Arif Aiman bin Mohd Hanapi (born 4 May 2002) is a Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Malaysia national team.^[2]

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Arif Aiman

Personal information
Full name	Arif Aiman Bin Mohd Hanapi
Date of birth	(2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth	Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Johor Darul Ta'zim
Number	42
Youth career
2015–2018	Mokhtar Dahari National Football Academy
2019–2020	Johor Darul Ta'zim
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020	Johor Darul Ta'zim II	6	(0)
2020–	Johor Darul Ta'zim	68	(17)
International career‡
2021–	Malaysia	28	(7)
Medal record Representing  Malaysia Men's football Merdeka Tournament Runner-up 2023 King's Cup Runner-up 2022
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

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Arif's talent was discovered during the Mykids programme in 2011/12, and he later joined the squad that won IberCup Costa Del Sol in 2015. He then decided to leave Mokhtar Dahari National Football Academy at the end of 2018 to join JDT Academy in order to increase his playing opportunities. After playing for JDT in the Youth and President's Cups, Arif Aiman caught the attention of Malaysia U-18 squad coach, Bojan Hodak, in early 2019.^[3]

Arif is a product of the National Football Development Programme of Malaysia (NFDP) from 2015 to 2017 and then Johor Darul Ta'zim Academy. He played in all levels of the academy including JDT IV, JDT III, JDT II until he became a regular for the first team.^[4]

Arif began his senior club with Johor Darul Ta'zim after playing for the youth club few years back. In 2021, at age 19, he won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2021 National Football Awards ceremony and created the nation's history as the youngest player ever chosen as MVP, surpassing teammate Safawi Rasid, who was 21 when he was selected as MVP in 2018. He was also named Best Striker and Most Promising Player in that year's awards.^[5]

Arif made his first appearance for Malaysia in an unofficial friendly match against Kuwait on 23 May 2021 at the age of 19 years 19 days.^[14] His official debut was against Bahrain on 29 May 2021. His first competitive match with Malaysia was against Vietnam in the 2022 World Cup Qualifier as a substitution. He made his appearance in the 61st minute but the team eventually ended up losing 1–2.^[15]

He converted a penalty kick against Solomon Islands in an international friendly match on 14 June 2023, which was his first international goal after 16 appearances with the national team. On 20 June 2023, he scored four goals in a 10–0 against Papua New Guinea, which made him the seventh Malaysian player to score more than three goals in one international match.^[16] During the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage fixture against South Korea on 25 January 2024, Arif scored from the penalty spot that shocked the entire world by giving Malaysia the 2–1 lead against the Asian giants.

Arif usually plays in the position of a winger who provides the chance for his front line. He is known for his pace, agility, and dribbles who can handle 1 to 3 opponents while in possession and can play with both feet.