Hassan Ali Chaito[a] (Arabic: حسن علي شعيتو, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ˈħasan ˈʕali ˈʃʕajto, -tu]; born 20 March 1989), also known as Moni (Arabic: موني, [ˈmoːni]), is a Lebanese professional footballer and former futsal player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Lebanese Premier League club Bourj.

Hassan Chaito
Chaito with Nejmeh in 2021
Personal information
Full name Hassan Ali Chaito[1]
Date of birth (1989-03-20) 20 March 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth At Tiri, Lebanon[1]
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bourj
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Jihad Hay Sellom
2009–2013 Ahed 63 (24)
2009–2010 Lebanese Canadian Bank (futsal)
2010–2013 Sadaka (futsal)
2013–2014 Ansar 1 (0)
2014 Al-Shabab 14 (5)
2014–2015 Terengganu 0 (0)
2015–2018 Ahed 58 (22)
2018–2021 Ansar 40 (13)
2021–2023 Nejmeh 9 (0)
2023– Bourj 0 (0)
International career
2010 Lebanon (futsal) (2)
2011 Lebanon U23[3] 2 (0)
2011–2021 Lebanon 63 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:10, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:35, 7 September 2021 (UTC)

Chaito began his career in the Lebanese Third Division at Jihad Hay Sellom, before moving to the Lebanese Premier League at Ahed in 2009. Simultaneously he began his futsal career, first playing at the Lebanese Canadian Bank, then at Sadaka from 2010 to 2014, before going back to playing football. He joined Ansar, before moving to Bahrain the following year at Al-Shabab. Chaito moved to the Malaysian side Terengganu, before returning to Ahed in 2015. In 2018. Chaito joined Ansar, then switched to cross-city rivals Nejmeh in 2021. Two years later, he signed for Bourj.

Starting his international career with Lebanon in 2011, Chaito participated in the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the 2015, 2019, and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Chaito also helped Lebanon qualify to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, their first participation through qualification.

Club career edit

Early career edit

Chaito started his football career at Jihad Hay Sellom in the Lebanese Third Division before moving to Lebanese Premier League side Ahed in 2009,[4] winning two league titles and two FA Cups in his four-year stay.[5]

Futsal edit

In 2009 Chaito had begun his career in futsal, first playing for the Lebanese Canadian Bank,[6] and then moving to Sadaka in 2010.[7] He won the Lebanon Futsal League twice, in 2011 and 2013, and played in the 2011 and 2013 editions of the AFC Futsal Club Championship for the Lebanese side, scoring seven goals in total during the two tournaments.[7]

After futsal edit

Chaito joined Ansar in 2013, before moving abroad to Bahrain the following year to Al-Shabab.[5] In 2014 he moved to Malaysia at Terengganu, before moving back to Ahed in 2015.[5] Chaito helped his side win three more league titles and one FA Cup, finishing as the league's second top goalscorer during the 2017–18 season.[5]

Return to Ansar edit

On 17 August 2018, Chaito returned to Ansar.[8] On 23 October 2020, it was announced that Chaito had refused an offer from Iraqi club Al-Talaba.[9] In 2020–21, he helped Ansar win their first league title since 2007, and their 14th overall.[10] Chaito also helped Ansar win the double, beating Nejmeh in the 2020–21 Lebanese FA Cup final on penalty shoot-outs.[11]

Nejmeh edit

Chaito moved to cross-city rivals Nejmeh on 21 June 2021.[12] On 12 September, during a league game against Tripoli, Chaito sustained an ACL injury which kept him on the sidelines for six months.[13]

Bourj edit

On 21 June 2023, Bourj announced the signing of Chaito.[14]

International career edit

Chaito represented Lebanon in the 2010 AFC Futsal Championship,[7] before being called up for the under-23 football team for the 2012 Olympics Qualifiers in 2011.[7]

