Firas Al-Khatib
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Firas Mohamad Al Khatib | ||
Date of birth | 9 June 1983 | ||
Place of birth | Homs, Syria | ||
Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Al-Salmiya | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
1994–1999 | Al-Karamah | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999–2002 | Al-Karamah | 39 | (21) |
2002–2003 | Al-Naser | 21 | (13) |
2003–2009 | Al-Arabi | 196 | (186) |
2005 | → Al-Ahli (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2009–2011 | Al-Qadsia | 23 | (17) |
2011–2012 | Umm Salal | 6 | (1) |
2012 | Al-Qadsia | 8 | (4) |
2012–2013 | Zakho | 7 | (2) |
2013–2014 | Shanghai Shenhua | 41 | (12) |
2014–2016 | Al-Arabi | 59 | (51) |
2016–2017 | Al-Kuwait | 18 | (13) |
2017– | Al-Salmiya | 10 | (9) |
National team‡ | |||
1999–2001 | Syria U-17 | 23 | (17) |
2001–2003 | Syria U-20 | 33 | (39) |
2003–2004 | Syria U-23 | 24 | (11) |
2001– | Syria | 62 | (29) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 March 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 March 2018 |
Firas Mohamad Al Khatib (Arabic: فراس محمد الخطيب; born 9 June 1983 in Homs, Syria) is a Syrian footballer who predominantly plays as a forward. He currently plays for Al-Salmiya, which competes in the Kuwaiti Premier League.[1]
Club career
![](../I/m/Firas_Al_Khatib.gif)
Early life
Al-Khatib began playing football at Al-Karamah SC, he was included in the club's categories U-14, with whom he played for two seasons. One of the most important achievements of Al Khatib with youth Al Karamah was the victory of the Republic Cup and the title of the league's top scorer twice 1994/1995, 1995/1996. He then went on to play for Al Karamah U-17 in 1997, where he was crowned with the league title in the same year.
He also won the top scorer title. All this helped the young boy reach the youth team. During two seasons with U-19 team, he managed to win the league title and the second scorer.[2]
Al Karamah
Al Khatib started his professional career in the Syrian Premier League with Al-Karamah in the Season 1999–00. On 6 October 2000, he scored his first goal in the Syrian Premier League against Al-Futowa which 1–1 finished.
During 2001, he spent two trials in Belgium; first with Gent and the second with Anderlecht.
Al Naser
In August 2002 he transferred to Kuwaiti Club Al-Naser, and played in Kuwaiti Premier League for the first time. He then moved to Al-Arabi, which also competed in the Kuwaiti Premier League.
Al Arabi
With Al-Arabi he won the Kuwait Emir Cup three times, the Kuwait Crown Prince Cup twice and the Kuwait Super Cup once. He also scored 134 goals for the club and became a legend in the club.
On June 2005 he was loaned out to Al-Ahli in Qatar for one match, and played alongside Pep Guardiola.
Qadsia
On 24 August 2009, Al Khatib signed a two-year contract with Al-Qadsia in the Kuwaiti Premier League and played alongside his old teammate Jehad Al-Hussain.[3]
In July 2012, he participated in three games with Nottingham Forest, scoring once in a trial of month.[4] He impressed manager Sean O'Driscoll enough that the club were looking to sign him on a permanent basis but he was denied a work permit and the club was unable to sign him.[5]
Zakho
On 10 September 2012 he tweeted that he signed with Iraqi Premier League club Zakho FC officially.
Shanghai Shenhua
He left Iraq to join Sergio Batista's Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua at February 2013. He scored 11 goals in his Chinese Super League debut.
Return to Al Arabi
He became a free agent at the end of the 2013–14 football season and returned to Kuwait. He declined an offer from Kuwait SC and joined Al-Arabi SC on a 2-year deal.
During the first derby against Al-Salmiya SC, Al-Khatib scored his 100th league goal, but Al-Arabi SC lost the match 3–2.[6]
Al-Khatib ended the season with 20 goals and shared the VIVA Premier League 2014-15 top league scorer with Patrick Fabiano. His total goal tally in all competitions was 24 goals. In 2015–16, he was selected in the VIVS Premier League 1st Team alongside teammate Ali Maqseed. Al-Khatib also won the VPL Golden Boot and top scorer of Al-Arabi with 27 goals; his highest tally in any season with any team.
Al Salmiya
On September 2017, he joined to Al-Salmiya, and scored 11 goals in his Kuwaiti Premier League.
International career
He plays between 2001-2002 for the Syrian U-17 team, he plays for Syria in the AFC U-17 Championship 2002 in the UAE and he was a part of the Syrian U-23 team in the AFC Olympic qualification Athens 2004.
