Rabih Mohammad Ataya ( ar, ربیع محمد عطایا, ; 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 le ...

who plays as a

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for club Ahed and the Lebanon national team. Starting his career at

Tadamon Sour Tadamon Sour Sporting Club ( ar, نادي التضامن الرياضي صور, lit=Solidarity Sporting Club Tyre), or simply Tadamon, is a football club based in Tyre, Lebanon, that competes in the . They play their home matches at the Tyre ...

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 a Lebanese football annual cup competition. The first edition, held in 1937, was won by Nahda. The most successful club in the competition is Ansar with 15 titles, followed by Nejmeh ...

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 association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Al Ahed FC, Al-Ahed won the title for the first time, defeating 4.25 SC, ...

, 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 based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Mala ...

and

Kedah Darul Aman Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

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

Ajman Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is ...

in the United Arab Emirates. 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 was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...

, in which he played.

Club career

Early career

Ataya began his career at hometown club

in the

Lebanese Premier League The Lebanese First Division ( ar, الدوري اللبناني الدرجة الأولى), commonly known as the Lebanese Premier League (), is the top division of the Lebanese football league system. There are 12 teams competing in the league, ...

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

Iraqi Premier League The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...

club

Masafi Al-Wasat Masafi Al-Wasat ( ar, مصافي الوسط), also known as Al-Masafi, is a football team from Baghdad, Iraq. As of the 2014–15 season, they play in the Iraqi League. Ammar Gaiym played for them in 2009-10. Honours *Iraq Division One The I ...

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-Q ...

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 ( ar, علي نزار حمام; born 25 August 1986) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Nejmeh, whom he captains. Starting his career at Taqadom Anqoun, Hamam moved to Ahli Saida in 2006, ...

Ahed

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

Hassan Chaito Hassan Ali Chaito ( ar, حسن علي شعيتو, ; born 20 March 1989), also known as Moni (, ), is a Lebanese professional footballer and former futsal player who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Bourj. Chaito began his career in ...

Ghazi Honeine Ghazi Youssef Honeine ( ar, غازي يوسف حنيني; born 12 January 1995) is a Lebanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Ansar. Coming through the youth system, Honeine started his senior career at Ahed in 2012. In 2015 he ...

, 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 ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

club

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

Melaka United Melaka United Football Club () was a defunct Malaysian professional football club based in Malacca that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd which is one of nitrile glove producer in Malaysia. Previously, th ...

. 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 its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

. 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, 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 Darul Ta'zim Football Club or simply JDT is a professional football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The club was founded in 1972 as PKENJ FC and currently competes in the top division of Malaysian football, the Malaysia Super ...

. On 17 and 20 March, Ataya made two assists in two consecutive games, helping his team beat

Petaling Jaya City The Petaling District is a district located in the heart of Selangor in Malaysia. Petaling is not to be confused with the city of Petaling Jaya located in it, nor the '' mukim'' of Petaling under Petaling Jaya City. The district office is locate ...

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'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...

. 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 offence ...

in a 4–1 win to

. 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 football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This season was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule; from 2023 the competit ...

Loan to Ajman

In January 2022, Ataya moved to

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

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 ( ar, محمد فراس بالعربي; born 27 May 1996) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ajman Club. He has represented Tunisia at senior international level. Club career Ben Lardi be ...

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 foo ...

. He played the whole 90 minutes in the game against

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...

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

International career

Lebanon v United Arab Emirates, 16 November 2021 21

Ataya made his senior international debut for

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

on 11 May 2012, in a 4–1

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

defeat to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. He scored his first goal against

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

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

brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...

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. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

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 Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

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 shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

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. A ...

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

Riyad Mahrez Riyad Karim Mahrez ( ar, رياض كريم محرز, Riyāḍ Karīm Maḥraz; born 21 February 1991) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger for club Manchester City F.C., Manches ...

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 Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

: 2018–19, 2021–22 * Lebanese FA Cup: 2018–19 *

Lebanese Elite Cup The Lebanese Elite Cup () is 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 contested by the top five finish ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

* Lebanese Super Cup: 2018,

Kedah Darul Aman *

Piala Sumbangsih Piala Sumbangsih (English: Malaysia Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah ( en, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup), is the Malaysian super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pitting ...

runner-up:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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 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 ...

: 2018–19

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ataya, Rabih 1989 births Living people People from Tyre, Lebanon Lebanese footballers Association football wingers Tadamon Sour SC players Al Ansar FC players Masafi Al-Wasat players Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C. players Al Ahed FC players UiTM FC players Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players Ajman Club players Lebanese Premier League players Iraqi Premier League players Persian Gulf Pro League players Malaysia Super League players UAE Pro League players Lebanon youth international footballers Lebanon international footballers 2019 AFC Asian Cup players AFC Cup winning players Lebanese expatriate footballers Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Iraq Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Iran Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate footballers in Iraq Expatriate footballers in Iran Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates