Arif Aiman bin Mohd Hanapi

Arif Aiman bin Mohd Hanapi came through Johor Darul Ta'zim's own development chain rather than arriving from outside — the National Football Development Programme, then the Mokhtar Dahari Academy, then the club's own age-grade sides, JDT IV through to JDT II, before a senior debut against Felda United in March 2020. He has not left the club since, and the numbers built up over those years: more than 159 appearances and over 44 goals.

The trophy count reflects a period in which JDT have dominated Malaysian football, with Arif Aiman collecting six Super League titles, three FA Cups and three Malaysia Cups along the way, plus five Charity Shields. Individually, he has been named the FAM Football Awards' Most Valuable Player four times and was picked for the league's Team of the Season in four separate campaigns, having started out as a forward known for scoring.

His form travelled with him into the AFC Champions League Elite, where he scored five goals as JDT reached the round of 16, including a brace against Shanghai Port and further strikes against Shanghai Shenhua and Pohang Steelers — form that made him the first Malaysian nominated for the AFC Player of the Year award.

For the national team, he made his debut against Bahrain in 2021 and has since won 39 caps. The single afternoon that stands out came against Papua New Guinea in June 2023, when Malaysia won 10–0 and Arif Aiman scored four of the goals himself, part of a run that has also brought him goals against Solomon Islands, India, Syria, South Korea and Laos.