Kassem El Zein
 El Zein with Nejmeh in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kassem Mohammed El Zein | ||
| Date of birth | 2 December 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Maarakeh, Lebanon[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nejmeh | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011– | Nejmeh | 109 | (4) |
| 2020 | → Al-Mina'a (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014– | Lebanon | 18 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 June 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2019 | |||
Kassem Mohammed El Zein (Arabic: قاسم محمد الزين, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʔæːsim mˈħammad zˈzeːn]; born 2 December 1990) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Nejmeh and the Lebanon national team.[3] While initially starting out as a full-back, El Zein progressed into a centre-back with the years. His main abilities are his tackling and reading of the game.[4]
El Zein began his senior career in 2011 at Nejmeh, playing for them in over 100 league matches. In 2020 he was sent on a three-month loan to Iraqi club Al-Mina'a. El Zein made his international debut for Lebanon in 2014, and was part of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad. He also works as a part-time chef at a hotel in Beirut.
Club career
On 28 January 2020, El Zein was sent on a three-month loan to Iraqi Premier League side Al-Mina'a.[5][6] He made his debut on 17 February 2020, in a 1–0 home win over Naft Al-Janoob in the first matchday of the season.[7] El Zein played four league games for Al-Mina'a; however, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
International career
El Zein debuted for the Lebanon national team on 14 October 2014, in a friendly against Saudi Arabia.[3] In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup,[2] where he played a group stage game against Saudi Arabia.[3]
Personal life
El Zein works as a part-time chef at L'Avenue Du Parc, a restaurant in Beirut. He stated that "while in other countries football can be a full-time job, in Lebanon it’s necessary for a player to have a second job."[9][10]
Honours and achievements
Club
Nejmeh[11]
- Lebanese Premier League: 2013–14
- Lebanese FA Cup: 2015–16
- Lebanese Elite Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Lebanese Super Cup: 2014, 2016
Individual
Awards
References
- ^ "Kassem El Zein - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b "AC2019 Final Squads". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Kassem El Zein at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "The final 23: who are they?". Lebanese Football Review. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ Lebanon, Football. "الزين إلى الميناء العراقي لمدة 3 أشهر". football-lebanon.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ Nehme, Ale (18 February 2020). "Lebanese abroad: winter transfer window summary". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "الزين يقود الميناء لفوزه الأول". football-lebanon.com. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "الغاء دوري الكرة الممتاز بتوصيات من خلية الازمة". Almaalomah (in Arabic). 3 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Lebanon and Nejmeh player Kassem Zein's second job: Chef of an excellent restaurant in Beirut". @falebanon. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ اللواء, جريدة. "السلة ليست وحدها!." جريدة اللواء (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Lebanon - Kassem Al Zein - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "معتوق ومرمر الأفضل هذا الموسم بحسب مهرجان المنار الـ 23". Mulhak (in Arabic). Retrieved 12 June 2019.
External links
- Kassem El Zein at National-Football-Teams.com
- Kassem El Zein at Soccerway
- Kassem El Zein at Goalzz.com (also in Arabic at Kooora.com)
- Kassem El Zein at FA Lebanon
- Kassem El Zein at Lebanon Football Guide
 | ||
  | This biographical article related to Lebanese association football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Lebanese footballers
- Lebanese chefs
- People from Tyre District
- Association football defenders
- Association football central defenders
- Association football fullbacks
- Lebanese Premier League players
- Nejmeh SC players
- Lebanese expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Iraq
- Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Iraq
- Al-Mina'a SC players
- Lebanon international footballers
- 2019 AFC Asian Cup players
- Lebanese football biography stubs