El-Helwe withLebanon at the2019 Asian Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hilal Bassam El-Helwe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-11-24)24 November 1994 (age 31) | ||
| Place of birth | Hanover, Germany[1] | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2][3] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward,winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC 08 Homburg | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2008 | Hannover 96 | ||
| 2008–2010 | TSV Havelse | ||
| 2010–2012 | SC Langenhagen [de] | ||
| 2012–2013 | TSV Havelse | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | TSV Havelse | 59 | (16) |
| 2015–2016 | VfL Wolfsburg II | 22 | (7) |
| 2016–2018 | Hallescher FC | 55 | (4) |
| 2018–2019 | Apollon Smyrnis | 21 | (3) |
| 2019–2021 | SV Meppen | 38 | (7) |
| 2021 | Al-Faisaly | 3 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Ahed | 8 | (4) |
| 2022 | Penang | 19 | (5) |
| 2023–2024 | Bourj | 19 | (7) |
| 2024–2025 | SGV Freiberg | 31 | (12) |
| 2025– | FC 08 Homburg | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2024 | Lebanon | 53 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 January 2024 | |||
Hilal Bassam El-Helwe (Arabic:هلال بسام الحلوة,Lebanese Arabic pronunciation:[ˈhleːlbasˈseːmlˈħɪlwe]; born 24 November 1994) is a professionalfootballer who plays as aforward for German clubFC 08 Homburg. A versatile forward, he can play bothcentrally and as awinger on either flank.
After playing for five years in Germany forTSV Havelse,VfL Wolfsburg II, andHallescher FC, El-Helwe moved to Greek clubApollon Smyrnis in 2018. He returned to Germany in 2019, signing forSV Meppen, with whom he played for two years. El-Helwe then moved to Asia in 2021, playing forAl-Faisaly in Jordan,Ahed in Lebanon, andPenang in Malaysia. After one season atBourj in Lebanon, El-Helwe returned to Germany and joinedSGV Freiberg in 2024.
Born in Germany, El-Helwe made his international debut forLebanon in 2015. He scored abrace againstNorth Korea in the2019 AFC Asian Cup, helping Lebanon win their first-ever game in the competition.
El-Helwe was born toLebanese parents in Germany; his father had moved to Germany aged seven.[4] El-Helwe has relatives living in Lebanon.[4]
Coming through the youth system, El-Helwe debuted for the senior side ofTSV Havelse on 31 August 2013 coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat toEintracht Braunschweig II.[5] His first goal in theRegionalliga Nord came on 27 October of the same year, scoring the equalizing goal againstSV Wilhelmshaven on the 14th minute.[6] He ended his first season at the club with six goals in 26 league games.[7]
In his second season, El-Helwe scored his first domesticbrace on 10 October 2014 againstSchwarz-Weiß Rehden.[8] He improved on his previous tally scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances for the club, earning him a move toVfL Wolfsburg II the following season.[7]
On 5 September 2015, El-Helwe debuted for VfL Wolfsburg II against his former side TSV Havelse in a 6–1 win, coming on as a substitute on the 65th minute.[9] On 1 November 2015, he scored his first goal for the side againstBorussia Hildesheim in a 5–1 away win.[10]
El-Helwe played a total of 22 league games for the side, scoring seven and assisting seven in the process.[7][11] He helped Wolfsburg win theRegionalliga Nord,[12] and played two promotion play-off games againstJahn Regensburg, losing 2–1 on aggregate.[13]

On 22 June 2016,3. Liga sideHallescher FC announced the acquisition of El-Helwe from VfL Wolfsburg II on a two-year contract.[14] On 6 August 2016, he played his first league match at home againstChemnitzer FC in a 1–1 draw, coming on as a substitute forSascha Pfeffer on the 78th minute. El-Helwe's first goals for the club came in the form of a brace at theDFB Pokal game against1. FC Kaiserslautern on 20 August 2016, scoring two goals in four minutes in a 4–3 win.[15]
In thefollowing season, El-Helwe scored his first league goal for the club on 22 July 2017 in the first match of the season, scoring in the 73rd minute againstSC Paderborn after coming off the bench in a 4–4 draw.[16] El-Helwe scored a total of four league goals for Halle, all during the 2017–18 season.[7]
