{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{short description|Singapore international footballer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Anders Aplin | image = | image_size = | caption = | fullname = Anders Aplin | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|6|21|df=yes}} | birth_place = Singapore | height = 180 cm | position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]] / [[Midfielder]] | currentclub = [[Hougang United FC|Hougang United]] | clubnumber = 2 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = [[National Football Academy]] U-18s | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = | years1 = 2010–2012 | clubs1 = [[Singapore Cricket Club]] | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2013 | clubs2 = Singapore Vipers | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2014–2015 | clubs3 = [[Singapore Recreation Club]] | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 2016–2019 | clubs4 = [[Geylang International]] | caps4 = 55 | goals4 = 1 | years5 = 2018–2019 | clubs5 = → [[Matsumoto Yamaga]] (loan) | caps5 = 0 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2020– | clubs6 = [[Hougang United FC|Hougang United]] | caps6 = 90 | goals6 = 4 | nationalyears1 = 2018– | nationalteam1 = [[Singapore national football team|Singapore]] | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | club-update = 19 April 2023 | nationalteam-update = 24 March 2018 }}
''' Anders Aplin,''' also known as just ''' Anders,''' is a Singaporean professional [[association football|footballer]] who plays primarily as a [[right-back]] for [[Singapore Premier League]] club [[Hougang United FC|Hougang United]], whom he captains and the [[Singapore national football team|Singapore national team]]. He is known for his long-throw-ins and defensive attributes.
Mainly a [[Right back|right-back]], he is also capable of playing as either a [[centre-back]], [[Central Midfielder|central-midfielder]], and occasionally as a [[Forward (association football)|striker]].
==Club career== ===Youth career=== Aplin was part of the [[Singapore Sports School]]'s inaugural cohort of footballers and moved on to the [[National Football Academy (Singapore)|National Football Academy]] under-18s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/geylang-defender-aiming-make-most-his-second-shot|title=Geylang defender aiming to make the most of his second shot|date=20 March 2017|work=FourFourTwo|access-date=25 March 2018|language=en-SG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325233414/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/geylang-defender-aiming-make-most-his-second-shot|archive-date=25 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, he was part of the [[Victoria Junior College]] football team which won the National Schools A Division title.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/geylang-defender-aiming-make-most-his-second-shot|title=Stories From the A Division to the S.League: Five players who made the leap|date=10 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325233414/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/geylang-defender-aiming-make-most-his-second-shot|archive-date=25 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ova.org.sg/2009/05/vjc-is-national-a-division-boys-soccer-champion/|title=SVJC is National ‘A’ Division Boys Soccer Champion|date=25 May 2009}}</ref>
=== Singapore Cricket Club === Although Aplin was part of the Singapore Sports School's inaugural cohort of footballers, playing alongside future Lions such as [[Safuwan Baharudin]] and [[Madhu Mohana]], his decision to focus on his studies saw him fall through the cracks of Singapore's professional football circuit. As a result, Anders played for [[Singapore Cricket Club]] in the amateur [[Singapore Football League|National Football League]].<ref name=":0" />
=== Singapore Recreation Club === Aplin next played for another NFL side, [[Singapore Recreation Club]], where he was spotted by Geylang International coach [[Mohd Noor Ali]], who was then helming [[Yishun Sentek Mariners FC|Yishun Sentek Mariners]]. He was invited for trials with Geylang at the end of 2015 who was drawn to his aggression and determination.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/sports/singapore-football/geylang-defender-aplin-set-trials-japan|title=Geylang defender Aplin set for trials in Japan|date=11 January 2018|work=The New Paper|access-date=25 March 2018|language=en}}</ref>
