View source for Haitham Zein

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Short description|Lebanese footballer (born 1979)}}
{{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<ref name=GSA/>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|01|06|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Fallujah]], Iraq<ref name=GSA>{{GSA player|haitham-zein/250746|access-date=2020-11-15}}</ref>
| height = 1.76 m
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| currentclub = 
| clubnumber = 
| youthyears1 = 1994–1995
| youthclubs1 = [[Tadamon Sour SC|Tadamon Sour]]
| years1 = 1995–2005
| clubs1 = [[Tadamon Sour SC|Tadamon Sour]]
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 94
| years2 = 2005–2006
| clubs2 = [[Nejmeh SC|Nejmeh]]
| caps2 = 
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2006–2008
| clubs3 = [[Bahrain SC]]
| caps3 = 
| goals3 = 7
| years4 = 2008–2009
| clubs4 = [[Chabab Ghazieh SC|Chabab Ghazieh]]
| caps4 = 
| goals4 = 2
| years5 = 2009–2011
| clubs5 = [[Islah Borj Al Shmali Club|Islah Borj Shmali]]
| caps5 = 
| goals5 = 13
| years6 = 2011–2012
| clubs6 = [[Salam Sour SC|Salam Sour]]
| caps6 = 15
| goals6 = 3
| totalcaps = ?
| totalgoals = 119
| nationalyears1 = 2002
| nationalteam1 = [[Lebanon national under-23 football team|Lebanon U23]]
| nationalcaps1 = 
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 1997–2004
| nationalteam2 = [[Lebanon national football team|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 [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. He played for numerous [[Lebanese Premier League]] clubs, mainly at [[Tadamon Sour SC|Tadamon Sour]], and represented [[Lebanon national football team|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]].<ref name=":1">{{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 }}</ref> He then moved to Lebanon with his family due to the [[Gulf War]].<ref name=":1" />

== Club career ==

=== Tadamon Sour ===
Zein signed for [[Tadamon Sour SC|Tadamon Sour]]'s youth team in 1994.<ref name=":1" /> He made his senior debut in 1995, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute against [[Bourj FC|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.<ref name=":1" /> He played with Tadamon until 2005, scoring 94 league goals.<ref name=":2">{{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}}</ref>

=== Nejmeh ===
On 9 November 2005, Zein moved to [[Nejmeh]],<ref>{{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]]}}</ref> spending half a season. He described his short experience at Nejmeh as negative.<ref name=":2" />

=== Bahrain SC ===
He moved abroad to [[Bahrain SC]] in 2006.<ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref>

=== Return to Lebanon ===
He returned to Lebanon in 2008, signing for [[Chabab Ghazieh SC|Chabab Ghazieh]],<ref name=":0" /> before moving to [[Islah Borj Al Shmali Club|Islah Borj Shmali]] the following season.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> Zein was among the league's top scorers in the [[2010–11 Lebanese Premier League]], scoring eight goals.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In October 2011, he signed for [[Salam Sour SC|Salam Sour]],<ref>{{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}}</ref> making 15 appearances for the side and scoring three goals. He retired that season.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

Zein scored 113 goals in the [[Lebanese Premier League]] – 138 considering his goals scored in the cancelled [[2000–01 Lebanese Premier League|2000–01 season]].<ref name=":2" />

== International career ==
In 2002, Zein played for the [[Lebanon national under-23 football team|Lebanon Olympic team]] at the [[Football at the 2002 Asian Games – Men's tournament|2002 Asian Games]], scoring a goal in an 11–0 win against [[Afghanistan national under-23 football team|Afghanistan]].<ref>{{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]]}}</ref> He played for the [[Lebanon national football team|senior team]] between 1998 and 2004. He played 50 international matches, scoring 16 goals.<ref name="FAL">{{FA Lebanon|16432|access-date=7 January 2022}}</ref>

== Managerial career ==
Between 2016 and 2017, Zein was part of the technical staff of his former club Islah Borj Shmali.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Zein's nephew, [[Mahdi Zein]], also plays football.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Honours==
'''Tadamon Sour'''
* [[Lebanese FA Cup]]: 2000–01

'''Individual'''
* [[List of Lebanese Premier League top scorers|Lebanese Premier League top scorer]]: [[1998–99 Lebanese Premier League|1998–99]],<ref>{{Cite news|date=5 July 1999|title=مهرجان كرة المنار|edition=288|pages=8|work=Shoot}}</ref> [[2000–01 Lebanese Premier League|2000–01]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 April 2001|title=مهرجان كرة المنار|edition=383|pages=15|work=Shoot}}</ref>
* [[Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season]]: [[1998–99 Lebanese Premier League|1998–99]]<ref name=":1999">{{Cite news|date=5 July 1999|title=|script-title=ar:مهرجان كرة المنار|language=ar|edition=288|pages=8|work=Shoot}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Lebanon international footballers]]
* [[List of Lebanon international footballers born outside Lebanon]]
* [[List of association football families]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FA Lebanon|16432}}
* [https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/leb-hzein-intl.html Haitham Zein] at [[RSSSF]]
* {{NFT player|3749}}
* {{Soccerway|id=217034}}

{{Lebanon squad 2000 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list1 = 
{{1998–99 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Year}}
{{Lebanese Premier League top scorers}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zein, Haitham}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Fallujah]]
[[Category:Lebanese men's footballers]]
[[Category:21st-century Lebanese sportsmen]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Tadamon SC Sour players]]
[[Category:Nejmeh SC players]]
[[Category:Bahrain SC players]]
[[Category:Chabab SC Ghazieh players]]
[[Category:Islah Borj Al Shmali Club players]]
[[Category:Salam Sour SC players]]
[[Category:Lebanese Premier League players]]
[[Category:Bahraini Premier League players]]
[[Category:Lebanon men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Lebanon men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Asian Games footballers for Lebanon]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:2000 AFC Asian Cup players]]
[[Category:Lebanese expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Bahrain]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Bahrain]]
[[Category:Lebanese Premier League top scorers]]
[[Category:International sportspeople born abroad]]