Adnan Mahmoud Haidar (, ; born 3 August 1989) is a professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he is a player-assistant coach for Norwegian club .
Born and raised in Norway, Haidar represented them at youth level internationally before switching allegiance for Lebanon at senior level. He played for Lebanon at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Early life Haidar was born in Drammen, Norway, to Lebanese parents, and grew up in Oslo, where he lived in the neighborhood. He began playing football with local club before joining Vålerenga's youth academy in 2001.
Club career
Vålerenga After progressing through Vålerenga's youth system, Haidar made his senior debut for the Tippeligaen club in 2008. He made three appearances in all competitions during the season and won the Norwegian Cup in his first senior campaign.
In 2009, Haidar joined Skeid on loan for the season, making 11 appearances in the First Division before returning to Vålerenga.
At the end of the 2011 season, Haidar declined a contract offer from Vålerenga in search of more first-team opportunities and left the club. Following his departure, he trained with English club Burnley but did not earn a contract and later declined a second trial opportunity.
Stabæk In January 2012, Haidar signed for Stabæk as a free agent and was assigned the number 10 shirt. He remained with the club following their relegation to the First Division and helped them secure an immediate return to the Tippeligaen by winning promotion in the 2012 season.
After Stabæk's promotion, Haidar left the club after making 24 appearances across the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Bryne, HamKam, Moss, KFUM In March 2014, Haidar signed for Bryne on a one-year contract.
Between 2015 and 2016, Haidar played for HamKam and Moss.
In April 2017, Haidar joined KFUM.
Ansar In August 2017, Haidar moved to Lebanese Premier League side Ansar, and was part of a midfield trio alongside Abbas Ali Atwi and Alaa El Baba during the 2017–18 season.
Despite reported interest from rivals Nejmeh,https://zajelnews.net/%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A9/ Haidar renewed his contract with Ansar in August 2018, and again in August 2019. He remained with the club until 2020, when he left following the economic crisis in Lebanon.
Holmlia, Klemetsrud After returning to Norway, Haidar joined Holmlia in the Fourth Division in summer 2021. On 22 February 2022, he returned to his former club Klemetsrud as a player-assistant coach.
International career
Norway Haidar represented Norway at youth level, making nine appearances for the under-16 team in 2005 and as seven appearances for the under-19 team in 2008.
Lebanon Eligible to represent Lebanon through his heritage, Haidar received his first call-up in October 2012. He made his senior international debut on 16 October 2012 in a friendly against Yemen, a 2–1 victory for Lebanon. He scored his first international goal on 8 December 2012 during the 2012 WAFF Championship, scoring the only goal in Lebanon's 1–0 win over Oman.
In December 2018, Haidar was selected for Lebanon's squad at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He appeared in the final group-stage match against North Korea, entering as a substitute in a 4–1 victory.
Style of play Haidar is a central midfielder known for his physicality, defensive work rate, and ability in possession. He combines tackling and ball-winning ability with reliable passing, allowing him to contribute both defensively and in build-up play.
Career statistics
Club
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVålerenga 22010Norwegian Second Division4000——40Vålerenga2008Tippeligaen2000——202010Tippeligaen6000——602011Tippeligaen1000010—110Total180001000190Skeid (loan)2009Norwegian First Division9000——90Stabæk 22012Norwegian Second Division3000——302013Norwegian Third Division4200——42Total7200000072Stabæk2012Tippeligaen2403020—2902013Norwegian First Division19010——200Total430402000490Bryne 22014Norwegian Third Division7200——72Bryne2014Norwegian First Division19010——200HamKam2015Norwegian Second Division17120——191Moss 22016Norwegian Fourth Division1000——10Moss2016Norwegian Second Division22120——241KFUM 22017Norwegian Fourth Division2200——22KFUM2017Norwegian Second Division14320——163Ansar2017–18Lebanese Premier League180 30—2102018–19Lebanese Premier League211——2112019–20Lebanese Premier League30 00—30Total4213000451Holmlia2021Norwegian Fourth Division113——201332022Norwegian Sixth Division1810——1019102023Norwegian Sixth Division176——3420102024Norwegian Fifth Division178——101882025Norwegian Fifth Division2211——2024112026Norwegian Fifth Division4110—1061Total8939100010410043Career total307541206012433558
International Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Haidar goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Adnan HaidarNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Al Farwaniyah, Kuwait0–10–12012 WAFF Championship
Honours Vålerenga Norwegian Cup: 2008 Tippeligaen runner-up: 2010
Ansar Lebanese Premier League runner-up: 2018–19 Lebanese FA Cup runner-up: 2018–19 Lebanese Elite Cup runner-up: 2019 Lebanese Super Cup runner-up: 2017, 2019
Individual Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season: 2018–19
See also List of Lebanon international footballers List of Lebanon international footballers born outside Lebanon List of sportspeople who competed for more than one nation
References
External links
Profile at the Norwegian Football Federation