Emmeric Ong Yu Min (born 25 January 1991) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a defender for Singapore Premier League club Balestier Khalsa and the Singapore national team.

Emmeric Ong
Personal information
Full name Emmeric Ong Yu Min[1]
Date of birth (1991-01-25) 25 January 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Singapore
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Team information
Current team
Balestier Khalsa
Number 5
Youth career
National Football Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Hougang United 11 (0)
2011–2013 Courts Young Lions 16 (0)
2014 LionsXII 0 (0)
2015–2019 Warriors 122 (1)
2020 Hougang United 1 (0)
2021–2022 Tanjong Pagar United 21 (0)
2023– Balestier Khalsa 12 (0)
International career
2017– Singapore 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 May 2021
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2018

Club career

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Hougang United

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Ong got his break in the S.League when he was still registered as a Prime league player with Hougang United in 2011.

Courts Young Lions

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Commanding a starting spot and impressing the coaches, Ong caught the eyes of the national youth setup. He then moved to Courts Young Lions as part of the Sea Games Preliminary Squad during the mid season transfer window. National Service commitments meant that Ong was ruled out of the Sea Games and was enlisted to the Army on 3 November 2011. Subsequent years followed in the S.League with the Courts Young Lions, however, appearances were limited due to NS commitments. In 2013, Ong was reunited with then 2011 Hougang United coach Aide Iskandar. He then started the season as first choice centre back for the Courts Young Lions, making 7 appearances before suffering an ACL injury and was ruled out of the season.

LionsXII

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Ong signed for MSL side LionsXII for the 2014 season.[2] However, despite being a regular sight on the bench, Ong only managed a solitary appearance for the LionsXII, in a Malaysia Cup match, for the entire season.[3]

Warriors FC

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Ong signed for S.League Champions Warriors FC for the 2015 S.League season after failing to make any appearances for the LionsXII in the 2014 Malaysian Super League. He made just a single Malaysia Cup appearance on the last day of the season. In 2015, Ong was signed by the reigning S.League Champions Warriors FC and looked to provide cover in defence for the champions.[4] He did not feature in the match day squad for the first two league games of the season and remained on the bench for their AFC Champions league qualifier against Yadanarbon FC. However, things took a turn when Ong was given a run out in their 2-0 loss to Maldivian side Maziya FC and impressed coach Alex Weaver. He then came off their bench against Albirex Niigata FC in their next league game, started their following AFC cup game against Bengaluru FC and never looked back. Ong began to hold down a starting role in the team and kept experienced and foreign players such as Shi Jiayi and Thomas Beattie out of the side. He filled in at right back when needed but was mostly utilised as a holding midfielder. In December 2015, Ong signed on to stay at the Warriors for the 2016 S.League season.[5]

His performances in the 2017 Singapore League Cup, in which the Warriors finished as runners-up, saw him earn a spot in Fourfourtwo's League Cup team of the year.[6] 2017 proved to be a good year for Ong as he was a mainstay in the team throughout the season, with the club announcing on Facebook that Ong had been retained for the 2018 S.League season.[7]

Tanjong Pager United

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In 2021, Ong signed for Tanjong Pagar United.[8]

Balestier Khalsa

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On 16 January 2023, Ong signed for Balestier Khalsa.[9]

International career

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Although he was just a backup player in the LionsXII squad, Ong was called up to the Singapore Under-21 team for the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, one of the much-respected Southeast Asian youth tournaments.[10]

In 2017, Ong was called up to the national team for the friendly against Hong Kong and the 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Turkmenistan on 31 August and 5 September respectively.[11] He made his debut and started the game against Hong Kong but was red carded in the 87th minute.

Career Statistics

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Club

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As of match played 27 Feb 22. Caps and goals may not be correct.
Club Season S.League Singapore Cup Singapore
League Cup
Asia Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hougang United 2011 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Total 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Young Lions 2011 5 0 5 0
2012 4 0 4 0
2013 7 0 7 0
Total 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0
LionsXII 2014 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Warriors 2015 25 0 2 0 2 0 6 0 35 0
2016 12 0 1 0 2 0 15 0
2017 19 0 1 0 4 1 24 1
2018 21 0 2 0 0 0 23 0
2019 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Total 92 0 6 0 8 1 6 0 122 1
Hougang United 2020 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Tanjong Pagar United 2021 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
2022 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 0
Total 21 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 0
Balestier Khalsa 2023 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
2024–25 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 0
Career total 155 0 8 0 8 1 6 0 177 1
  • Young Lions and LionsXII are ineligible for qualification to AFC competitions in their respective leagues.
  • Young Lions withdrew from the Singapore Cup and Singapore League Cup in 2011 due to scheduled participation in the 2011 AFF U-23 Youth Championship.

International

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Singapore national team
Year Apps Goals
2017 1 0
2018 1 0

International caps

No Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1 31 August 2017 Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore   Hong Kong 1-1 (draw) Friendly
2 23 March 2018 Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang, Singapore   Maldives 3-2 (won) Friendly

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "FAS names 2014 LionsXII squad list". LionsXII. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. ^ "2014 LionsXII squad list announced | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Ong: S.League will benefit from LionsXII decision". FourFourTwo. 25 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. ^ "2015 S.League Club Preview: Warriors FC". FourFourTwo. 28 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. ^ "2015 S.League Club Preview: Warriors FC". fourfourtwo. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  6. ^ "2017 League Cup FFT's Team of the Tournament". FourFourTwo. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  7. ^ "8 Singaporeans Sundram could call upon for Hong Kong and Turkmenistan". FourFourTwo. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  8. ^ Auto, Hermes (14 January 2021). "Football: Old heads for new-look Jaguars | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  9. ^ "2023 Singapore Premier League: Transfer Centre - Football Association of Singapore". spl.sg. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. ^ "LionsXII fringe players aim to impress at Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy". FourFourTwo. 9 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  11. ^ "LIONS SQUAD FOR HONG KONG FRIENDLY AND ASIAN CUP QUALIFIER AGAINST TURKMENISTAN CONFIRMED". FAS. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
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