Levon Aram Altounian (; 15 February 1936 – 6 September 2020) was a Lebanese

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 played as a

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Altounian played his whole club career at Homenetmen, between 1952 and 1973, finishing as top scorer of the

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 ...

twice: in 1962–63 and in 1966–67. Altounian also represented the Lebanon national team, captaining them to a third-place finish at the

1963 Arab Cup The 1963 Arab Cup was the first edition of the Arab Cup hosted in Beirut, Lebanon. Tunisia national football team, Tunisia won the first title of the Arab Cup. Participating teams The 5 participated teams are: Venues Squads Final t ...

Club career

Born on 15 February 1936 in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, Lebanon, Altounian played his whole club career at Homenetmen, between 1952 and 1973. He was awarded top scorer of the

twice, during the 1962–63 and 1966–67 seasons, scoring respectively 14 and 19 goals.

International career

Altounian played for the Lebanon national team, scoring two goals in the 1957 Pan Arab Games and helping Lebanon reach third place. He also participated in the

as Lebanon's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

; he scored six goals, with Lebanon coming in third place in the competition.

Style of play

Altounian started out as an

, before developing as a

. He was known for his speed,

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...

, and technical ability, as well as for scoring difficult top-corner goals.

Personal life

Levon's favourite player was

Mardik Tchaparian Mardiros Tchaparian (), commonly known as Mardik (), is a Lebanese former footballer who played as a striker. Active during the 1950s and 1960s, he used to play as a striker for Homenmen at club level. He was the top scorer in the 1960–61 L ...

in Lebanon, and

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

worldwide; his favourite coach was

Joseph Nalbandian Joseph Nalbandian (; 1919 – after 1985) was a Lebanese football player and manager. During the 1930s and 1940s, Nalbandian played as a goalkeeper for DPHB, Hilmi-Sport, Sagesse, Homenetmen, and Nahda, at club level. He also represented Leban ...

. His brother,

Manuel Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

, also played football, and represented Lebanon internationally.

Death

On 6 September 2020, Altounian died in the Daher El Bachek Hospital in

Roumieh Roumieh is a town north-east of Beirut in Lebanon. Surrounded by pine-forested hills, Roumieh is a 10- or 15-minute drive from the coast. Roumieh is known as a pleasant, picturesque small mountain town with many gardens. Agriculture In additio ...

, Lebanon.

Career statistics

International

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

Honours

Homenetmen *

: 1954–55, 1962–63, 1968–69 *

Lebanese FA Cup The Lebanon Cup (), commonly known as the Lebanese FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in domestic Lebanese football. In the first FA Cup final, held on 26 June 1938, Nahda beat Hilmi-Sport 3–2 in the replay (after drawing 1� ...

: 1961–62 Lebanon *

Pan Arab Games The Arab Games (), also known as the Pan-Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandr ...

third place:

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

Arab Cup The FIFA Arab Cup (), or Arab Cup, is an international association football competition organized by FIFA. It is held every four years with the participation of senior men's national teams of the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), ...

third place:

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

Individual * Lebanese Premier League top goalscorer: 1962–63, 1966–67

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Altounian, Levon 1936 births 2020 deaths Footballers from Beirut Lebanese men's footballers Lebanese people of Armenian descent Ethnic Armenian sportspeople Men's association football wingers Men's association football midfielders Homenetmen Beirut (football) players Lebanese Premier League players Lebanon men's international footballers Lebanese Premier League top scorers