Faisal Halim avoids buying malls these days.
One of Malaysia's astir celebrated footballers, the guardant was successful the premier of his vocation erstwhile a regular buying travel with his household 13 months agone changed his beingness forever.
It was astatine a promenade successful the township of Kota Damansara wherever Faisal was splashed with acerb by an chartless assailant and near with fourth-degree burns, which needed 4 surgeries and respective days successful intensive care.
The onslaught near him scarred physically and emotionally.
"I americium not scared, but I conscionable don't privation thing similar that to hap again," Faisal, 27, tells BBC Sport.
"So I don't spell retired immoderate more. Once grooming is done, I spell location to walk clip with my son, my woman and my family."
Just 3 months earlier, helium had scored the biggest extremity of his vocation for his state arsenic Malaysia held Son Heung-min's South Korea astatine the Asian Cup successful January 2024.
The winger picked up possession wrong the container and near Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo connected the level with his trickery, earlier finishing connected the crook from a choky space successful the thrilling 3-3 draw.
Faisal's onslaught took his tally to 13 goals successful 21 appearances for Malaysia betwixt September 2022 and January 2024 - helium was undoubtedly the biggest prima for some his nine Selangor FC and country.
But destiny conspired to alteration his outlook connected beingness and a vocation that was blossoming, having started retired astatine 17 with location authorities squad Penang and flourished with a 2023 determination to Selangor.
Burns to his face, neck, shoulders, hands and thorax aft the onslaught impeded Faisal's code and mobility, meaning helium did not interaction a shot for much than 2 months.
"Every moment, I would get flashbacks," helium recalls of his clip successful hospital. "It was precise hard and I was mentally down, my morale was precise low.
"Many things person changed. I cannot grin decently now.
"There were times erstwhile I considered not playing shot immoderate much retired of fear. But I received a batch of calls and messages each day. I could not clasp the telephone portion successful the hospital, truthful my woman utilized to work retired each the messages from the fans.
"The full of Malaysia prayed for me. It gave maine much courageousness to play again."
In July 2024, Faisal began a period of betterment and idiosyncratic grooming with Selangor earlier making the seat the pursuing period successful a Malaysian FA Cup semi-final necktie - precisely 90 days aft the traumatic incident.
Returning to enactment has not been without its struggles.
Gone are the days erstwhile helium was the archetypal sanction connected the Selangor and Malaysia teamsheet, but Faisal believes the challenging times are present down him.
"I conscionable privation to play," helium says. "I americium confident, mean and 100%. I americium acceptable to play. I conscionable privation much clip connected the pitch."
Faisal's spirited comeback communicative is 1 of inspiration, says Selangor's caput manager Katsuhito Kinoshi.
"What Faisal needs to bash is amusement his affirmative and unbreakable mentality to our fans and Malaysian football," helium adds.
"He is idiosyncratic who has the powerfulness to determination fans, not lone connected the transportation but besides disconnected it."
In March 2025, helium scored his archetypal extremity since recovery, performing Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'siu' solemnisation against Kelantan Darul Naim, and added 2 much to implicit a singular hat-trick successful a stunning 7-0 success.
A call-up to the nationalist squad followed and Faisal made a substitute quality successful the 2-0 triumph against Nepal successful the Asian Cup qualifiers connected 25 March to gain his archetypal minutes for Malaysia since the acerb attack.
"It's breathtaking to ticker [Faisal] successful the nationalist squad set-up," said Malaysia's Australian caput manager Peter Cklamovski, a erstwhile adjunct of Tottenham brag Ange Postecoglou.
"He's a fantastic winger, an breathtaking subordinate who has the quality to truly wounded teams erstwhile helium goes forward.
"Faisal plays with strength and intent successful everything helium does. I'm definite this is simply a bully infinitesimal for him to travel backmost to the nationalist team. He deserves it and I consciousness similar helium has a communicative to tell."
Malaysia, ranked 131st successful the world, are battling with Vietnam, Nepal and Laos to scope back-to-back Asian Cups for the archetypal clip since 1980.
Faisal hopes to play a portion successful helping them execute their target, having been named successful the squad for the 10 June qualifier astatine location to Vietnam, who pb Group F connected extremity quality from Malaysia aft 1 game.
He vowed to "get amended than before" and Selangor coach, and erstwhile Serbia adjunct manager, Kinoshi backed him to amusement his prowess again.
"Faisal has been an important portion of Selangor FC and Malaysia nationalist squad successful the past and I americium definite helium volition person that power again astatine the nine and planetary signifier precise soon."
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