Mehdi Khalil


Mehdi Salim Khalil is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Iranian club Zob Ahan, on loan from Ahed, and the Lebanon national team. Khalil is known as "the Mountain" because of his height: indeed, he was the fifth tallest goalkeeper at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Khalil started his senior career in Sierra Leone at Johansen, before moving to Sweden in 2011, first at Koping FF and then at Djurgården. Following his experience in Sweden, Khalil moved back to his native country, at Kallon, before joining Lebanese club Safa in 2013. After spending four years at the club, Khalil moved to Lebanese Premier League reigning champions Ahed in 2017. He won the 2019 AFC Cup with the side, the first in Lebanese history, as the competition's Most Valuable Player. In 2020, Khalil moved to Iranian side Zob Ahan on a six-month loan.
Khalil represented Lebanon at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as their main goalkeeper, playing in all three group stage games. On November 2019, Khalil became Lebanon's all time most-capped goalkeeper, surpassing Ziad Al Samad's record of 39 caps.

Early life

Born in Sierra Leone to Lebanese parents, at age 12 Khalil started playing five-a-side football, popular in Sierra Leone, at Young Sportsmen Club as a defender. Noticing his physical attributes, namely his height, Khalil's coach advised him to switch position to goalkeeper. He switched to football at age 15, moving to Johansen.

Club career

2009–2012: Sierra Leone and Sweden

Khalil began his senior career in Sierra Leone in 2009 at Johansen, a club founded by Norwegian couple Isha and Arne Johansen. In 2010, Khalil played for Kallon U19 at the Viareggio Cup, an annual youth tournament held in Italy; he played in two of the three games.
Thanks to his Scandinavian connections, in March 2011 Khalil joined Swedish Division 3 side Köping FF on a three-month loan. Talking about his first training session at the club, Khalil said that " was fun the guys seem lovely, and many of them are young, just like me". He played seven games for the club. Between April and June 2011, Khalil trained with Allsvenskan clubs AIK and Trelleborg.
On 20 July 2011, Khalil moved to Djurgården, AIK's rivals, on a four-month loan. He had been noticed by the club's manager Magnus Pehrsson the previous year at a friendly tournament in Ghana; Khalil was nominated best goalkeeper of the tournament. On 1 August 2011, he made his debut for the club's under-21 side in the against Brage, helping his side win 5–1. On 25 October 2011, Djurgården announced that Khalil's contract would not be renewed.
Following his experience in Sweden, Khalil moved back to his native Sierra Leone, playing for Kallon during the 2011–12 season.

2013–2017: Safa

Through his links with Roda Antar, a Sierra Leonean-born Lebanese footballer, Khalil moved to Safa in the Lebanese Premier League in January 2013. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract in a deal worth $20,000. Initially a reserve for Ziad Al Samad, Khalil became Safa's first choice goalkeeper from his third season at the club.
Khalil did not play in the league in his first season. His debut came during the 2013 AFC Cup, playing in a group stage game against Riffa on 2 April 2013; the match ended in a 1–0 win. On 24 April 2013, Khalil was sent off against Regar-TadAZ in the 79th minute, with the opposing team scoring from the subsequent penalty kick. However, Safa still won the encounter 3–2 thanks to a 92th minute goal by Mohamad Haidar. In Khalil's first experience in the AFC Cup he played three matches, finishing third in the group.
Khalil's league debut came in the 2013–14 season, on 23 November 2013, in a 5–0 win over Tadamon Sour. He participated in the 2014 AFC Cup, playing two games. Khalil became the club's starter from the 2014–15 season, playing 17 league games. In 2015–16, Khalil played 16 league games helping Safa win their second league title. He was included in the 2015–16 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season for his performances.
Following his contract's expiry in summer 2016, Khalil tried out with several Eerste Divisie teams in the Netherlands. He remained with Safa one further year, playing 16 games in the league during the 2016–17 season. He also made two appearances in the 2017 AFC Cup. In five seasons at the Beirut-based club, Khalil won two league titles, one FA Cup, and one Super Cup.