Al Khatib has been a regular for the Syria national football team from 2001 to 2012. In the FIFA World Cup qualification 2002.,[7] he came on as a substitute for Khaled Al Zaher in the match against Philippine on 4 May 2001 in the Al-Hamadaniah Stadium in Aleppo. On 11 May 2001 he scored one goal in the FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 match against Laos the match was finished 9-0 for Syria.
Personal boycott
From 2012 to 2017, al-Khatib boycotted the Syrian national team to protest dictator Bashar al-Assad and his regime's bombing and starving of Khatib's hometown of Homs in response to massive peaceful protests in 2011.But after 2018 he play re-joined the Syrian national team and showing full support of Al Assad[8]
International goals
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 11 May 2001 | Al-Hamadaniah Stadium, Aleppo, Syria | ![]() | 8–0 | 9–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2. | 9 December 2002 | Bahrain National Stadium, Manama, Bahrain | ![]() | 1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
3. | 3–2 | |||||
4. | 17 December 2002 | Kuwait National Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | ![]() | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2002 Arab Nations Cup |
5. | 3–2 | |||||
6. | 21 December 2002 | Kuwait National Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | ![]() | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2002 Arab Nations Cup |
7. | 15 October 2003 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
8. | 18 October 2003 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 1–0 | 8–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
9. | 3–0 | |||||
10. | 4–0 | |||||
11. | 7 November 2003 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
12. | 26 March 2004 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
13. | 7 February 2006 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
14. | 22 February 2006 | Al-Hamadaniah Stadium, Aleppo, Syria | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
15. | 1 March 2006 | Zhongshan Soccer Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan | ![]() | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
16. | 15 November 2006 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | ![]() | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
17. | 3–0 | |||||
18. | 8 June 2008 | Thamir Stadium, Salmiya, Kuwait | ![]() | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
19. | 2–2 | |||||
20. | 14 January 2009 | Aleppo International Stadium, Aleppo, Syria | ![]() | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
21. | 18 January 2009 | Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | ![]() | 4–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
22. | 5–1 | |||||
23. | 23 January 2009 | Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | ![]() | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
24. | 28 January 2009 | Saida International Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
25. | 27 January 2009 | Saputo Stadium, Montreal, Canada | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
26. | 13 January 2011 | Qatar SC Stadium, Doha, Qatar | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup |
27. | 26 August 2017 | Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca, Malaysia | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
28. | 13 November 2017 | Karbala Sports City, Karbala, Iraq | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
29. | 27 March 2018 | Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2018 International Friendship Championship |
Honours
Club
- Kuwait Emir Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
- Kuwait Crown Prince Cup: 2006–07, 2014–15
- Kuwait Super Cup: 2007–08
- Kuwaiti Premier League: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Kuwait Emir Cup: 2009–10, 2011–12
- Kuwait Super Cup: 2009
International
- Syria[13]
- West Asian Games 2005: Runner-up
- Nehru Cup Runner-up (2): 2007, 2009
Individual
- Top Goalscorer Kuwaiti Premier League: 2004–05 (13 goals), 2010–11 (14 goals), 2014–15 (20 goals), 2015–16 (23 goals)
- Top Goalscorer Kuwait Emir Cup: 2004–05 (3 goals)
- Top Goalscorer Kuwait Crown Prince Cup: 2003–04 (3 goals)
- Top Goalscorer Kuwait Federation Cup: 2008–09 (8 goals)
- Top Goalscorer of the Shanghai Shenhua's squad: 2013–14 (11 goals)
- 2011 AFC Annual Awards Nominated
- VIVA Premier League 1st phase Team: 2015–16
- 2015–16 VPL Golden Boot : (23 goals)
- VIVA Premier League Player of the Month: September 2017
References
- ↑ "Firas Al Khatib – Player profile". kooora.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ↑ "Al-Khatib began playing football at Al-Karama Club". babonej.com (in Arabic).
- ↑ "Al Khatib moved to Al-Qadsia" (in Arabic). kooora.com. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ↑ "Syrian player to join England's Nottingham Forest FC, now owned by Kuwait".
- ↑ McDaid, Paul (22 August 2012). "Nottingham Forest fail to land work permits for Kuwaiti trio". Sport360.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ↑ "Feras's 100th league goal". kooora.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ Firas Al Khatib – FIFA competition record (archive)
- ↑ "A bloody, violent fight for the soul of soccer in Syria". ESPN.com.
- ↑ "Firas Al-Khatib". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Firas Al-Khatib – International goals". kooora.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ↑ Firas Al-Khatib at Soccerway
- ↑ Firas Al-Khatib at Soccerway
- ↑ Firas Al-Khatib at Soccerway
External links
- Firas Al-Khatib at WorldFootball.net
- Firas Al-Khatib at TheFinalBall.com