 El Zein withNejmeh in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kassem Mohammed El Zein[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1990-12-02)2 December 1990 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Maarakeh, Lebanon[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nejmeh | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Nejmeh | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011– | Nejmeh | 174 | (13) |
| 2020 | →Al-Mina'a (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | →Al-Nasr (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014– | Lebanon | 55 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:16, 30 June 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 June 2025 | |||
Kassem Mohammed El Zein (Arabic:قاسم محمد الزين,Lebanese Arabic pronunciation:[ˈʔæːsimmˈħammadzˈzeːn]; born 2 December 1990) is a Lebanesefootballer who plays as adefender forLebanese Premier League clubNejmeh and theLebanon national team.
El Zein began his senior career in 2011 at Nejmeh, playing over 100 league matches. In 2020 he was sent on loan, to Iraqi clubAl-Mina'a and Kuwaiti club Al-Nasr, respectively. El Zein made his international debut for Lebanon in 2014, and was part of the2019 and2023 AFC Asian Cup squads.
On 28 January 2020, El Zein was sent on a three-month loan toIraqi Premier League sideAl-Mina'a.[3][4] He made his debut on 17 February 2020, in a 1–0 home win overNaft Al-Janoob in the first matchday of the season.[5] El Zein played four league games for Al-Mina'a; however, the season was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6]
On 18 June 2020, El Zein was sent on a one-year loan to Kuwaiti clubAl-Nasr.[7] He made his debut on 16 October, in a 2–1 win againstAl-Shabab in the classification league betweenKuwait Premier League andKuwaiti Division One clubs.[8] El Zein helped his side finish first in the qualifying stage.[9][10]
His debut in the2020–21 Kuwaiti Premier League came on 22 January 2021, in a 1–0 away win againstAl-Shabab.[11] El Zein scored a goal on 25 April, helping his side to a 2–1 away win againstAl-Fahaheel.[12] He finished the season with 17 league games.[13]
El Zein returned to Nejmeh for the2021–22 season. His contract was renewed in 2022.[14] On 30 June 2024, El Zein scored the decisive goal in the 95th minute in the last game of the2023–24 Lebanese Premier League against rivalsAnsar, allowing Nejmeh to win the league for the first time in 10 years.[15]
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El Zein debuted for the Lebanon national team on 14 October 2014, in afriendly againstSaudi Arabia.[16] In December 2018, he was called up for the2019 AFC Asian Cup,[17] where he played a group stage game against Saudi Arabia.[16]
El Zein scored his first international goal againstIndia on 10 September 2023, to help Lebanon finish third in the2023 King's Cup.[18]
In December 2023, El Zein was included in the Lebanese squad for the2023 AFC Asian Cup.[19]
Initially starting out as afull-back, El Zein progressed into acentre-back with the years; his main abilities are his tackling and reading of the game.[20]
As of 2019, El Zein was working as a part-time chef atL'Avenue Du Parc, a restaurant inBeirut.[21] He stated that "while in other countries football can be a full-time job, in Lebanon it is necessary for a player to have a second job."[21][22]
El Zein's favourite club isManchester United, while his favourite player is former Manchester United defenderNemanja Vidić.[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2023 | 700th Anniversary Stadium,Chiang Mai, Thailand |  India | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 King's Cup |
| 2 | 12 December 2024 | Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium,Doha, Qatar |  Kuwait | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Nejmeh[24]
Individual
Lebanon squads | |||||||
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