Hilal Bassam El-Helwe (, ; born 24 November 1994) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for German club

FC 08 Homburg Fußball-Club 08 Homburg or simply FC Homburg is a German association football club based in Homburg, Saarland, that competes in the Regionalliga Südwest. History The club was founded on 15 June 1908 as ''Fussball Club Homburg'' by a group ...

. A versatile forward, he can play both centrally and as a winger on either flank. After playing for five years in Germany for

TSV Havelse TSV Havelse is a German association football club based in Garbsen, Lower Saxony, near Hanover. History The club was founded in 1912 as ''FC Pelikan-Havelse'' by a group of thirteen young men from the small village of Havelse. They took their n ...

VfL Wolfsburg II VfL Wolfsburg II was a German association football team from the city of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. It was the reserve team of VfL Wolfsburg. The team's greatest success was two league championships in the tier four Regionalliga Nord, in 2013–14 ...

, and

Hallescher FC Hallescher FC, formerly known as Hallescher FC Chemie, is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the Regionalliga, the fourth highest l ...

, El-Helwe moved to Greek club

Apollon Smyrnis Apollon Smyrnis Football Club () is a professional football club based in Athens, Greece, which competes in the Athens FCA first division. It is part of GS Apollon Smyrnis (Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Απόλλων Σμύρνης), ...

in 2018. He returned to Germany in 2019, signing for

SV Meppen SV Meppen is a German association football club playing in Meppen, Lower Saxony. The club was founded on 29 November 1912 as ''Amisia Meppen'' and joined ''Männer-Turnverein Meppen'' on 8 February 1920 to form ''TuS Meppen 1912''. The football ...

, with whom he played for two years. El-Helwe then moved to Asia in 2021, playing for Al-Faisaly in Jordan, Ahed in Lebanon, and

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

in Malaysia. After one season at Bourj in Lebanon, El-Helwe returned to Germany and joined SGV Freiberg in 2024. Born in Germany, El-Helwe made his international debut for

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

in 2015. He scored a brace against

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

in the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

, helping Lebanon win their first-ever game in the competition.

Early life

El-Helwe was born to Lebanese parents in Germany; his father had moved to Germany aged seven. El-Helwe has relatives living in Lebanon.

Club career

TSV Havelse

Coming through the youth system, El-Helwe debuted for the senior side of

on 31 August 2013 coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig II. His first goal in the

Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord () is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga N ...

came on 27 October of the same year, scoring the equalizing goal against

SV Wilhelmshaven SV Wilhelmshaven is a German association football club from Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony. SV Wilhelmshaven play in the Regionalliga Nord. SV Wilhelmshaven was founded in 1905. Since 1999, Wilhelmshaven's stadium is the Jadestadion. History Pre ...

on the 14th minute. He ended his first season at the club with six goals in 26 league games. In his second season, El-Helwe scored his first domestic brace on 10 October 2014 against Schwarz-Weiß Rehden. He improved on his previous tally scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances for the club, earning him a move to

the following season.

VfL Wolfsburg II

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. On 1 November 2015, he scored his first goal for the side against Borussia Hildesheim in a 5–1 away win. El-Helwe played a total of 22 league games for the side, scoring seven and assisting seven in the process. He helped Wolfsburg win the

, and played two promotion play-off games against Jahn Regensburg, losing 2–1 on aggregate.

Hallescher FC

On 22 June 2016,

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for t ...

side

announced the acquisition of El-Helwe from VfL Wolfsburg II on a two-year contract. On 6 August 2016, he played his first league match at home against

Chemnitzer FC Chemnitzer Fußballclub e.V. is a German association football club based in Chemnitz, Saxony. The club competes in Regionalliga Nordost, the fourth tier of German football. The roots of the club go back to its establishment as Chemnitzer BC 193 ...

in a 1–1 draw, coming on as a substitute for

Sascha Pfeffer Sascha Pfeffer (born 19 October 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. He joined Dynamo Dresden from SC Borea Dresden in August 2007, and left for Chemnitzer FC five years later. After ...

on the 78th minute. El-Helwe's first goals for the club came in the form of a brace at the

DFB Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundes ...

game against

1. FC Kaiserslautern 1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...

on 20 August 2016, scoring two goals in four minutes in a 4–3 win. In the following 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 against

SC Paderborn Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V., commonly known as simply SC Paderborn 07 () or SC Paderborn, is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has enjoyed its greatest success since the turn of the millenni ...

after coming off the bench in a 4–4 draw. El-Helwe scored a total of four league goals for Halle, all during the 2017–18 season.

