Ibra El-Zein

Ibrahim "Ibra" El-Zein (1986, Koningstad) is a Brunanter footballer of Lebanese origin. He plays for club side Dortmund SFC and the Brunant national football team.

Early life
He was born to Hamid El-Zein (a former footballer) and Anthea van Genter in Koningstad's Arabian Quarter. He has a brother, Stefan El-Zein, who plays for FC Willemstad.

Early club career
El-Zein began playing in 2002 for Arabian FC's youth team and in 2003 was given a spot in the first team, becoming the youngest player in the club to do so.

Juventus
After he was linked to a move to Marseille and Sevilla, El-Zein eventually moved to Juventus in 2004 for €3,000,000. At Juve he initially only played with the reserve Primavera side but he was given three senior-side starts in the 2005-06 season, marking one goal. With the Calciopoli scandal tarnishing Juventus at the end of that season, El-Zein wanted to have more appearances, but despite the club's relegation he was not guaranteed many starting spots. In January 2007 he was loaned out to Valencia in Spain, where he had a few more starts. At the end of the 2006-07 season, it was widely rumored he would leave Juventus.

St. Marks
At St. Marks he quickly established himself as one of Brunant's best footballers. In the 2007-08 season, he had only 3 appearances but an impressive 5 goals. The following season he scored 12 goals to become the league's top scorer; he won Total Football's Golden Flower award that season. In 2009-10 he scored 8 goals in 5 appearances, but was sidelined for much of the season. The following season, he was on excellent form and scored an unbelievable 19 goals, including two hat-tricks. He won the Golden Flower again and was voted "Best Brunanter Footballer" by a panel of former players and journalists. In the 2011-12 season did not perform as well, only netting three times but assisting in 10 goals.

Dortmund
After such a disappointing season for El-Zein, there was much speculation he might leave the team. During the winter transfer period, he affirmed his commitment to St. Marks and stated "I love this team and do not see myself leaving anytime soon". Coach Harrison also said to the media that Ibra "was essential to the team's success" and wished he stayed put. But, with interest from Dortmund and a disappointing end to the season, St. Marks revealed that El-Zein would leave in the summer. A deal was reached with Dortmund SFC which saw him go for an unprecedented €10 million, with a fee rumored to be €85,000 per week.

On 21 October, El-Zein scored two stunning header goals in a 1-5 routing of Brunant Leuwens. On November 17, he scored a hat-trick against rivals Grijzestad Strijders, in a tense 5-3 loss. El-Zein now has eight goals in the league and is tied with Antonio Florente of Mediterranean FC and Gigo of Grijzestad. After 1.5 seasons at the club El-Zein has not been terribly happy and is looking to increase his salary at the club.

In the 2013-14 First League, El-Zein has kept up excellent form to be tied for the second-highest goalscorer in February with 17 goals. He is presently the seventh-highest goalscorore in league history, with 180 in total.

National team
El-Zein was called up to the Brunant national U-20 team in 2003. El-Zein received his first cap for the national team in 2005, playing in a friendly win over Spain. He was a substitute for a World Football Championship qualifier against Jamaica, where he scored the third goal. In 2006 and 2007 he established himself as a regular and he was quickly named by Karim Zenadi as his successor in the national team. With a brace scored in January 2014, he has become Brunant's fifth-highest goalscorer, just two goals behind Zenadi and 11 from tying the record set by Florian Evers in 1940.

Style of play
El-Zein is a great scorer but has not always been consistent in his scoring. He is, though, an anchor and driver for his team. At St. Marks, he was known for his assists and his coordination of play between the defensive midfielders and the forwards. But, when he moved towards the net, it was hard to guess if he would score the goal or pass to assist it.

Club statistics
1 - Played with Juventus Primavera