Rabih Mohammad Ataya (, ; born 16 July 1989) is a Lebanese 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

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. ...

for club

Nejmeh Nejmeh Sporting Club () is a football club based in Manara, a neighbourhood in Ras Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the . The club was established in Beirut in 1945, and received its license in 1947. Nejmeh have won nine Lebanese Pre ...

and the Lebanon national team. Starting his career at

Tadamon Sour Tadamon Sporting Club Sour (), known as Tadamon Sour or simply Tadamon, is a football club based in Tyre, Lebanon, that competes in the , and is primarily supported by the Shia Muslim community. They play their home matches at the Tyre Muni ...

in 2006, Ataya moved to Ansar, where he played for nine seasons. He helped them win a

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� ...

and a

Lebanese Super Cup The Lebanese Super Cup () is Lebanese football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Lebanese Premier League season and the holders of the Lebanese FA Cup. If the Lebanese Premier League champions also won the Lebanese FA ...

. In 2016, he moved to Iranian side Zob Ahan; Ataya returned to Lebanon two years later, joining Ahed. He won the

2019 AFC Cup The 2019 AFC Cup was the 16th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Al-Ahed from Lebanon won the title for the first time, defeating April 25 from North Korea in ...

, among other domestic titles. Ataya then moved to Malaysia, on loan to

UiTM The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university in Malaysia, based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to hel ...

and

Kedah Darul Aman Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of ov ...

in 2020 and 2021, respectively. He also had a one-match stint at

Ajman Ajman ( '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ''ʿYmān'') is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Loca ...

in the United Arab Emirates. In 2023, Ataya joined Nejmeh who promptly sent him on loan to TP Mazembe in DR Congo. Having represented Lebanon internationally at youth level, Ataya made his senior debut in 2012. He helped Lebanon qualify for 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) ...

, in which he played.

Club career

Early career

Ataya began his career at hometown club

in 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 ...

in 2006. He then moved to Ansar in 2008. On 5 February 2015, Ataya joined

Iraqi Premier League The Iraq Stars League (), is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Asso ...

club

Masafi Al-Wasat Masafi Al-Wasat (), also known as Al-Masafi, is a football team based in Baghdad, that plays in Iraqi Premier Division League. History in Premier League Masafi Al-Wasat played in the Iraqi Premier League for the first time in the 2009–10 seas ...

for the rest of the season. He remained at Ansar until 2017, scoring 20 league goals, and appearing in the

2013 AFC Cup The 2013 AFC Cup was the tenth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. In an all-Kuwait final, defending champions Al-Kuwait defeated Al- ...

Zob Ahan

On 16 January 2017, it was announced that Iranian club Zob Ahan had completed the transfer of Ataya. He joined on an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee, and reunited with fellow Lebanese player

Ali Hamam Ali Nizar Hamam (; born 25 August 1986) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Lebanese Second Division club Jwayya. Starting his career at Taqadom Anqoun, Hamam moved to Ahli Saida in 2006, helping them reach pr ...

Ahed

On 17 August 2018, Ataya returned to Lebanon, joining reigning champions Ahed in a deal involving Hassan Chaito,

Ghazi Honeine Ghazi Youssef Honeine (; born 12 January 1995) is a Lebanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Safa. Coming through the youth system, Honeine started his senior career at Ahed in 2012. In 2015 he was sent on a three-year loan to ...

, and Hassan Bitar, who moved from Ansar to Ahed.

Loan to UiTM

On 14 February 2020, Ataya was sent on loan to newly promoted

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 ...

club

. He made his debut on 29 February 2020, in a 2–0 defeat to

Melaka United Melaka United Football Club () was a Malaysian professional football club based in Malacca that competed in the Malaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd, which is one of main nitrile glove producers in Malaysia. The club's hom ...

. Ataya scored his first goal and made his first assist on 15 March 2020, against PDRM, helping his side win 3–1. On 26 September 2020, Ataya scored and assisted in a 3–3 draw against

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

. He finished the season with two goals and two assists in nine games, helping his side reach sixth place in their first season in the top division.

Loan to Kedah Darul Aman

On 19 November 2020, Ataya moved on loan to league runners-up

for the

2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, until November 2021. He made his debut on 5 March 2021, in the opening game of the season – which was also the final of the

2021 Piala Sumbangsih The 2021 Piala Sumbangsih was the 36th edition of the Piala Sumbangsih, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Malaysia Super League and Malaysia Cup. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Malaysia Cup and ...

