Jacob Mahler (born 10 April 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Liga 1 club Madura United. Born in Denmark, he represents the Singapore national team.
Club career
Young Lions
A youth product of the National Football Academy in Singapore, Mahler moved to Young Lions in 2018. Mahler made his professional debut for Young Lions in a 1-3 Singapore Premier League lost to Geylang International on 4 July 2018. He was named the club captain from the 2019 season onwards.
Madura United
On 19 May 2023, he joined Indonesia Liga 1 club, Madura United becoming the 10th Singaporean to play in the Indonesian top-flight league. On 23 July 2023, Mahler scored his first goal for the club against Persis Solo coming from a set piece cross from Francisco Rivera. Mahler was named in three consecutive Team of the Week from game week 4 to game week 6.
International career
Mahler made his professional debut for the Singapore national football team in a friendly 2–0 win over Fiji on 11 September 2018. He scored his first goal for Singapore when he collected his second cap against Cambodia on 16 October 2018 in an eventual 1–2 win.
Mahler made his AFF Championship debut in the 2018 campaign on 9 November, with a 1–0 loss over Philippines.
On 8 September 2023, Mahler made his return to the senior squad in the starting line up against Tajikistan,
On 12 October 2023, Mahler scored his 2nd international goal against Guam in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Personal life
Born in Denmark of mixed Danish-Singaporean ancestry, Mahler represents the Singapore national team. He attended St. Joseph's Institution before graduating from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma in Aerospace Electronics. In 2021, he enlisted to the Singapore Army and served his two years mandatory conscription.
He is a big fan of Manchester United and had cited that he used to emulate the playing style of his favourite player, Paul Scholes.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Singapore's goal tally first.