With his contract expiring, El-Helwe joinedSuper League Greece sideApollon Smyrnis on a free transfer for the2018–19 season.[17] El-Helwe's first goal for the club, which came on 15 September 2018, was also Apollon Smyrnis' first of the season, scoring a late consolation goal againstPAS Giannina in a 2–1 defeat.[18] On 23 February 2019, El-Helwe scored the equalizer against defending championsAEK, with the match ending 2–1 to the opposing team.[19] Despite finishing last in the league, El-Helwe was Apollon Smyrnis' top scorer in the 2018–19 season with three goals and one assist in 21 appearances.[20][21]
On 3 July 2019, 3. Liga sideSV Meppen announced the signing of El-Helwe on a free transfer, with his contract valid until 2021.[22] His first goal came on 3 November 2019, scoring againstBayern Munich II in a 5–3 home win.[23] On 12 June 2020, El-Helwe scored against his former clubHallescher FC coming on as a substitute.[24] Despite him equalising the score 1–1, the match ended in a 3–2 loss.[24]
In the last two matchdays of the2019–20 season, on 1 and 4 July 2020, El-Helwe scored two goals and assisted one.[25] He scored a goal againstPreußen Münster in a 3–0 away win,[25] and scored and assisted one againstEintracht Braunschewig, helping his side win 4–3.[25][26] El-Helwe finished the season with five goals and three assists in 27 games,[27] averaging a contribution every 144 minutes;[7] SV Meppen finished in 7th place of out 20.[28]
El-Helwe scored his first goal of the2020–21 season on 3 October 2020, in a 2–1 home defeat toVerl.[29] He agreed the termination of his contract with SV Meppen on 25 February 2021.[30]
On 1 March 2021, El-Helwe joinedJordanian Pro League clubAl-Faisaly.[31] He made his debut on 4 March, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in aJordan FA Shield game againstAl-Ramtha which ended in a 2–2 draw.[32] El-Helwe's league debut came on 10 April, in a 2–2 draw againstSahab.[33]
Following his international duty with theLebanon national team, El-Helwe returned to Jordan on 24 June;[34] however, he refused to attend the training session, and looked to break his contract with the club following financial disagreements.[35]
On 16 July 2021,Lebanese Premier League sideAhed announced the signing of El-Helwe,[36] on a six-month contract.[37] Having made his debut on 13 September,[38] as a starter in a 1–0 win againstTripoli,[39] El-Helwe's first goals for Ahed came on 6 November, scoring twice to help his side beatSporting 2–0.[40] He scored six goals in 11 games in all competitions for Ahed.[1]
On 17 February 2022, El-Helwe joinedMalaysia Super League sidePenang.[41] His first goal for Penang came on 9 April, scoring apenalty in a 1–1 draw againstNegeri Sembilan.[42] On 14 May, El-Helwe scored a brace against second-tier sidePerak in the second round of theMalaysia FA Cup, via a penalty and afree kick, to help Penang win 4–1 and progress to the quarter-finals.[43] He scored another brace in the quarter-finals, againstSri Pahang, to qualify his team to the semi-finals.[44]
El-Helwe terminated his contract with Penang by mutual consent on 20 October, prior to the start of the2022 Malaysia Cup the following week.[45] He left the club with five goals and two assists in 19 league games.[45]
On 23 July 2023, El-Helwe signed forBourj in the Lebanese Premier League.[46] Having made his debut for Bourj in the first matchday of the2023–24 season, on 5 August 2023, as a 57th-minute substitute in a 1–0 win againstTripoli,[1] El-Helwe scored a brace the following game one week later, helping Bourj beatChabab Ghazieh 4–0.[47] He scored once again the next matchday on 20 August, in the form of an 84th-minute equalizer againstRacing Beirut.[48] El-Helwe finished the2023–24 season with seven goals one assist in 19 league games.[1]
On 25 July 2024, El-Helwe returned to Germany signing forRegionalliga Südwest clubSGV Freiberg.[49] He played 31 games in the2024–25 season, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists.[50]
On 5 June 2025, El-Helwe signed for Regionalliga Südwest rivalsFC 08 Homburg on a two-year contract.[50] On 6 July 2025, El-Helwe picked up an injury during a pre-season game againstFC Augsburg II, described as an "ankle fracture with ligament involvement", and was sidelined for four to six months.[51]

