Mohamad Ghaddar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mohamad Ghaddar

Ghaddar with Nejmeh in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Mohamad Mahmoud Ghaddar
Date of birth	(1984-01-01) 1 January 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Beirut, Lebanon
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1998–2000	Nejmeh
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2009	Nejmeh		(52)
2009–2010	Al-Shabab	18	(5)
2010–2011	Al Ahly	4	(0)
2011	Tishreen	11	(5)
2011	Al-Jaish	6	(1)
2011–2013	Kelantan	17	(9)
2013	FELDA United	6	(2)
2013–2014	Kelantan	14	(4)
2014–2016	Naft Al-Wasat	12	(5)
2016	Tripoli	0	(0)
2016	Al-Faisaly	1	(1)
2017	Kelantan	11	(18)
2017	Johor Darul Ta'zim	10	(5)
2018	Kelantan	5	(1)
2019–2020	Johor Darul Ta'zim II	15	(7)
2020–2022	Nejmeh	19	(5)
Total		149+	(120)
National team
1999–2001	Lebanon U20
2001–2004	Lebanon U23
2006–2017	Lebanon	46	(19)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Mohamad Mahmoud Ghaddar (Arabic: مُحَمَّد مَحْمُود غَدَّار; born 1 January 1984) is a former professional football player from Lebanon. He played as a forward, which means he was a main goal scorer for his teams.

Ghaddar started his career at Nejmeh in 2000, playing there for nine years. He won many titles with them. Later, he played for clubs in Bahrain, Egypt, Syria, and Malaysia. In Egypt, he helped Al Ahly win the league title in 2010. He also won the league in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim and was the top scorer there.

He played for the Lebanon national team from 2006 to 2017. He is one of Lebanon's top goal scorers, with 19 goals in 46 games. Ghaddar retired from football in 2022.

Ghaddar's Club Journey

Starting at Nejmeh

Mohamad Ghaddar began his football journey at Nejmeh when he was young, joining their youth team in 1998. Just two years later, in 2000, he joined the main team. He was part of the squad that won the 1999–00 league title. This was a big deal because it was the club's first league win in over 20 years!

During his time at Nejmeh, Ghaddar became known as one of Lebanon's best strikers. He helped his team win four more league titles. He also won the award for the league's top scorer multiple times.

Playing in Bahrain and Egypt

In December 2009, Ghaddar moved to Bahrain to play for Al-Shabab. He scored his first goal for them in March 2010. He even scored two goals in a single game twice! His five goals in six games helped Al-Shabab stay in the top league.

After that, Ghaddar signed a four-year contract with Al Ahly in Egypt in 2010. He was the first Lebanese player ever to join this famous Egyptian team. He played his first game for Al Ahly in August 2010. Even though he only played a few games, he was part of the team that won the league title that season. He left the club after six months.

Time in Syria

After leaving Egypt, Ghaddar played for two clubs in Syria. He joined Tishreen for a short time in 2010. Then, in the same year, he moved to Al-Jaish.

Adventures in Malaysia with Kelantan

Ghaddar celebrating a goal with Kelantan in 2012

Ghaddar moved to Malaysia in November 2011, signing a two-year deal with Kelantan. He quickly showed his skills, scoring a penalty in his very first friendly match.

He started the season well, scoring three goals. He was temporarily removed from the team's main squad but was brought back after scoring six goals in the 2012 AFC Cup. When he returned to the league, he scored another penalty goal.

Ghaddar played a big part in Kelantan winning the Malaysia FA Cup for the first time in 2012. He scored the only goal in the final game, which was a penalty kick.

Playing for FELDA United

After his first time at Kelantan, Ghaddar joined FELDA United for one year. He scored a goal in his first game for them, helping his team get a 1–1 draw. Unfortunately, he got a back injury in March 2013 and had to stop playing. FELDA United then signed a new player to replace him.

Returning to Kelantan (Again!)

Ghaddar returned to Kelantan for a second time, signing a two-year contract. In his first game back, he scored two goals against Selangor, helping Kelantan win 2–1. However, his contract was ended by the club in April.

Playing in Iraq and Jordan

Ghaddar then moved to Iraq in December 2014 to play for Naft Al-Wasat. After that, he played for Al-Faisaly in Jordan.

Third Time with Kelantan

In January 2017, Ghaddar rejoined Kelantan for the third time. He started strong, scoring two goals in his first game of the 2017 season. He scored an amazing 18 goals in just 11 matches for Kelantan during this period!

