Hassan Ali Maatouk (Arabic: حسن علي معتوق, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ˈħasan ˈʕali maʕˈtuːʔ]; born 10 August 1987) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Lebanese Premier League club Jwaya. Known for his pace and technical skills, Maatouk is the Lebanon national team's all-time top goalscorer and most-capped player, captaining the side from 2016 to 2024.
Maatouk began his senior career with Ahed in 2004, where he won 12 domestic trophies, including three league titles, was named Lebanese Premier League Best Player twice, and finished as league top scorer in 2010–11. He spent 2011–2017 in the UAE with Ajman, Emirates, Al-Shaab, and Fujairah, becoming Fujairah's all-time top scorer with 56 goals in all competitions. He returned to Lebanon with Nejmeh in 2017, winning two Elite Cups and two Lebanese Premier League Best Player awards. In 2019, he joined Ansar, winning two league titles and three domestic cups, and finishing as league top scorer twice. In 2025, he signed for Jwaya and scored his 130th Lebanese Premier League goal, becoming the all-time league top scorer.
Maatouk made his international debut for Lebanon in 2006 at age 19 against Saudi Arabia. His first and last goals for Lebanon came against Bangladesh in 2011 and 2024, respectively, with his final match featuring a hat-trick. He became captain in 2016, succeeding Roda Antar, and led Lebanon to their first Asian Cup qualification in 2019. In 2022, Maatouk became the first Lebanese player to reach 100 caps, ending his international career with 26 goals in 123 games as Lebanon's all-time top scorer and most-capped player.
During his time at Ahed, Maatouk was named Best Player in the Lebanese Premier League in 2010 and 2011, an honour he earned twice more with Nejmeh in 2018 and 2019. With Fujairah, Maatouk scored 56 goals in 110 games, becoming the club's all-time top scorer. He is also the Lebanese Premier League all-time top scorer, scoring 130 goals with Ahed, Nejmeh, Ansar, and Jwaya. Maatouk won the Lebanese Premier League Golden Boot three times, in 2011, 2021, and 2025, and was included in the Lebanese Premier League Team of the Year on six occasions.
Maatouk was born on 10 August 1987, in Sir el Gharbiyeh, Lebanon. In 1989, his family fled to Germany due to the Lebanese Civil War. While in Germany, Maatouk began playing football, joining the youth team of Rot-Weiss Essen, where he played for three years.
Maatouk's talent caught the attention of scouts from the German team Schalke. However, his family's attempt to secure permanent residency in Germany was interrupted by a police raid, forcing them to return to Lebanon in 1998 and ending Maatouk's opportunity of playing with Schalke. Maatouk cited his experience in Europe as essential to his development as a player.
Upon returning to Lebanon, Maatouk played for Sagesse's youth team for three years, participating only in friendly matches as he refused to sign a lifetime contract, a common practice in Lebanon at the time. Maatouk mentioned that Sagesse gave him equipment, including clothes and shoes, as a form of temptation to sign with them, but he never committed despite accepting the equipment.
At 15, Maatouk was noticed by Jamal Al Haj, a supervisor for Ahed's youth sector, while playing in a local tournament. Although the issue of lifetime contracts initially hindered his signing with Ahed, circumstances changed when Maatouk's father's minibus, the family's sole source of income, broke down. Needing $2,000 for repairs, Maatouk decided to sign with Ahed. Al Haj persuaded the administration to offer Maatouk a contract, arguing that the investment would pay off in the future. Eventually, Maatouk was signed for $2,000 and a monthly salary of $150.
Coming through the youth system, Maatouk's senior career began at age 17 with Ahed. He made his debut on 28 September 2004, coming on as a substitute for Ali Attar against Olympic Beirut in the 2004 Lebanese Elite Cup group stage. Maatouk's first league goal for Ahed came on 20 March 2005 against Rayyan when he scored the match winner in a 2–1 win. His first brace came two months later on Matchday 19, when he scored the only two goals in a match against Tadamon Sour.
Maatouk scored three goals in the 2005 AFC Cup, two of which were against Al-Hussein of Jordan on 25 May, coming on as a substitute and helping his side win 4–2. He ended his 2004–05 season with three league goals, and won the Lebanese FA Cup as man of the match in the final which Ahed won 2–1 against Olympic Beirut.
2005–2009: First league title and domestic treble
On 5 February 2006, during the 2005–06 Lebanese Premier League season, Maatouk scored his first domestic hat-trick against Salam Zgharta in an 8–0 win. He scored a total of eight goals in the league, improving on his previous tally of three. His 2006–07 Lebanese Premier League season, however, was not as prolific, scoring only three league goals and two cup goals.
Maatouk began the 2007–08 season with a hat-trick against Tripoli on Matchday 5, in a match that ended 7–1. Thanks to four other goals scored throughout the season, Maatouk helped Ahed win their first-ever Lebanese League title.
Maatouk was the top goalscorer of the 2008 Lebanese Elite Cup with three goals, on a par with his teammate Salih Sadir. He scored in both of the 2009 AFC Cup group stage games against Busaiteen, but his team failed to qualify to the next round. He won a domestic treble with Ahed during the 2008–09 season, winning the Lebanese FA Cup, the Elite Cup, and the Super Cup.
2009–2011: Consecutive league Best Player awards and top scorer
On 30 January 2010, he scored a brace in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup against Nejmeh, despite his side being a man down. This secured the team's entry into the semifinals, which they lost to Ansar 3–1. Three months later, on 7 April, Maatouk scored a brace in the AFC Cup against Al-Jaish as a substitute from the 46th minute; his side lost 6–3. Following up on his previous season's success, Maatouk scored 12 goals in the league; his second win. He was also awarded the Lebanese Premier League Best Player award.
In his final full season (2010–11) with Ahed, Maatouk scored 15 league goals – including a hat-trick against Nejmeh on 30 October 2010, and became the season's top scorer. He also won a domestic quadruple with his team, winning the league, the FA Cup, the Elite Cup, and the Super Cup. Thanks to his performances he won a second Best Player award. Maatouk played his final games for Ahed at the 2011 Elite Cup in September 2011. During the tournament, he scored three goals, including one in the final held on 24 September, which Ahed won 4–2 against Safa. In his seven years with the Lebanese side, Maatouk scored 52 goals in the league, and reportedly 89 goals in all competitions. In the process, he won 12 trophies for his team.
2011–12: First season in the UAE Pro League