2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/goal-com-readers-asian-best-xi-2011-javad-113000078--soccer.html|title=Goal.com readers' Asian Best XI2011: Javad Nekounam, Yuto Nagatomo & many more get the votes|date=10 January 2012|website=Yahoo Sports Singapore|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129122238/https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/goal-com-readers-asian-best-xi-2011-javad-113000078--soccer.html|archive-date=29 November 2014}}</ref>
* [[AFF Championship]] All-time XI: 2021<ref>{{cite web|url= https://ampe.vnexpress.net/news/sports/football/vietnam-national-captain-makes-aff-cup-all-time-xi-4386085.html |title= Vietnam national captain makes AFF Cup all-time XI |publisher=[[VnExpress]]|accessdate=8 December 2021|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20211208131553/https://ampe.vnexpress.net/news/sports/football/vietnam-national-captain-makes-aff-cup-all-time-xi-4386085.html |archivedate=8 December 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919144336/http://mynewshub.my/bm/2011/07/16/wira-baru-bola-sepak-malaysia-safee-sali/ |date=19 September 2011 |title=Safee Sali's Football Career (mynewshub.my) }}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229110544/http://www.safeesali.com/ |date=29 December 2013 |title=Complete Safee Sali News & Updates (SafeeSali.com) }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110218210124/http://www.gvishnu.com/safee-sali-pelita-jaya-fc/ Mohd Safee Mohd Sali's Pelita Jaya FC]
* {{NFT player|id=13531|name=Mohd Safee Mohd Sali}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717071619/http://selangorfc.com/pemain/arkib/mohd-safee-mohd-sali.html |date=17 July 2009 |title=Mohd Safee Mohd Sali's Profile at Selangorfc.com }}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229110544/http://www.safeesali.com/ |date=29 December 2013 |title=All Safee Sali Videos (SafeeSali.com) }}
* {{WorldFootball.net|safee-sali}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229184004/https://f4122.blogspot.com/2011/12/latar-belakang-safee-sali.html?m=1|date=29 December 2021 |title=Latar belakang Safee Sali}}

{{AFF Cup top scorers}}
{{Malaysia Squad 2007 AFC Asian Cup}}

[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Selangor]]
[[Category:Malaysian people of Malay descent]]
[[Category:Malaysian people of Javanese descent]]
[[Category:Malaysian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Malaysia men's international footballers]]
[[Category:2007 AFC Asian Cup players]]
[[Category:Malaysian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Malaysian expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Kuala Lumpur City F.C. players]]
[[Category:TM F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sarawak FA State Football Team players]]
[[Category:Selangor F.C. players]]
[[Category:Madura United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Perlis FA State Football Team players]]
[[Category:Arema F.C. players]]
[[Category:Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. players]]
[[Category:Malaysia Super League players]]
[[Category:21st-century Malaysian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Liga 1 (Indonesia) players]]
[[Category:Selangor F.C. Under-23 players]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Malaysian radio announcers]]