Football nomad Hairuddin Omar is a man known for “rising” to the big occasions.
The 32-year-old former international has scored crucial headed goals in the last two Malaysia Cup finals. In 2009, he scored for Negri Sembilan when they beat Kelantan 3-1. Last year, he scored for Kelantan when they beat Negri 2-1.
Now, the stage is set for Hairuddin to rise again as he leads Negri’s charge in their third straight Malaysia Cup final against his home state Terengganu at the Shah Alam Stadium tomorrow.
“I have done it before and I can do it again. It doesn’t matter whether it is my home state who are my opponents. I am a professional and I have a job to do for my employers,” Hairuddin said from Seremban yesterday.
Hairuddin has certainly hit a purple patch in the Malaysia Cup competition, with six of his eight goals coming from headers.
“I think it is a gift … it comes naturally and I don’t really specialise in headers. I just have a knack for scoring with headers and that’s all there is to it,” said Hairuddin, who is expected to partner youngster Mohd Firdaus Azizul upfront.
Hairuddin, who has previously played for Pahang and T-Team, has won three Malaysia Cup titles with Terengganu (2001), Negri (2009) and Kelantan (2010).
“I did not score for Terengganu when we beat Perak (2-1) in the 2001 Malaysia Cup final. But I was named man-of-the-match,” said Hairuddin, who hopes to shine in tomorrow’s Cup final again.
“The Malaysia Cup has a special aura. I am looking forward to Saturday’s final.”
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