Chaito's senior football international debut came on 15 November 2011, in a 2–1 home win against South Korea.[15] On 22 March 2013, Chaito scored his first two goals in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Thailand, with the match ending 5–2 to Lebanon.[15] His second brace came against Laos on 12 November 2015 in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, with the match ending 7–0 to Lebanon.[15]

In December 2018, Chaito was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup,[2] playing in the final group stage game against North Korea, with Lebanon winning 4–1.[15]

Style of play edit

A versatile player, Chaito mainly plays as an attacking midfielder, but can also play as a left midfielder and in a false nine role. His main attribute is his finishing.[5]

Personal life edit

Chaito's nickname "Moni" comes from his sister who, as a kid, mispronounced his name "Hassan" as "Moni".[16] Indeed, in Chaito's first game broadcast on TV, the commentator Mahmoud Tarhini – who was aware of Chaito's nickname – called him "Moni" throughout the match.[16]

Career statistics edit

International edit

As of match played 7 September 2021[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Lebanon 2011 2 0
2012 16 0
2013 13 3
2014 0 0
2015 9 2
2016 5 0
2017 0 0
2018 7 0
2019 7 1
2020 1 0
2021 3 0
Total 63 6
Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chaito goal.
List of international goals scored by Hassan Chaito
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 22 March 2013 Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon   Thailand 1–0 5–2 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2 2–0
3 8 October 2013 Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon   Iraq 1–0 1–1 Friendly
4 12 November 2015 Saida Municipal Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon   Laos 3–0 7–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 7–0
6 2 August 2019 Karbala Sports City, Karbala, Iraq   Syria 2–1 2–1 2019 WAFF Championship

Honours edit

Sadaka[b]

Ahed

Ansar

Nejmeh

Individual

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Also written as Cheaito, Chaitou, or Shaito
  2. ^ Futsal

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Hassan Chaito". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "AC2019 Final Squads". Asian Football Confederation. p. 19. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Official Home of Asian Football". archive.vn. 5 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  4. ^ Habib, Mabel (22 September 2015). "شعيتو: كرة القدم اللبنانية لن تُبصر النور... ولا إتّفاقَ مع العهد!". Al-Joumhouria. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e "The final 23: who are they?". Lebanese Football Review. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  6. ^ "صيدا الآن - أخبار - صدارة بطولة لبنان لكرة القدم للصالات للبنك اللبناني الكندي بفوزه على أولمبيك صيدا". www.saidasea.com. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "AFCS". stats.the-afc.com. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  8. ^ "رسمياً: ربيع عطايا إلى العهد". Elsport News (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  9. ^ "موني: رفضت عرضاً عراقياً لأبقى مع الأنصار". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ^ لقب 14 قياسي للأنصار على حساب النجمة بعد انتظار 14 سنة في بطولة كرة القدم [A record 14th title for Ansar at the expense of Nejmeh after waiting 14 years in the football championship]. bintjbeil.org (in Arabic). 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  11. ^ "بالصور: ركلات الترجيح تتوج الأنصار بالكأس". كووورة. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. ^ Mahfoud, Maroun (22 June 2021). "Official: Hassan Chaito "Moni" joins Nejmeh". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  13. ^ "إصابة موني بالرباط الصليبي". كووورة. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  14. ^ "رسميًا.. البرج يتعاقد مع موني". كووورة. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d Hassan Chaito at National-Football-Teams.com
  16. ^ a b من أطلق إسم "موني" على حسن شعيتو؟ [Who gave Hassan Chaito the nickname "Moni"?]. Instagram. FA Lebanon. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Hassan Chaito". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  18. ^ مهرجان كرة المنار الـ17 : محمد حيدر افضل لاعب في لبنان. Al Ahed News Archive (in Arabic). 18 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  19. ^ محمد حيدر أفضل لاعب..ولا حذاء ذهبي. Malaeeb (in Arabic). 18 June 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  20. ^ نتائج مهرجان كرة المنار الـ18. An-Nahar (in Arabic). 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.

External links edit