; his team lost 2–0 against

Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to the east and w ...

. On 17 and 20 March, Ataya made two assists in two consecutive games, helping his team beat Petaling Jaya City and his former club UiTM. He scored his first goal on 21 August, helping his side win 2–1 against

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

. Ataya's second goal came four days later, scoring a long-distance shot off 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 ...

in a 4–1 win to Petaling Jaya City. He helped Kedah finish in second place, and qualify for the

2022 AFC Cup The 2022 AFC Cup was the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This season was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule; ...

Loan to Ajman

In January 2022, Ataya moved to

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system. The first team to w ...

side

on a one-match contract; the nature of the contract is due to the temporary absence of Tunisian midfielder

Firas Ben Larbi Mohamed Firas Ben Larbi (; born 27 May 1996) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al-Sharjah. He has represented Tunisia at senior international level. Club career Firas began his senior career Marsa and also pl ...

from Ajman's squad, as he would be competing in the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's ass ...

. He played the whole 90 minutes in the game against

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...

on 8 January, losing 1–0 at home. He returned to Ahed on 7 February.

Nejmeh

On 23 March 2023, Ataya joined

after the end of the

2022–23 Lebanese Premier League The 2022–23 Lebanese Premier League was the 61st season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese league for association football, football clubs since its establishment in 1934. The league started on 2 September 2022, and ended on 12 M ...

season. He was sent on loan to

TP Mazembe Tout Puissant Mazembe, commonly referred to as TP Mazembe, is a Congolese professional association football, football club based in Lubumbashi. History Tout Puissant Mazembe, the first sports club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a ...

in the Congolese

Linafoot The Vodacom Ligue 1 is the top division of the Congolese Association Football Federation, the governing body of football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1958. In 2013, the highest attendance was set in the match DC M ...

on 4 July 2023. He returned to Nejmeh in January 2024. In July 2024, Ataya renewed his contract with Nejmeh for 3 more years.

International career

Ataya made his senior 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 ...

on 11 May 2012, in a 4–1 friendly defeat to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He scored his first goal against

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

on 31 August 2016. On 13 June 2017, Ataya scored his first international

brace Brace (formerly known as ''Brace For War'') was an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. Brace was founded in 2005 by Kya Pate. In an interview with MMA Kanvas Kya Pate detailed what it is like to be the promoter of Australian MMA. Si ...

in a

2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification was the qualification process organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine the participating teams for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the 17th edition of the international men's football champions ...

match, helping Lebanon beat

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

2–1. Ataya was called up for the

; he featured in two games, against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

and

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 ...

Style of play

Ataya's main qualities are his

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, alongside his finishing and crossing. He has been likened to Algerian player

Riyad Mahrez Riyad Karim Mahrez (born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and captains the Algeria national team. He is regarded as one of the best African players of all time. Ma ...

for his skilful play.

Career statistics

International

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

Honours

Ansar *

: 2011–12 *

: 2012 Ahed *

AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

: 2018–19, 2021–22,

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

* Lebanese FA Cup: 2018–19; runner-up:

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 ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

* Lebanese Super Cup: 2018,

Kedah Darul Aman *

Piala Sumbangsih The Malaysian Charity Shield (English: Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah () or Piala Sumbangsih, is a Malaysian football super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pittin ...

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 ...

Nejmeh *

: 2023–24 Individual *

Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season The Al-Manar Football Festival () was an event organised by the Al-Manar television station between the 1996–97 and 2018–19 seasons in order to award players, managers, referees and teams who were considered to have performed the best over ...

: 2015–16 * Lebanese Premier League Best Goal: 2018–19

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ataya, Rabih 1989 births Living people People from Tyre, Lebanon Sportspeople from South Governorate Lebanese men's footballers 21st-century Lebanese sportsmen Men's association football wingers Tadamon SC Sour players Al Ansar FC players Masafi Al-Wasat SC players Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C. players Al Ahed FC players UiTM United players Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players Ajman Club players Nejmeh SC players TP Mazembe players Lebanese Premier League players Iraq Stars League players Persian Gulf Pro League players Malaysia Super League players UAE Pro League players Linafoot players Lebanon men's youth international footballers Lebanon men's international footballers 2019 AFC Asian Cup players Lebanese expatriate men's footballers Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Iraq Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Iran Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Expatriate men's footballers in Iraq Expatriate men's footballers in Iran Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate men's footballers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo