Bassel Jradi
Bassel Zakaria Jradi is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Croatian club Hajduk Split and the Lebanon national team. Usually deployed as an attacking midfielder, Jradi can also play on both wings and as a false nine.
After playing for three years in Denmark, first for B93 and AB and then for Nordsjælland, in 2014 Jradi moved to Norway signing for Strømsgodset. After a loan spell with Lillestrøm, in 2017 he scored 10 goals and assisted seven upon his return to Strømsgodset: thanks to his performances he was nominated for the "Folkets favorittspiller" award at the. In 2018, after four years in Norway, Jradi moved to Croatian side Hajduk Split.
Born in Denmark to Lebanese parents, Jradi represented Denmark internationally at youth level before switching allegiance to Lebanon in 2015. In 2019 he played in the Asian Cup group stage game against Qatar, before being dropped out of the squad for the remainder of the tournament due to a disagreement with the coach.
Club career
Early career
Being a profile for then Danish 2nd Division team B93, he went on trials with both OB and Blackburn Rovers. In the end, however, he ended up signing a contract with 1st division club AB.After impressive displays in the AB jersey, he was called up for the Danish U-21 team, and at the end of the 2012-13 season, he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Superliga side Nordsjælland. Jradi scored eight goals and made three assists during his stay at AB.
Strømsgodset and loan to Lillestrøm
In July 2014, Jradi was purchased by Strømsgodset, and signed a contract which lasted until the end of 2017.In January 2016, Jradi signed for Lillestrøm in Tippeligaen on loan until the end of the year, where he scored four league goals in 26 games.
Thanks to his performances during the 2017 Eliteserien season with Strømsgodset, scoring 10 goals and assisting seven, Jradi was nominated for the "Folkets favorittspiller" award at the ; he then made it to the final shortlist of four people.
Hajduk Split
2018–19 season
On 11 August 2018, Jradi joined Croatian club Hajduk Split on a two-year deal. His first goal for the club came on 10 May 2019, in a 2–0 home win over Slaven. He scored once again the following matchday, played four days later, against Rudeš in a 1–4 away win. Jradi ended the 2018–19 season with two goals in 25 appearances, helping his side finish fourth in the league.2019–20 season
On 18 July 2019, Jradi scored his first Europa League qualifier goal in the home game against Gżira United. However, his side lost on the away goals rule and were knocked out of the qualifiers. In the Eternal derby against Dinamo Zagreb in the league, on 31 August 2019, Jradi scored the lone goal in the 56th minute, before being sent off after receiving two yellow cards during the match. Thanks to his performance in the game, Jradi was nominated Man of the Match and helped his side reach the top of the table for the first time in 1,399 days. After the game, the player stated: "This was a crazy game with crazy fans. Incredible. Red cards, goals, everything was crazy".On 29 June 2020, Hajduk Split extended Jradi's contract, which was due to expire in July, for an additional year. On 25 July 2020, Jradi scored from outside the box and assisted a goal against Inter Zaprešić, in a 4–1 away win in the last matchday of the season. Jradi ended the season with three league goals in 32 games.
International career
Despite playing for all of the Danish youth national teams, Jradi decided to represent Lebanon internationally at senior level. On 26 August 2015, he played his first match for Lebanon scoring the 2–1 goal in a friendly against Iraq, who won the game 3–2. After the match, regarding his national team choice between Lebanon and Denmark, he stated that "both countries mean a lot to me. It's a big decision".Although in January 2018 Jradi stated that he aimed to play for Denmark, in November of the same year he was called up for Lebanon for the friendly matches against Uzbekistan and Australia. In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad. After playing the whole 90 minutes in the first group stage game against Qatar, Jradi fell into a disagreement with coach Radulović and was subsequently ruled out of the national team for the rest of the tournament.
On 5 September 2019, the Lebanese Football Association announced Jradi's indefinite exclusion from the national team, alongside teammate Joan Oumari, for refusing a call-up for a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against North Korea. After issuing an apology explaining his reasons for refusing the call-up, the LFA lifted the exclusion and Jradi was reintegrated to the national team on 19 September 2019.
Career statistics
Club
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
| 1 | 26 August 2015 | Rafic Hariri Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon | 2–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
Strømsgodset- Eliteserien runner-up: 2015