Haitham Zein

Haitham Zein
Personal information
Full name Haitham Ali Mohamad Al Haj Ali Zein[1]
Date of birth (1979-01-06) 6 January 1979
Place of birth Fallujah, Iraq[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Forward
Youth career
1994–1995 Tadamon Sour
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–2005 Tadamon Sour (94)
2005–2006 Nejmeh (0)
2006–2008 Bahrain SC (7)
2008–2009 Chabab Ghazieh (2)
2009–2011 Islah Borj Shmali (13)
2011–2012 Salam Sour 15 (3)
Total ? (119)
International career
2002 Lebanon U23 (1)
1997–2004 Lebanon 50 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Haitham Ali Mohamad Al Haj Ali Zein (Arabic: هيثم علي محمد الحج علي زين; born 6 January 1979), or simply Haitham Zein, is a Lebanese former footballer who played as a forward. He played for numerous Lebanese Premier League clubs, mainly at Tadamon Sour, and represented Lebanon internationally.

Early life

Zein was born in Iraq to parents from Burj el-Shamali, Lebanon; he began playing football aged 11 in the streets of the Al-Anbar Governorate.[2] He then moved to Lebanon with his family due to the Gulf War.[2]

Club career

Tadamon Sour

Zein signed for Tadamon Sour's youth team in 1994.[2] He made his senior debut in 1995, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute against Bourj at the Saida Municipal Stadium; trailing 2–1, Zein scored a goal and assisted two, helping his side overturn the result to 4–2.[2] He played with Tadamon until 2005, scoring 94 league goals.[3]

Nejmeh

On 9 November 2005, Zein moved to Nejmeh,[4] spending half a season. He described his short experience at Nejmeh as negative.[3]

Bahrain SC

He moved abroad to Bahrain SC in 2006.[5]

Return to Lebanon

He returned to Lebanon in 2008, signing for Chabab Ghazieh,[5] before moving to Islah Borj Shmali the following season.[6] Zein was among the league's top scorers in the 2010–11 Lebanese Premier League, scoring eight goals.[7] In October 2011, he signed for Salam Sour,[8] making 15 appearances for the side and scoring three goals. He retired that season.[9]

Zein scored 112 goals in the Lebanese Premier League – 96 without considering his goals scored in the cancelled 2000–01 season.[3]

International career

In 2002, Zein played for the Lebanon Olympic team at the 2002 Asian Games, scoring a goal in an 11–0 win against Afghanistan.[10] He played for the senior team between 1998 and 2004. He played 50 international matches, scoring 16 goals.[11]

Managerial career

Between 2016 and 2017, Zein was part of the technical staff of his former club Islah Borj Shmali.[12][13]

Personal life

Zein's nephew, Mahdi Zein, also plays football.[14]

Career statistics

International

List of international goals scored by Haitham Zein[15]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 23 August 1999 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan  Jordan 1–0 3–1 1999 Arab Games
2. 2–0
3. 3–0
4. 25 August 1999 Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid, Jordan  Oman 1–0 1–1 1999 Arab Games
5. 16 February 2000 Lebanon  North Korea 1–0 1–0 Friendly
6. 8 March 2000 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan  Jordan 1–1 1–1 Friendly
7. 25 May 2000 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan  Kyrgyzstan 1–0 2–0 2000 WAFF Championship
8. 25 June 2000 Tripoli, Lebanon  Kuwait 1–1 1–3 Friendly
9. 10 September 2000 Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon  United Arab Emirates 2–? 2–2 Friendly
10. 7 March 2001 Tripoli International Stadium, Tripoli, Lebanon  Syria 1–0 2–2 Friendly
11. 13 May 2001 Beirut Municipal Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon  Pakistan 1–0 6–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
12. 2–0
13. 5–0
14. 28 May 2001 Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand  Sri Lanka 4–0 5–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
15. 9 June 2004 Beirut Municipal Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon  Maldives 1–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
16. 19 June 2004 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran  Syria 1–3 1–3 2004 WAFF Championship

Honours

Tadamon Sour

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Haitham Zein". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "منتديات كووورة". forum.kooora.com. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "منتديات كووورة". forum.kooora.com. 14 January 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  4. ^ "First Team List 2005/2006 [PENDING]". Nejmeh SC. 26 November 2005. Archived from the original on 26 November 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "هيثم زين ينتقل إلى شباب الغازية". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). 7 August 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  6. ^ "تعادل سلبي بين الاصلاح – برج الشمالي والشباب الغازية ضمن استعدادت الفريقين لانطلاقة الدوري". YASOUR. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  7. ^ "التضامن ينجو والغازية يرافق الاصلاح الى الدرجة الثانية". Elaph - إيلاف (in Arabic). 24 April 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  8. ^ "هيثم زين ينتقل الى السلام صور عشية اقفال باب التواقيع". Elsport News (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  9. ^ Hussien.Ghazi. "هدافو لبنان الدوليون.. قائمة أبرز من هزوا الشباك". alaraby.co.uk (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  10. ^ Díaz Rubio, Julián; Zlotkowski, Andre. "Asian Games 2002". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Haitham Zein". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  12. ^ "نجوم من الماضي: خاص هيثم زين غير راض عن عدم تطوير الاتحاد للعبة". Elsport News (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  13. ^ "نصر الله إلى الإصلاح والشباب العربي يضم مزهر". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  14. ^ Hijazi, Alloffs (8 August 2021). "الهداف مهدي الزين يعيد سيرة عمه هيثم الزين". El Maestro Sport (in Arabic). Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Haitham Zein". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  16. ^ "مهرجان كرة المنار". Shoot (288 ed.). 5 July 1999. p. 8.
  17. ^ "مهرجان كرة المنار". Shoot (383 ed.). 30 April 2001. p. 15.
  18. ^ مهرجان كرة المنار. Shoot (in Arabic) (288 ed.). 5 July 1999. p. 8.