'I'm not scared' - Malaysia hero's courage to play again after acid attack

Faisal Halim avoids shopping malls these days.

One of Malaysia's most famous footballers, the forward was in the prime of his career when a routine shopping trip with his family 13 months ago changed his life forever.

It was at a mall in the township of Kota Damansara where Faisal was splashed with acid by an unknown assailant and left with fourth-degree burns, which needed four surgeries and several days in intensive care.

The attack left him scarred physically and emotionally.

"I am not scared, but I just don't want something like that to happen again," Faisal, 27, tells BBC Sport.

"So I don't go out any more. Once training is done, I go home to spend time with my son, my wife and my family."

Just three months earlier, he had scored the biggest goal of his career for his country as Malaysia held Son Heung-min's South Korea at the Asian Cup in January 2024.

The winger picked up possession inside the box and left Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo on the floor with his trickery, before finishing on the turn from a tight angle in the thrilling 3-3 draw.

Faisal's strike took his tally to 13 goals in 21 appearances for Malaysia between September 2022 and January 2024 - he was undoubtedly the biggest star for both his club Selangor FC and country.

But fate conspired to change his outlook on life and a career that was blossoming, having started out at 17 with home state team Penang and flourished with a 2023 move to Selangor.

Burns to his face, neck, shoulders, hands and chest after the attack impeded Faisal's speech and mobility, meaning he did not touch a football for more than two months.

"Every moment, I would get flashbacks," he recalls of his time in hospital. "It was very difficult and I was mentally down, my morale was very low.

"Many things have changed. I cannot smile properly now.

"There were times when I considered not playing football any more out of fear. But I received a lot of calls and messages every day. I could not hold the phone while in the hospital, so my wife used to read out all the messages from the fans.

"The whole of Malaysia prayed for me. It gave me more courage to play again."

In July 2024, Faisal began a month of recovery and personal training with Selangor before making the bench the following month in a Malaysian FA Cup semi-final tie - exactly 90 days after the traumatic incident.

Returning to action has not been without its struggles.

Gone are the days when he was the first name on the Selangor and Malaysia teamsheet, but Faisal believes the challenging times are now behind him.

"I just want to play," he says. "I am confident, normal and 100%. I am ready to play. I just want more time on the pitch."

Faisal's spirited comeback story is one of inspiration, says Selangor's head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi.

"What Faisal needs to do is show his positive and unbreakable mentality to our fans and Malaysian football," he adds.

"He is someone who has the power to move fans, not only on the pitch but also off it."

In March 2025, he scored his first goal since recovery, performing Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'siu' celebration against Kelantan Darul Naim, and added two more to complete a remarkable hat-trick in a stunning 7-0 success.

A call-up to the national team followed and Faisal made a substitute appearance in the 2-0 win against Nepal in the Asian Cup qualifiers on 25 March to earn his first minutes for Malaysia since the acid attack.

"It's exciting to watch [Faisal] in the national team set-up," said Malaysia's Australian head coach Peter Cklamovski, a former assistant of Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.

"He's a fantastic winger, an exciting player who has the ability to really hurt teams when he goes forward.

"Faisal plays with intensity and intent in everything he does. I'm sure this is a good moment for him to come back to the national team. He deserves it and I feel like he has a story to tell."

Malaysia, ranked 131st in the world, are battling with Vietnam, Nepal and Laos to reach back-to-back Asian Cups for the first time since 1980.

Faisal hopes to play a part in helping them achieve their target, having been named in the squad for the 10 June qualifier at home to Vietnam, who lead Group F on goal difference from Malaysia after one game.

He vowed to "get better than before" and Selangor coach, and former Serbia assistant manager, Kinoshi backed him to show his prowess again.

"Faisal has been an important part of Selangor FC and Malaysia national team in the past and I am sure he will have that influence again at the club and international stage very soon."