Mehdi Khalil

Mehdi Salim Khalil (مهدي سليم خليل, ; born 19 September 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Safa, on loan from Ahed, and the Lebanon national team.

Khalil is known as "the Mountain" (الجبل) because of his height.

However, Safa still won the encounter 3–2 through a 92nd-minute goal by Mohamad Haidar.

In Khalil's first experience in the AFC Cup he played three matches, finishing third in the group.

Khalil began his senior career in Sierra Leone in 2009 at Johansen.

In 2010, he participated with Kallon U19 at the Viareggio Cup – an annual youth tournament held in Italy – where he played two of the three games.

Khalil started his senior career in Sierra Leone at Johansen, before moving to Sweden in 2011, first playing at Köping FF before transferring to Djurgården.

Thanks to Johansen's Scandinavian connections, in March 2011 Khalil joined Swedish Division 3 side Köping FF on a three-month loan.

Talking about his first training session at the club, Khalil said that "[it] was fun [...] the guys seem lovely, and many of them are young, just like me".

He played seven games for the club.

Between April and June 2011, Khalil trained with Allsvenskan clubs AIK and Trelleborg.

On 20 July 2011, Khalil moved to Djurgården, AIK's rivals, on a four-month loan.

He had been noticed by the club's manager Magnus Pehrsson the previous year at a friendly tournament in Ghana; Khalil was named best goalkeeper of the tournament.

On 1 August 2011, he made his debut for the club's under-21 team in the against Brage, helping his side win 5–1.

On 25 October 2011, Djurgården announced that Khalil's contract would not be renewed.

Following his experience in Sweden, Khalil moved back to Sierra Leone, playing for Kallon during the 2011–12 season.

Through his links with Roda Antar, a Sierra Leonean-born Lebanese footballer, Khalil trained with the Lebanon national team in 2012, which caught the attention of various Lebanese clubs.

Khalil was initially a reserve for Ziad Al Samad in his first season (2012–13).

Following his experience in Sweden, Khalil moved back to his native country, at Kallon, before joining Lebanese club Safa in 2013.

He has represented Lebanon at senior level since 2013.

Khalil moved to Safa in the Lebanese Premier League in early 2013, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.

His debut came during the 2013 AFC Cup, playing in a group stage game against Riffa on 2 April 2013; the match ended in a 1–0 win.

On 24 April 2013, Khalil was sent off against Regar-TadAZ in the 79th minute, with the opposing team scoring from the subsequent penalty kick.

Khalil's league debut came in the 2013–14 season, on 23 November 2013, in a 5–0 win over Tadamon Sour.

He participated in the 2014 AFC Cup, playing two games.

Khalil became the club's first-choice goalkeeper from the 2014–15 season, playing 17 league games.

In the 2015–16 season, Khalil played 16 league games, helping Safa win their second league title.

He was included in the 2015–16 Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season for his performances.

Following the expiration of his contract in mid-2016, Khalil tried out with several Eerste Divisie teams in the Netherlands.

He remained with Safa for one more year, playing 16 games in the league during the 2016–17 season.

After spending four years at the club, Khalil moved to Lebanese Premier League reigning champions Ahed in 2017.

Khalil played at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, and was Lebanon's main goalkeeper at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Born in Bouaké, Ivory Coast to Lebanese parents, Khalil moved to Freetown, Sierra Leone with his family at a young age.

He started playing six-a-side football, a popular form of football in Sierra Leone, at age 12 at Young Sportsmen Club (YSC) as a defender.

Noticing his physical attributes, namely his height, Khalil's coach advised him to switch position to goalkeeper.

At age 15–16, he was noticed by Isha Johansen – owner of football club Johansen alongside her Norwegian husband Arne Birger Johansen – in a match between YSC and Johansen.

His performance in the game prompted Isha to sign Khalil to Johansen's under-17 team.

He won the 2019 AFC Cup with the side, the first in Lebanese history, as the competition's Most Valuable Player.

In 2020, Khalil moved to Iranian side Zob Ahan on a six-month loan, and in 2023 he joined Al-Faisaly in Jordan on a one-year loan.

Born in the Ivory Coast and raised in Sierra Leone to Lebanese parents, Khalil was called up to represent Sierra Leone at youth level, without featuring.