===Geylang International=== Aplin started his professional football career with [[Geylang International FC|Geylang International]] in 2016<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Munirah |first=Sharifah |date=2018-01-11 |title=Geylang defender Aplin set for trials in Japan |url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/sports/singapore-football/geylang-defender-aplin-set-trials-japan |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=The New Paper |language=en}}</ref> and made his debut in a [[Singapore League Cup|League Cup]] game against [[Balestier Khalsa FC|Balestier Khalsa]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nanyang Chronicle » Anders Aplin soars with the Eagles |url=http://www.jayyeo.com/projects/nanyangchronicle/soaring-with-the-eagles/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> He signed his first professional contract a year later. His performances in the [[2017 S.League]] season saw him win his first call up to [[Singapore national football team|Singapore national team]]. He was also picked for a trial with [[J2 League]] side [[Matsumoto Yamaga FC|Matsumoto Yamaga]] in early 2018.<ref name=":1" />
===Matsumoto Yamaga=== On 7 August 2018, it was announced on the club's website that Aplin had signed a loan deal with [[Matsumoto Yamaga FC|Matsumoto Yamaga]] until the end of the season. This loan made him the first Singaporean to play in the [[J2 League]] and in Japan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/football-matsumoto-yamaga-unveils-loan-signing-anders-aplin-the-first-singaporean-in|title=Football: Matsumoto Yamaga unveils loan signing Anders Aplin, the first Singaporean in J.League|date=17 August 2018|work=The Straits Times|access-date=17 August 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.yamaga-fc.com/club/player/2018-anders-aplin|title=Anders profile in club's website|access-date=17 August 2018|language=ja|archive-date=17 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817193309/http://www.yamaga-fc.com/club/player/2018-anders-aplin|url-status=dead}}</ref> In his time at the Japanese club, Aplin had his own cheer song from the club Ultras.
=== Hougang United === Aplin was unveiled as a [[Hougang United FC|Hougang United]] player ahead of the 2020 season. He made his first start for the club against [[Tampines Rovers FC|Tampines Rovers]] in the [[2020 Singapore Community Shield]]. On 5 October 2023, Aplin assisted [[Đorđe Maksimović]] in the 89' minute of the game to settled a 2–1 win in the [[2023–24 AFC Cup]] group stage fixture against Vietnamese club, [[Haiphong FC|Haiphong]].
After the departure of long term club captain [[Nazrul Nazari]], Anders was chosen as the club captain ahead of the [[2025–26 Singapore Premier League|2025–26]] season.
==International career== Aplin was first called up by coach [[V. Sundramoorthy]] in 2017 although he did not travel with the team for the friendly against Qatar and the Asian Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan on 10 October.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/football-anders-alpin-follows-familiar-route-to-national-team|title=Anders Aplin follows familiar route to national team|date=1 October 2017|work=Straits Times|access-date=13 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> He made his debut on 23 March 2018 in a 3-2 win against [[Maldives national football team|Maldives]], replacing [[Irfan Fandi]] in the 73rd minute.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/singapore-player-ratings-lions-edge-past-maldives-long-awaited-win?page=0,1|title=Singapore Player Ratings: Lions edge past Maldives for long-awaited win|date=23 March 2018|work=FourFourTwo|access-date=25 March 2018|language=en-SG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325233406/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/sg/features/singapore-player-ratings-lions-edge-past-maldives-long-awaited-win?page=0,1|archive-date=25 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Personal life== Aplin is the cousin of former Singapore international footballer Tan Kim Leng.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/football-anders-alpin-follows-familiar-route-to-national-team|title=Football: Anders Aplin follows familiar route to national team|last=hermes|date=1 October 2017|work=The Straits Times|access-date=25 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> Aplin is also a graduate of [[Nanyang Technological University]] (NTU),<ref name=":2" /> with a degree in business. He was also a [[commando]] in the [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) during his [[national service|National Service]].<ref name=":0" />
