sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

George Felix Robert Michel Melki (Arabic: جورج فيليكس روبير ميشيل ملكي, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ʒorʒ feˈli(ː)ks ˈmelki, -ke]; born 23 July 1994), known as Felix Michel Melki,[note 1] is a professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Swedish club AFC Eskilstuna and the Lebanon national team.

Felix Michel Melki

Michel Melki with Lebanon at the 2019 Asian Cup
Personal information
Full name	George Felix Robert Michel Melki[1]
Date of birth	(1994-07-23) 23 July 1994 (age 28)
Place of birth	Södertälje, Sweden[1]
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s)	Defender, midfielder
Club information
Current team	AFC Eskilstuna
Number	13
Youth career
2001–2013	Syrianska FC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2016	Syrianska FC	21	(1)
2016–2018	Eskişehirspor	10	(1)
2018–2019	AFC Eskilstuna	29	(0)
2019–	AIK	16	(0)
2021	→ Sarpsborg 08 (loan)	1	(0)
2021–2022	→ AFC Eskilstuna (loan)	23	(2)
2022–	AFC Eskilstuna	5	(0)
National team‡
2018–	Lebanon	26	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:28, 22 August 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:16, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

After following his father's tracks playing at Syrianska for three years, Michel Melki moved to Turkish side Eskişehirspor in 2016. In 2018, he moved back to Sweden signing for AFC Eskilstuna and helped them gain promotion back to the Allsvenskan. In 2019 he transferred to Swedish champions AIK, who loaned him out to Sarpsborg 08 in Norway in 2021, before returning to AFC Eskilstuna in the same year.

Born in Sweden, in 2018 Michel Melki opted to represent Lebanon at senior level, on account of having a Lebanese paternal grandfather. He played in all three group stage games for "the Cedars" at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup; he scored against North Korea and was named Man of the Match.

Early life

Michel Melki was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and a Syriac father, Robert Michel, who used to play for Syrianska when the team was still in the lower divisions of Swedish football.[3] He has an older brother, Alexander, who also plays football.[4]

In an interview with TRT World, Michel Melki stated that his grandfather was Lebanese, and that two of his father's sisters were born in Lebanon.[5]

Club career

Syrianska

At age seven Michel began his football career in the youth team of the Swedish side Syrianska FC, the club of the local Syriac community.[6] Starting from 2013, he played in the first team and made some sporadic appearances in the league and domestic cup.[7] He only began to establish himself as a starter in the 2016 season, making 10 league appearances.^{[citation needed]}

Eskişehirspor

In August 2016 he moved to the TFF First League side Eskişehirspor.[8] Michel played 10 league matches for the Turkish club.[6]

AFC Eskilstuna

In March 2018 Michel signed for Superettan side AFC Eskilstuna,[9] where he would be reunited with his brother Alexander.^{[citation needed]} He made his debut on 24 April, as a 61st-minute substitute in a 2–0 win to Helsingborgs IF.[10] In his first season, he made 21 league appearances and one cup appearance; he helped his side gain promotion to the Allsvenskan through the play-offs.[10]

In the 2019 season, he started in 13 league and cup matches.[6] Michel Melki scored the decisive goal in a penalty shoot-out against AIK, in the semi-finals of the Svenska Cupen on 17 March.[10] He played the whole 90 minutes in the final, where they lost 3–0 to BK Häcken on 30 May.[10]

AIK

On 25 July 2019, Allsvenskan champions AIK announced the signing of Michel on a three-year deal.[6] He made his league debut on 27 July 2019 as an attacking midfielder, in a 2–0 away win against IK Sirius.[11] On 18 August 2019, Michel was placed as a striker against Kalmar, losing 2–1 at home.[12] With eight league appearances (three as a starter),[13] Michel helped his side reach fourth place in the 2019 Allsvenskan.[14]

In the 2020 season, Michel Melki played all three Svenska Cupen group stage games, helping his side qualify for the quarter-finals.[10] He played 11 games for AIK in 2020, six as a starter.[10] In 2021, Michel Melki played two Svenska Cupen games.[10]

Loan to Sarpsborg 08

On 10 May 2021, Michel Melki was loaned out to Norwegian Eliteserien side Sarpsborg 08 until 2 August.[15] He made his debut in the first match of the 2021 season on 16 May, as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw against Haugesund.[16] He ended his loan with only one appearance, and returned to AIK.[17]

