Samir Ayass
Introduction '''Samir Ahmed Ayass''' (, ; ; born 24 December 1990) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.Coming through the youth system, Ayass began his senior career in 2008 at hometown club CSKA Sofia, before moving to cross-city side Akademik Sofia in 2010.He then went on to play for various Bulgarian sides, namely Minyor Pernik, Bansko, Montana, Lyubimets, and Beroe Stara Zagora, before returning to CSKA Sofia in 2015, winning the Bulgarian Cup. The following year he joined Dunav Ruse, before moving to Lebanon in 2017 to Ahed. After having won multiple titles, including the 2019 AFC Cup, Ayass returned to Dunav Ruse in 2019, before moving to Persiraja in Indonesia the following year. He moved back to Bulgaria in 2021, at Botev Vratsa, and then joined Malaysian side Perak.Born in Bulgaria, Ayass represented them at youth level before switching allegiance to Lebanon, for whom he made his senior international debut in 2017.He helped his team reach the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the first time through qualification, playing in the final tournament.
Early life Samir Ayass was born in Sofia, Bulgaria to a Lebanese father and a Bulgarian mother. He started his playing career at CSKA Sofia at the age of six.
Club career === Dunav Ruse ===On 6 October 2016, Ayass signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Dunav Ruse. He scored his first goal for the team on 9 April 2017, in a 1–0 win over champions Ludogorets Razgrad.=== Ahed ===On 4 August 2017, Ayass signed a two-year contract with Lebanese Premier League champions Ahed for an undisclosed fee. He returned to Dunav Ruse in Bulgaria on 11 July 2019.=== Persiraja ===On 17 February 2020, Ayass moved to newly promoted Indonesian Liga 1 side Persiraja. Following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ayass was released. He re-joined in March 2021 on trial ahead of the 2021 season.=== Botev Vratsa ===On 3 April 2021, Ayass returned to Bulgaria, joining Botev Vratsa for the final part of the 2020–21 First Professional League. He made his debut on 8 April, coming on as a substitute and winning a penalty for his team; they lost 2–1 to Botev Plovdiv. Ayass helped Botev avoid relegation.=== Perak ===On 19 June 2021, Ayass moved to Perak in the Malaysia Super League. He left the club at the end of September after his contract expired.
International career === Bulgaria ===Ayass played for the Bulgarian under-21 team between 2011 and 2012, and was capped three times.'''''' However, he was never called up for the senior team. ''''''=== Lebanon ===Eligible to represent Lebanon through his father, on 20 March 2017 he accepted the call up for Lebanon for the match against Hong Kong on 28 March 2017, for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. He completed his debut, coming as a substitute on the 69th minute.On 10 October 2017, Ayass scored his first international goal for Lebanon against North Korea, in a 5–0 home win at the Asian Cup qualifications. In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad, featuring in two group stage games.
Style of play Ayass is a technical midfielder with good attacking capabilities.
Career statistics ===Club===+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAkademik Sofia (loan)2009–10Second League131——131Akademik Sofia2010–11First League130——130 Total2610000261Minyor Pernik 2010–11 First League60——60Bansko2011–12 Second League211——211Montana 2012–13 First League30——30Lyubimets2012–13 Second League112——112 2013–14 First League12210—132 Total2341000244Beroe Stara Zagora 2013–14First League112——112 2014–15First League1323000162 Total2443000274CSKA Sofia2015–16Third League291262—35142016–17 First League40——40Total331262003914Dunav Ruse2016–17First League27420—2942017–18First League30—2050Total3042020344Ahed2017–18Premier League161—712322018–19Premier League161—60221Total32200131453Dunav Ruse2019–20First League15010—160Persiraja2020Liga 130——30Botev Vratsa2020–21First League8000—80Perak2021Malaysia Super League30——30 Career Total1981613216122719===International===:''Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ayass goal. ''+List of international goals scored by Samir Ayass No. Date  Venue  Opponent  Score  Result  Competition 1  10 October 2017 Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon |3–0  5–0 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Honours '''CSKA Sofia'''* Bulgarian Cup: 2015–16'''Ahed'''* AFC Cup: 2019* Lebanese Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19* Lebanese FA Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19* Lebanese Super Cup: 2017, 2018
See also * List of Lebanon international footballers born outside Lebanon
References
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