Haitham Zein

{{Family name hatnote|Ali Mohamad Al Haj Ali|Zein|lang=Lebanese}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Haitham Zein

| image =

| fullname = Haitham Ali Mohamad Al Haj Ali Zein

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|01|06|df=y}}

| birth_place = Fallujah, Iraq{{GSA player|haitham-zein/250746|access-date=2020-11-15}}

| height = 1.76 m

| position = Forward

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1994–1995

| youthclubs1 = Tadamon Sour

| years1 = 1995–2005

| clubs1 = Tadamon Sour

| caps1 =

| goals1 = 94

| years2 = 2005–2006

| clubs2 = Nejmeh

| caps2 =

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2006–2008

| clubs3 = Bahrain SC

| caps3 =

| goals3 = 7

| years4 = 2008–2009

| clubs4 = Chabab Ghazieh

| caps4 =

| goals4 = 2

| years5 = 2009–2011

| clubs5 = Islah Borj Shmali

| caps5 =

| goals5 = 13

| years6 = 2011–2012

| clubs6 = Salam Sour

| caps6 = 15

| goals6 = 3

| totalcaps = ?

| totalgoals = 119

| nationalyears1 = 2002

| nationalteam1 = Lebanon U23

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalyears2 = 1997–2004

| nationalteam2 = Lebanon

| nationalcaps2 = 50

| nationalgoals2 = 16

}}

Haitham Ali Mohamad Al Haj Ali Zein ({{Langx|ar|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 Borj Ech Chemali, Lebanon; he began playing football aged 11 in the streets of the Al-Anbar Governorate.{{Cite web |title=منتديات كووورة |url=https://forum.kooora.com/?t=30021496 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=forum.kooora.com| date=24 January 2012 }} He then moved to Lebanon with his family due to the Gulf War.

Club career

= Tadamon Sour =

Zein signed for Tadamon Sour's youth team in 1994. 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. He played with Tadamon until 2005, scoring 94 league goals.{{Cite web|url=http://forum.kooora.com/f.aspx?t=3258740|title=منتديات كووورة|website=forum.kooora.com|date=14 January 2007 |access-date=29 April 2019}}

= Nejmeh =

On 9 November 2005, Zein moved to Nejmeh,{{Cite web|date=26 November 2005|title=First Team List 2005/2006 [PENDING]|url=http://www.nejmeh.com/teams/firstteam-present.html|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126044256/http://www.nejmeh.com/teams/firstteam-present.html|archive-date=26 November 2005|access-date=9 May 2021|website=Nejmeh SC}} spending half a season. He described his short experience at Nejmeh as negative.

= Bahrain SC =

He moved abroad to Bahrain SC in 2006.{{Cite web |title=هيثم زين ينتقل إلى شباب الغازية |url=https://www.albayan.ae/sports/2008-08-08-1.663884 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=www.albayan.ae |date=7 August 2008 |language=ar}}

= Return to Lebanon =

He returned to Lebanon in 2008, signing for Chabab Ghazieh, before moving to Islah Borj Shmali the following season.{{Cite web |title=تعادل سلبي بين الاصلاح – برج الشمالي والشباب الغازية ضمن استعدادت الفريقين لانطلاقة الدوري |url=https://www.yasour.org/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=4048 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=YASOUR |language=en |archive-date=23 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223104937/https://www.yasour.org/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=4048 |url-status=dead }} Zein was among the league's top scorers in the 2010–11 Lebanese Premier League, scoring eight goals.{{Cite web |date=2011-04-24 |title=التضامن ينجو والغازية يرافق الاصلاح الى الدرجة الثانية |url=https://elaph.com/Web/Sports/2011/4/649526.html |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=Elaph - إيلاف |language=ar}} In October 2011, he signed for Salam Sour,{{Cite web |title=هيثم زين ينتقل الى السلام صور عشية اقفال باب التواقيع |url=https://www.elsport.com/news/show/50246/هيثم-زين-ينتقل-الى-السلام-صور-عشية-اقفال-باب-التوا |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=Elsport News |language=ar}} making 15 appearances for the side and scoring three goals. He retired that season.{{Cite web |last=Hussien.Ghazi |title=هدافو لبنان الدوليون.. قائمة أبرز من هزوا الشباك |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%88-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%83 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=alaraby.co.uk |language=ar}}

Zein scored 113 goals in the Lebanese Premier League – 138 considering his goals scored in the cancelled 2000–01 season.

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.{{Cite web |last1=Díaz Rubio |first1=Julián |last2=Zlotkowski |first2=Andre |title=Asian Games 2002 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/asgames02.html |access-date=14 June 2022 |website=RSSSF}} He played for the senior team between 1998 and 2004. He played 50 international matches, scoring 16 goals.{{FA Lebanon|16432|access-date=7 January 2022}}

Managerial career

Between 2016 and 2017, Zein was part of the technical staff of his former club Islah Borj Shmali.{{Cite web |title=نجوم من الماضي: خاص هيثم زين غير راض عن عدم تطوير الاتحاد للعبة |url=https://www.elsport.com/news/show/329756/نجوم-الماضي-خاص-هيثم-زين-غير-راض-عدم-تطوير-الاتحاد |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=Elsport News |language=ar}}{{Cite web |title=نصر الله إلى الإصلاح والشباب العربي يضم مزهر |url=http://lebanonfg.com/single/1096 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=lebanonfg.com |language=en}}

Personal life

Zein's nephew, Mahdi Zein, also plays football.{{Cite web|last=Hijazi|first=Alloffs|date=2021-08-08|title=الهداف مهدي الزين يعيد سيرة عمه هيثم الزين|url=https://elmaestrosport.com/الهداف-مهدي-الزين-يعيد-سيرة-عمه-هيثم-ال/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=El Maestro Sport|language=ar}}

Honours

Tadamon Sour

Lebanese FA Cup: 2000–01

Individual

Lebanese Premier League top scorer: 1998–99,{{Cite news|date=5 July 1999|title=مهرجان كرة المنار|edition=288|pages=8|work=Shoot}} 2000–01{{Cite news|date=30 April 2001|title=مهرجان كرة المنار|edition=383|pages=15|work=Shoot}}
Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season: 1998–99{{Cite news|date=5 July 1999|title=|script-title=ar:مهرجان كرة المنار|language=ar|edition=288|pages=8|work=Shoot}}