Apollon Smyrnis

With his contract expiring, El-Helwe joined

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

side

on a free transfer for the 2018–19 season. 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 against

PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club (), or with its full name Panipirotikós Athlitikós Síllogos Giánnina (, ''Panepirotic Athletic Club Giannina'') is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capita ...

in a 2–1 defeat. On 23 February 2019, El-Helwe scored the equalizer against defending champions AEK, with the match ending 2–1 to the opposing team. 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.

SV Meppen

On 3 July 2019, 3. Liga side

announced the signing of El-Helwe on a free transfer, with his contract valid until 2021. His first goal came on 3 November 2019, scoring against

Bayern Munich II FC Bayern Munich II (''FC Bayern Munich Amateure'' until 2005) are the German reserve football teams, reserve team of Football in Germany, German association football club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, currently playing in the Regionalliga B ...

in a 5–3 home win. On 12 June 2020, El-Helwe scored against his former club

coming on as a substitute. Despite him equalising the score 1–1, the match ended in a 3–2 loss. In the last two matchdays of the 2019–20 season, on 1 and 4 July 2020, El-Helwe scored two goals and assisted one. He scored a goal against

Preußen Münster Preußen or Preussen is the German word for Prussia. It also refers to: Ships * Preußen (ship), ''Preußen'' (ship), windjammer built in 1902 * SMS Preußen (1873), SMS ''Preußen'' (1873), armored frigate * SMS Preußen (1903), SMS ''Preußen ...

in a 3–0 away win, and scored and assisted one against Eintracht Braunschewig, helping his side win 4–3. El-Helwe finished the season with five goals and three assists in 27 games, averaging a contribution every 144 minutes; SV Meppen finished in 7th place of out 20. El-Helwe scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season on 3 October 2020, in a 2–1 home defeat to

Verl Verl () is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is approximately 15 km south of Bielefeld and 10 km east of Gütersloh. History The name Verl was first mentioned in the expression 'He ...

. He agreed the termination of his contract with SV Meppen on 25 February 2021.

Al-Faisaly

On 1 March 2021, El-Helwe joined

Jordanian Pro League The Jordanian Pro League () is a Jordanian professional league for men's football clubs and represents the top flight of Jordanian football. The championship consists of twelve competing teams in a home and away league system. The league was not ...

club Al-Faisaly. He made his debut on 4 March, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a

Jordan FA Shield The Jordan Shield Cup is a men's football (soccer) competition played in Jordan since its inauguration in 1981. It is generally played before the start of the domestic league season, featuring all the clubs from that season. Winners by year W ...

game against Al-Ramtha which ended in a 2–2 draw. El-Helwe's league debut came on 10 April, in a 2–2 draw against Sahab. Following his international duty with the Lebanon national team, El-Helwe returned to Jordan on 24 June; however, he refused to attend the training session, and looked to break his contract with the club following financial disagreements.

Ahed

On 16 July 2021,

Lebanese Premier League The Lebanese First Division (), commonly known as the Lebanese Premier League (), is the top division of the Lebanese football league system. Established in 1934 and organized by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), the Lebanese Premier Leagu ...

side Ahed announced the signing of El-Helwe, on a six-month contract. Having made his debut on 13 September, as a starter in a 1–0 win against

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, El-Helwe's first goals for Ahed came on 6 November, scoring twice to help his side beat Sporting 2–0. He scored six goals in 11 games in all competitions for Ahed.

Penang

On 17 February 2022, El-Helwe joined

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...

side

. His first goal for Penang came on 9 April, scoring a

penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

in a 1–1 draw against

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...

. On 14 May, El-Helwe scored a brace against second-tier side

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

in the second round of the

Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup () is an annual association football, football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP, Malaysian ...