2017–2020: Ahed

On July 2017, Khalil moved to Lebanese champions Ahed. Khalil quickly asserted himself as the team's first-choice goalkeeper, playing 18 league games in the 2017–18 season. He helped his team win the domestic treble—the league title, cup, and Super Cup. Khalil was Ahed's goalkeeper at the 2018 AFC Cup, playing eight games and reaching the zonal semi-finals, where they lost to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 5–3 on aggregate. In his first season at the club, Khalil was included in the 2017–18 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season as the league's best goalkeeper.
His next season with the team was also successful, as he won his second domestic treble. He played 21 league games in the 2018–19 season. Khalil featured in the 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season. On 4 November 2019, after beating April 25 in the final, he won the 2019 AFC Cup as the competition's Most Valuable Player. Conceding just three goals in 11 matches, Khalil kept nine clean sheets as Ahed went unbeaten throughout the whole tournament. The 2019 AFC Cup win was the first for a Lebanese club.

2020–present: Zob Ahan

On 7 January 2019, Khalil joined Persian Gulf Pro League side Zob Ahan on a six-month loan, reuniting him with former Lebanon national team coach Miodrag Radulović. He cited the conditions in his country and the ambiguity surrounding the resumption of sports activity as the reasons for the transfer. Khalil became the fourth Lebanese player to play for the Iranian side, after Walid Ismail, Ali Hamam, and Rabih Ataya.
He made his league debut for Zob Ahan on 25 January 2020 against Pars Jonoubi Jam; despite being booked in the 64th minute, Khalil kept a clean sheet, helping his side win 1–0 at home. In Khalil's third game, on 7 February 2020, he again kept a 1–0 clean sheet against Sanat Naft, while being booked in the 89th minute. Thanks to his performances in the two fixtures, Khalil was included in the Team of the Week on both occasions.
On 27 June 2020, Zob Ahan extended Khalil's loan for an additional year.

International career

Born in Sierra Leone, Khalil was called up for his native country at the under-17 and under-20 levels, however he did not feature in any match. Eligible to represent Lebanon through his parents' nationality, Khalil opted to play for Lebanon's senior team in 2013.
in 2019
Khalil made his debut for Lebanon in a 0–0 draw against Bahrain on 17 March 2013. He was part of the squad that played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification between 2015 and 2016; initially Abbas Hassan's reserve for the first three games, Khalil became Lebanon's first-choice goalkeeper in the final five games of the second round of qualification. Lebanon finished in second place in their group and, despite being eliminated from the World Cup, gained access to the final round of qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Drawn with North Korea, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, Khalil helped Lebanon finish top of the group unbeaten, conceding only four goals in six games. Lebanon reached the Asian Cup finals for the first time through qualification. Khalil was included on the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad as Lebanon's main goalkeeper. In the first two group stage matches, Lebanon lost 2–0 to both Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Needing a win by four goals or more, Lebanon won 4–1 against North Korea for the first time in their history. However, the three points were not enough to qualify Lebanon to the knockout stage. Khalil played all 90 minutes in the three group stage games.
On 19 November 2019, during the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifications, Khalil played his fortieth international game against North Korea. He became Lebanon's all-time most capped goalkeeper, surpassing Ziad Al Samad's previous record of 39.

Style of play

Known as "the Mountain" because of his height, Khalil is a goalkeeper with good reflexes and a big physical presence. Indeed, at 1.96 m tall, Khalil was the fifth tallest goalkeeper at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He is a fine shot stopper, and has a tendency to punch balls away from crosses. In 2011 his agent Patrick Mörck described him as a "resilient, witty, and responsive goalkeeper", drawing similarities to Swedish former goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson. The same year Magnus Pehrsson, his coach at Djurgårdens, reaffirmed the similarities with Pehrsson, noting "his size and his actions".

Personal life

Khalil's younger brother, Hadi, is also footballer; he plays as a goalkeeper for the Lebanese club Ahed. His uncle, Hussein Khalil, was also a footballer; he encouraged Mehdi to pursue football as more than a hobby. Khalil's favourite club is Manchester United, and his favourite player is former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Other than football, Khalil enjoys tennis and swimming.

Honours

Club

Safa
Ahed
Awards