From December 2019 to March 2021, Aplin was married to Rachel Wong, having first met while studying at NTU. The marriage was later annulled by Aplin on account of Wong's [[infidelity]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=K.C. Vijayan |first= |date=25 April 2022 |title=Instagram influencer fails to block access to correspondence, diary entries in defamation lawsuit {{!}} The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/instagram-influencer-fails-to-block-access-to-correspondence-diary-entries-in-defamation-lawsuit |access-date=30 June 2022 |website=www.straitstimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=S'pore influencer Rachel Wong's alleged infidelity & defamation lawsuit, explained |url=https://mothership.sg/2022/04/rachel-wong-influencer-court-case/ |access-date=30 June 2022 |website=mothership.sg |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tang |first1=Louisa |title=High Court orders influencer Rachel Wong to turn over correspondence with 2 men to woman who accused her of infidelityHigh Court orders influencer Rachel Wong to turn over correspondence with 2 men to woman who accused her of infidelity |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/high-court-rachel-wong-influencer-infidelity-anders-aplin-1934081 |website=TODAY |access-date=23 November 2022 |language=en |date=29 June 2022}}</ref>
==Career statistics== === Club === As of match played 27 February 2022 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! rowspan="2" | ! rowspan="2" |Season ! colspan="2" |[[S.League]] ! colspan="2" |[[Singapore Cup]] ! colspan="2" |[[Singapore League Cup|League Cup]] ! colspan="2" |[[AFC Champions League|ACL]] ! colspan="2" |[[AFC Cup]] ! colspan="2" |Total |- !Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- | rowspan="5" | [[Geylang International FC|Geylang International]] |[[2016 Geylang International FC season|2016]] |9||0||0||0||4||0|| colspan="4" |—||13||0 |- |[[2017 Geylang International FC season|2017]] |19||0||1||0||4||0|| colspan="4" |—||24||0 |- |[[2018 Geylang International FC season|2018]] |8||1||0||0||0||0|| colspan="4" |—||8||1 |- |[[2019 Geylang International FC season|2019]] |19||0||6||0||0||0|| colspan="4" |—||25||0 |- !Total !55!!1!!7!!0!!8!!0!!-!!-!!-!!-!!70!!1 |- | rowspan="2" | [[Matsumoto Yamaga FC]] (loan) |2018 |0||0||0||0||0||0|| colspan="4" |—||0||0 |- !Total !0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!-!!-!!-!!-!!0!!0 |- | rowspan="6" | [[Hougang United]] |[[2020 Hougang United FC season|2020]] |14||2||0||0||1||0||0||0||3||0||18||2 |- |[[2021 Hougang United FC season|2021]] |14||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||14||1 |- |[[2022 Singapore Premier League|2022]] |24||1||6||0||0||0||0||0||3||0||33||1 |- |[[2023 Singapore Premier League|2023]] |16||0||6||0||0||0||0||0||5||0||27||0 |- |[[2024–25 Singapore Premier League|2024–25]] |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 |- !Total !68!!4!!12!!0!!1!!0!!0!!0!!11!!0!!92!!4 |- ! colspan="2" |Career total !123!!5!!19!!0!!9!!0!!0!!0!!14!!0!!162!!5 |} <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sg.soccerway.com/players/anders-aplin/350867/|title=Career stats|date=13 March 2018|work=soccerway.com|access-date=13 March 2018|language=en}}</ref>
=== International === {| class="wikitable" ! No !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Result !! Competition |- | align=center|1 || 23 March 2018 || [[Bishan Stadium]], [[National Stadium, Singapore|National Stadium]], Singapore || {{fb|Maldives}} || align=center|3-2 (won)|| [[Exhibition game|Friendly]] |- | align=center|2 || 27 March 2018 || [[Taipei Municipal Stadium]], [[Taipei]], Taiwan|| {{fb|Chinese Taipei}} || align=center|0-1 (lost) || [[2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round]] |- |}
As of match played 27 March 2018 Appearances and goals by national team and year {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan=3 | [[Singapore national football team|Singapore National Team]] |- !Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |2018||2||0 |- !Total||2||0 |}
== Honours ==
=== Club === '''Hougang United'''
* [[2022 Singapore Cup|Singapore Cup]] Champions ('''1'''): 2022 * [[2022 Singapore Cup|Singapore Cup]] Runner-ups ('''1'''): [[2023 Singapore Cup|2023]] *
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{NFT player}} *{{J.League player|29582}} {{Geylang International FC squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aplin, Anders}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1991 births]] [[Category:Singaporean men's footballers]] [[Category:Singapore men's international footballers]] [[Category:Singaporean expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Singapore Sports School alumni]] [[Category:Victoria Junior College alumni]] [[Category:Men's association football defenders]] [[Category:Geylang International FC players]] [[Category:Hougang United FC players]]