Hilal El-Helwe


Hilal Bassam El-Helwe is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for club SV Meppen and the Lebanon national team. 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, VfL Wolfsburg II, and Hallescher FC, El-Helwe moved to Greece in 2018 to Apollon Smyrnis. In 2019 he moved back to Germany, signing for SV Meppen. For Lebanon, El-Helwe scored a brace against North Korea in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, helping Lebanon achieve their first ever win in the competition and becoming their top scorer in the competition to date.

Club career

TSV Havelse

Coming through the youth system, El-Helwe debuted for the senior side of TSV Havelse on 31 August 2013 coming on as a substitute in a 2–3 domestic defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig II. His first goal in the Regionalliga Nord would come on 27 October of the same year, scoring the equalizing goal against Wilhelmshaven 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 VfL Wolfsburg II 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 domestic 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 1–5 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 Regionalliga Nord, and played two promotion play-off games against Jahn Regensburg, losing 2–1 on aggregate.

Hallescher FC

On 22 June 2016, 3. Liga side Hallescher FC 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 in a 1–1 draw, coming on as a substitute for Sascha Pfeffer on the 78th minute. El-Helwe's first goals for the club came in the form of a brace at the DFB Pokal game against Kiaserslautern 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 Paderborn 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 side Apollon Smyrnis 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 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 in 21 appearances.

SV Meppen

On 3 July 2019, 3. Liga side SV Meppen 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 II in a 5–3 home win. On 12 June 2020, El-Helwe scored against his former club Hallescher FC coming on as a substitute. Despite him equalizing the score 1–1, the match ended in a 2–3 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 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.

International career

As his parents are both Lebanese, El-Helwe was eligible to represent Lebanon internationally. On 8 October 2015, El-Helwe made his debut for the Lebanese national team, starting in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–0 win against Myanmar. He was in the starting lineup and played until his replacement after 56 minutes from the start. However, he was unable to enter the scoresheet.
El-Helwe scored his first international goal on 29 March 2016 in Lebanon's home match against Myanmar during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, securing a 1–1 draw for his team in the 88th minute of the game.
In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad, and played in all three group stage games. On 17 January 2019, during the last game against North Korea, he scored a volley in the 65th minute thanks to a cross by Mohamad Haidar 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. With his brace against North Korea, El-Helwe became Lebanon's top scorer in the AFC Asian Cup to date.

Career statistics

Club

International

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
129 March 2016Saida International Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon1–11–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
210 October 2017Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon1–05–02019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
327 March 2018Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon2–12–12019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
417 January 2019Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates2–14–12019 AFC Asian Cup
517 January 2019Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates4–14–12019 AFC Asian Cup
610 October 2019Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon1–02–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification
715 October 2019Colombo Racecourse, Colombo, Sri Lanka2–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
815 October 2019Colombo Racecourse, Colombo, Sri Lanka3–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

VfL Wolfsburg II