Laith Hussein

Laith Hussein

Personal information
Full name	Laith Hussein Shihaib
Date of birth	(1968-10-13) 13 October 1968
Place of birth	Baghdad, Iraq
Position	Central midfielder
Youth career
1983–1984	Al-Umal SC
1984–1985	Al-Zawraa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1987	Al-Zawraa
1987–1990	Al Rasheed
1990–1993	Al-Zawraa
1993–1997	Al-Rayyan SC
1997	Al Wakrah
1997–2000	Al Ansar
2000–2003	Al-Zawraa
International career
1986–2002	Iraq	80	(22)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Laith Hussein Shihaib Al-Tawlid (Arabic: ليث حسين شهيب التولد; born 13 October 1968) is an Iraqi former football player who played as a midfielder and served as the captain of the Iraqi national team. He was vital to speaking out against Uday Hussein, the chairman of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, who was known for his brutality against the football team.

International career

Hussein made his international debut at the age of 17 in 1986. He played in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and helped Iraq win the Asian Youth Championship in Doha. In the World Youth Cup in Saudi Arabia a year later, Hussein was on the verge of joining Spanish giants Barcelona, after scoring one of the goals in a 2–0 win over Spain, helping Iraq to top their group, but was denied this move by then-president Saddam Hussein.

Managerial career

Hussein was team manager of the Iraqi national team in 2013.

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 March 1988	King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh	Bahrain	1–0	1–0	9th Arabian Gulf Cup
2.	3 November 1989	Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City	South Yemen	3–0	6–2	Friendly
3.				4–0
4.	28 February 1990	Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium	Kuwait	1–1	1–1	10th Arabian Gulf Cup
5.	18 August 1992	Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid	Ethiopia	2–0	13–0	1992 Jordan Tournament
6.				3–0
7.	26 May 1993	Irbid	Yemen	1–0	6–1	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.			Pakistan	1–0	8–0
9.	14 June 1993	Chengdu	Jordan	1–0	4–0
10.			Jordan	2–0
11.	16 June 1993		Yemen	3–0	3–0
12.	19 October 1993	Khalifa International Stadium, Doha	South Korea	2–2	2–2
13.	24 November 1996	Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa	Indonesia	3–0	4–0	Friendly
14.	11 December 1996	Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai	Thailand	2–0	4–1	1996 AFC Asian Cup
15.				4–1
16.	23 May 1997	Railway Stadium, Lahore	Pakistan	3–1	6–2	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
17.	20 June 1997	Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad		1–0	6–1
18.				2–0
19.	21 August 1997	National Stadium, Beirut	Lebanon	1–0	2–0	Friendly
20.				2–0
21.	17 August 2001	Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad	Thailand	4–0	4–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
22.	11 January 2002	Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al-Wakrah	Oman	2–0	2–0	Friendly

Honours

Individual

• Lebanese Premier League Best Player: 1997–98
• Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season: 1997–98, 1998–99