Joining Johor Darul Ta'zim

Because of his great performance, Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), another big club in Malaysia, signed Ghaddar in May 2017. It was reported that this transfer cost a lot of money, and Ghaddar became one of the highest-paid players in Malaysian football history.

He made his debut for JDT in a 1–0 win and helped set up the winning goal. He scored his first goal for JDT in July 2017. He continued to score important goals, including two in one game against Sarawak. Ghaddar ended the season with five goals in 10 league games for JDT. He was released from the club after the 2017 season.

Fourth Time with Kelantan

In February 2018, Ghaddar went back to Kelantan for a fourth time. He played his first game back in a 3–2 win. However, he suffered from injuries and his contract was ended by agreement in May.

Playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim II

Ghaddar then joined Johor Darul Ta'zim II, which is the reserve team for JDT. He played his first game for them in February 2019, scoring a goal with his head to tie the game. He scored seven goals in 15 league games for this team.

Back to Nejmeh and Retirement

On 7 September 2020, Ghaddar returned to his first club, Nejmeh, in Lebanon. He played there for two more years before deciding to retire from football in June 2022. He was 38 years old when he retired.

Ghaddar's International Career

Youth Teams

Mohamad Ghaddar played for Lebanon's national youth teams. He was part of the Under-20 team. He also played for the Under-23 team during the qualifiers for the 2004 Summer Olympics. His team made it to the final round of the Asian qualifiers.

Senior National Team

Ghaddar made his debut for the senior national team in 2006. He scored a goal against the Brazil Olympic team in a 2–2 draw in 2014.

He played for Lebanon in several important competitions. These included the qualifiers for the 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also played in qualifiers for the 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Ghaddar is a very important player in Lebanon's football history. With 19 goals in 46 games, he is the third-highest goal scorer for the Lebanon national team.

Career Statistics

Here are some tables showing Mohamad Ghaddar's playing record for his clubs and the national team.

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ghaddar goal.

List of international goals scored by Mohamad Ghaddar

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	27 January 2006	Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
2	24 December 2006	Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Somalia	1–0	4–0	2009 Arab Nations Cup qualification
3				2–0
4	8 October 2007	Saida Municipal Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon	India	2–1	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5				4–1
6	30 October 2007	Fatorda Stadium, Margao, India	India	1–1	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7				2–1
8	2 January 2008	Thamir Stadium, Salmiya, Kuwait	Kuwait	1–0	2–3	Friendly
9	9 April 2008	Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Maldives	4–0	4–0	2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
10	27 May 2008	Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Qatar	1–0	1–2	Friendly
11	7 June 2008	King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	1–2	1–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	17 August 2011	Saida International Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon	Syria	2–1	2–3	Friendly
13	6 September 2011	Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	United Arab Emirates	1–1	3–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	27 May 2012	Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman	Oman	1–0	1–1	Friendly
15	15 October 2013	Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	United Arab Emirates	1–1	1–1	2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
16	5 March 2014	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	1–0	5–2	2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
17	24 May 2015	Saida International Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon	Syria	2–2	2–2	Friendly
18	16 June 2015	New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos	Laos	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
19	28 March 2017	Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Hong Kong	1–0	2–0	2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Awards and Achievements

Mohamad Ghaddar has won many awards and titles throughout his football career.

• The Lebanon national team honored Ghaddar for being the top scorer in the 2007 AFC Cup. He received the golden boot award.
• In 2021, the AFC named Ghaddar as one of the best all-time strikers in the AFC Cup.

Team Honours

• Nejmeh
  • Lebanese Premier League: 2003–04, 2004–05
  • Lebanese FA Cup: 2021–22
  • Lebanese Elite Cup: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
  • Lebanese Super Cup: 2002, 2004

• Al Ahly
  • Egyptian Premier League: 2010–11

• Kelantan
  • Malaysia Super League: 2012
  • Malaysia Cup: 2012
  • Malaysia FA Cup: 2012, 2013

• Johor Darul Ta'zim
  • Malaysia Super League: 2017
  • Malaysia Cup: 2017

• Johor Darul Ta'zim II
  • Malaysia Challenge Cup: 2019

Individual Awards

• Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season: 2006–07, 2007–08
• AFC Cup top scorer: 2007
• Lebanese Premier League top scorer: 2006–07, 2007–08
• Malaysia Super League top scorer: 2017

See also

• List of Lebanon international footballers