Zainal Abidin Hassan

Zainal Abidin
Personal information
Full name	Zainal Abidin Hassan Ali
Date of birth	9 November 1961 (age 62)
Place of birth	Selangor, Malaysia
Position(s)	Defender . Striker
Team information
Current team	Melaka United (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team
1980–1982	Selangor FA
1983–1984	Pahang FA
1985–1990	Selangor FA
1991–1996	Pahang FA
1997–1999	Selangor FA
Total
International career‡
1984–1996	Malaysia
1996	Malaysia futsal
Managerial career
2001	Malaysia U-17
2004–2006	Pahang FA (coach)
2006–2008	Pahang FA (manager)
2009–2010	Kuantan Port-Shahzan Muda FC (manager)
2011–2013	Pahang FA (manager)
2013–2014	Pahang FA (assistant head coach)
2014–2015	Pahang FA (head coach)
2016	Selangor FA (head coach)
2017–2018	Penang FA
2018–	Melaka United
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 November 2012; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 November 2012

Zainal Abidin Hassan bin Ali (born 9 November 1961) is a Malaysian former footballer and current head coach.

Playing career

Zainal Abidin is well known as the best Malaysian footballer in the 80's and 90's. His football career started with Selangor FA in 1980.^[2] He played along with Malaysian legendary striker the late Mokhtar Dahari, R Arumugam, Soh Chin Aun and other recognised faces in Malaysian football.

In 1987, he partnered Dollah Salleh in front as they became the fierce striker for Selangor FA and Pahang FA in Malaysia Cup and also the national team in SEA Games and Merdeka Tournament. In 1996 Tiger Cup, Zainal Abidin was awarded as the MVP of the tournament. Three years later he was awarded the AFC Century Award.^[3]

He also played for Malaysia national futsal team, and was in the squad that took part in the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship in Spain.^[4]

Coaching career

He retired from football in 1999 and selected to coach the Malaysian youth in 2001. In 2002, he selected as the assistant coach for Malaysia senior team. He later coached Pahang FA and brought them their first Malaysia Super League title. In 2006, he guided Pahang FA to win the Malaysian FA Cup.^[5] After the contract with Pahang FA ended, he reunites with his former striker partner Dollah Salleh. This time they act as manager-coach combination for Kuantan Port-Shahzan Muda FC.

In 2011, he returns to Pahang FA as assistant manager, where he works again with Dollah, who were the current head coach. The partnership lasts until the end of 2013, when they helped Pahang win the 2013 Malaysia Cup; Pahang's first Malaysia Cup after 21 years. After Dollah left Pahang to coach PDRM FA and Ron Smith was appointed as the new Pahang head coach at the end of 2013, Zainal was appointed as his assistant head coach. But after Smith's contract was not renewed in March 2014, Zainal Abidin was appointed as Smith's replacement. With Pahang, he won the Malaysia Cup in 2014 and also Malaysia FA Cup in the same year.

In 2016, Zainal Abidin made his return to Selangor as head coach, replacing Mehmet Durakovic.^[6] This was not without controversy, as negotiations between Zainal and Selangor was made public when Durakovic was still Selangor coach,^[7] and Durakovic contract was terminated even after he won the 33rd Malaysia Cup title with Selangor in 2015.^[8] Zainal however was sacked in August the same year, after poor performances by the team in the Super League and Malaysia Cup.^[9]

Zainal Abidin next coached Penang FA from May 2017 until September 2018. In November 2018, he was unveiled as the new head coach of Melaka United.^[10]