, via a penalty and a

free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...

, to help Penang win 4–1 and progress to the quarter-finals. He scored another brace in the quarter-finals, against

Sri Pahang Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including Ind ...

, to qualify his team to the semi-finals. El-Helwe terminated his contract with Penang by mutual consent on 20 October, prior to the start of the 2022 Malaysia Cup the following week. He left the club with five goals and two assists in 19 league games.

Bourj

On 23 July 2023, El-Helwe signed for Bourj in the Lebanese Premier League. Having made his debut for Bourj in the first matchday of the 2023–24 season, on 5 August 2023, as a 57th-minute substitute in a 1–0 win against

, El-Helwe scored a brace the following game one week later, helping Bourj beat Chabab Ghazieh 4–0. He scored once again the next matchday on 20 August, in the form of an 84th-minute equalizer against

Racing Beirut Racing Club (), known as Racing Beirut or simply Racing, is a football club based in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the . They play their home matches at the Fouad Chehab Stadium and are primarily supported by the ...

. El-Helwe finished the 2023–24 season with seven goals one assist in 19 league games.

Return to Germany

On 25 July 2024, El-Helwe returned to Germany signing for

Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ('Regional League Southwest') is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with t ...

club SGV Freiberg. He played 31 games in the 2024–25 season, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists. On 5 June 2025, El-Helwe signed for Regionalliga Südwest rivals

on a two-year contract.

International career

On 8 October 2015, El-Helwe made his debut for the Lebanon national team, starting in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying 2–0 win against

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. He played as a starter, and was subbed out after 56 minutes. 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. In December 2018, he was called up for the

squad, and played in all three group stage games. On 17 January 2019, during the last game against

, he scored a volley in the 65th minute thanks to a cross by

Mohamad Haidar Mohamad Faouzi Haidar (, ; born 8 November 1989) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for club Ahed and captains the Lebanon national team. Coming through the youth system, Haidar began his sen ...

to put Lebanon in the lead. 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. On 23 June 2021, El-Helwe scored a volley in a 2021 FIFA Arab Cup qualification match against

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

to help Lebanon win 1–0 and qualify for the

final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. In December 2023, El-Helwe was included in the Lebanese squad for the

2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...

Style of play

El-Helwe is a versatile striker who can also play as a winger on both sides. Notwithstanding his height of , which makes him good at holding play, he is a quick player who runs in behind the defence. El-Helwe is also a good finisher in the

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container with rigid sides used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides (typically rectangular prisms). Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or v ...

. 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.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each El-Helwe goal''.

Honours

VfL Wolfsburg II *

: 2015–16 Ahed *

: 2021–22 *

Lebanese Elite Cup The Lebanese Elite Cup () was a Lebanese football annual cup competition contested by the top six teams of the previous Lebanese Premier League season. Founded in 1996 as the Super League Cup, the first edition was played by the top five finisher ...

runner-up:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

References

External links

Profile
at

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helwe, Hilal Living people 1994 births Footballers from Hanover Men's association football forwards Men's association football wingers Lebanese men's footballers German men's footballers German people of Lebanese descent TSV Havelse players VfL Wolfsburg II players Hallescher FC players Apollon Smyrnis F.C. players SV Meppen players Al-Faisaly SC players Al Ahed FC players Penang F.C. players Bourj FC players SGV Freiberg players FC 08 Homburg players Regionalliga players 3. Liga players Super League Greece players Jordanian Pro League players Lebanese Premier League players Malaysia Super League players Lebanon men's international footballers 2019 AFC Asian Cup players 2023 AFC Asian Cup players Lebanese expatriate men's footballers Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Greece Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Jordan Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia German expatriate men's footballers German expatriate sportspeople in Greece German expatriate sportspeople in Jordan German expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Jordan Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia Sportspeople of Lebanese descent International sportspeople born abroad 21st-century German sportsmen

Early life

Club career

TSV Havelse

VfL Wolfsburg II

Hallescher FC

Apollon Smyrnis

SV Meppen

Al-Faisaly

Ahed

Penang

Bourj

Return to Germany

International career

Style of play

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

See also

References

External links