AFC Eskilstuna

Michel Melki returned to AFC Eskilstuna in the Superettan on 11 August 2021, joining them on loan until the end of the 2021 season.[18] He made his debut on 14 August, as a 76th-minute substitute in a 4–1 win against Norrby.[19] Michel Melki's first goal came on 22 August, scoring a backheel volley from a corner against GIF Sundsvall;[20] the game ended in a 3–1 defeat.[21]

Following the end of his loan period, AIK re-loaned Michel Melki to AFC Eskilstuna for a further six months on 11 January 2022, until the end of his contract with AIK.[10] On 10 July, he joined AFC Eskilstuna permanently on a contract valid until the end of the 2022 season.[22]

International career

In 2018, Michel Melki acquired a Lebanese passport due to his origins, making him eligible for the Lebanon national team.[23] He made his international debut for Lebanon on 15 November 2018, playing the whole 90 minutes in a goalless draw against Uzbekistan.[24]

Michel Melki was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, alongside his brother Alexander, one month later.[25] On 17 January 2019, he scored the equaliser in an eventual 4–1 win against North Korea in the final group stage game, and was nominated Man of the Match for his performance.[26]

Style of play

A versatile defensive-minded player, Michel Melki can mainly be deployed as either a centre-back or a defensive midfielder.[27][28] His main characteristics are his physicality and his ball-winning capabilities.[29] While at AIK, Michel Melki was also used as an attacking midfielder.[30]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 21 August 2022[13]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[lower-alpha 1]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Syrianska	2013	Allsvenskan	3	0	3	1	—		—		6	1
	2014	Superettan	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
	2015	Superettan	2	0	4	0	—		—		6	0
	2016	Superettan	11	1	—		—		—		11	1
	Total		21	1	7	1	0	0	0	0	28	2
Eskişehirspor	2016–17	TFF First League	3	0	1	0	—		—		4	0
	2017–18	TFF First League	7	1	1	0	—		—		8	1
	Total		10	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	12	1
AFC Eskilstuna	2018	Superettan	21	0	7	2	—		2[lower-alpha 2]	0	30	2
	2019	Allsvenskan	8	0	—		—		—		8	0
	Total		29	0	7	2	0	0	2	0	38	2
AIK	2019	Allsvenskan	8	0	3	0	0	0	—		11	0
	2020	Allsvenskan	8	0	2	0	—		—		10	0
	2021	Allsvenskan	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		16	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	21	0
Sarpsborg 08 (loan)	2021	Eliteserien	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
AFC Eskilstuna (loan)	2021	Superettan	13	1	1	0	—		—		14	1
	2022	Superettan	10	1	0	0	—		—		10	1
	Total		23	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	24	2
AFC Eskilstuna	2022	Superettan	5	0	0	0	—		—		5	0
Career total			105	4	22	3	0	0	2	0	129	7

International

As of match played 1 February 2022[31]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Lebanon	2018	2	0
	2019	9	1
	2020	0	0
	2021	13	0
	2022	2	0
Total		26	1

Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Michel Melki goal.[32]

List of international goals scored by Felix Michel Melki

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	17 January 2019	Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	North Korea	1–1	4–1	2019 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

AFC Eskilstuna

• Svenska Cupen runner-up: 2018–19[33]

See also

• List of Lebanon international footballers born outside Lebanon
• List of association football families

Notes

References

External links

• Felix Michel Melki at FA Lebanon
• Felix Michel Melki at National-Football-Teams.com
• Felix Michel Melki at Soccerway
• Felix Michel Melki at SvFF (in Swedish) (archived)
• Felix Michel Melki at Goalzz.com (also in Arabic at Kooora.com)

На других языках

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[de] Felix Michel (Fußballspieler)

George Felix Michel Melki (* 23. Juli 1994 in Södertälje) ist ein schwedisch-libanesischer Fußballspieler, der für AIK Solna spielt und für die libanesische Nationalmannschaft spielt.

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- [en] Felix Michel Melki

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[it] Felix Michel Melki

George Felix Michel Melki, noto come Felix Michel Melki a livello internazionale e come Felix Michel in Svezia (in arabo: جورج ميشيل ملكي‎; Södertälje, 23 luglio 1994), è un calciatore svedese naturalizzato libanese, difensore o centrocampista dell'AFC Eskilstuna e della nazionale libanese.

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[ru] Мишель, Феликс

Джордж Феликс Мишель Мельки (араб. جورج فليكس ميشيل ملكي‎‎, швед. George Felix Michel Melki; род. 23 июля 1994[1], Сёдертелье, Стокгольм) — ливанский и шведский футболист, защитник «Эскильстуны» и национальной сборной Ливана.

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