On 8 October 2015, El-Helwe made his debut for theLebanon national team, starting in a2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying 2–0 win againstMyanmar.[52] He played as a starter, and was subbed out after 56 minutes.[53] El-Helwe scored his first international goal on 29 March 2016, in Lebanon's home match against Myanmar in the qualifiers, securing a 1–1 draw for his team in the 88th minute.[54]
In December 2018, he was called up for the2019 AFC Asian Cup squad,[55] and played in all three group stage games.[56] On 17 January 2019, during the last game againstNorth Korea, he scored avolley in the 65th minute thanks to a cross byMohamad Haidar to put Lebanon in the lead.[57] In the seventh minute of added time, he scored a second volley ending the encounter in a 4–1 win and giving Lebanon their first ever win in the Asian Cup.[57]
On 23 June 2021, El-Helwe scored a volley in a2021 FIFA Arab Cup qualification match againstDjibouti to help Lebanon win 1–0 and qualify for thefinal tournament.[58]
In December 2023, El-Helwe was included in the Lebanese squad for the2023 AFC Asian Cup.[59]
El-Helwe is a versatilestriker who can also play as awinger on both sides.[60] Notwithstanding his height of 1.86 m (6.1 ft), which makes him good at holding play, he is a quick player who runs in behind the defence.[61] El-Helwe is also a goodfinisher in thebox.[61] SV Meppen's sporting director, Heiner Beckmann, described El-Helwe as "physically strong, quick and very versatile in attack" upon signing for the club in 2019.[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| TSV Havelse | 2013–14 | Regionalliga Nord | 26 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 6 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Regionalliga Nord | 33 | 10 | — | — | — | 3[c] | 1 | 36 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 59 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 62 | 17 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2015–16 | Regionalliga Nord | 22 | 7 | — | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | 24 | 7 | |||
| Hallescher FC | 2016–17 | 3. Liga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1[e] | 1 | 27 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | 3. Liga | 30 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 55 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 7 | ||
| Apollon Smyrnis | 2018–19 | Super League Greece | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| SV Meppen | 2019–20 | 3. Liga | 27 | 5 | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 28 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | 3. Liga | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 38 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 7 | ||
| Al-Faisaly | 2021 | Jordanian Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[f] | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Ahed | 2021–22 | Lebanese Premier League | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | — | 11 | 6 | |
| Penang | 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 19 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | 23 | 9 | |||
| Bourj | 2023–24 | Lebanese Premier League | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 7 | |||
| SGV Freiberg | 2024–25 | Regionalliga Südwest | 31 | 12 | — | — | — | 3[g] | 0 | 34 | 12 | |||
| Career total | 275 | 65 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 302 | 76 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 March 2016 | Saida Municipal Stadium,Sidon, Lebanon | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 10 October 2017 | Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium,Beirut, Lebanon | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 27 March 2018 | Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 17 January 2019 | Sharjah Stadium,Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 5 | 4–1 | |||||
| 6 | 10 October 2019 | Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 7 | 15 October 2019 | Colombo Racecourse,Colombo, Sri Lanka | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 8 | 3–0 | |||||
| 9 | 23 June 2021 | Khalifa International Stadium,Doha, Qatar | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 FIFA Arab Cup qualification |
VfL Wolfsburg II
Ahed