Name: Youssef Ali El Ghoul
Nickname: "the Bear", "the Boogeyman"
Country:
LebanonClub: Tadamon Beirut SC (1970-1972), Nejmeh SC (1972-1975)
Position: *CF, GK
Side: RF/BS
Age: 23-27 years (??/??/1948)
Height: 171 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Attack: 81
Defence: 65
Balance: 82
Stamina: 73
Top Speed: 71
Acceleration: 73
Response: 80
Agility: 75
Dribble Accuracy: 69
Dribble Speed: 69
Short Pass Accuracy: 62
Short Pass Speed: 68
Long Pass Accuracy: 60
Long Pass Speed: 72
Shot Accuracy: 76
Shot Power: 91
Shot Technique: 80
Free Kick Accuracy: 60
Curling: 55
Header: 83
Jump: 87
Technique: 70
Aggression: 85
Mentality: 77
Goalkeeper Skills: 65
Team Work: 64
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 6
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 5
Growth type: Standard/Lasting
CARDS:
P16 - Fox in the Box
S01 - 1-touch Play
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Positioning - Middle Shooting - 1-touch Play
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Attack Minded
INFO:
El Ghoul was a centre forward, who could play also as goalkeeper. El Ghoul began his career at Tadamon Beirut, where he played also between 1970 and 1972. He had experiences also at Egyptian team Ismaily in 1967-68, Racing Club Beirut between 1968 and 1970, Kuwaiti team Al-Kuwait and Al Ansar, where he retired in 1984. He had the chance to be part of Nejmah during the club's golden era when he joined them in 1972. He gained at least 11 caps for Lebanon, scoring 5 goals.
El Ghoul was considered as an outstanding and unusual player due to his positions and the qualities he had despite his size. In fact, he acted as centre forward but started his career as uncompromising goalkeeper. He took advantage in both roles of his ability to jump high in the air. In the attack especially he would score after hitting the ball with powerful headers directed to difficult angles for the opposing goalkeeper to reach. Moreover, he was nicknamed "the Boogeyman" because his strength and particularly his missile shots with both feet, sometimes even from near midfield, were a nightmare for the opposing goalkeepers. They apparently were so powerful that the ball sounded like a bullet penetrating the goal and whoever got hit by it could be harmed. El Ghoul wasn't calm on the field but he was a fierce player who fought on the ball. Romanian coach Ion Bogdan, the man who wanted El Ghoul at Racing Club Beirut in the late 1960s, dared to compare the Lebanese striker to Pelé, saying that he was even better than the Brazilian legend. El Ghoul's incredible versatility was proven by the fact that even after Bogdan decided to change his position from goalkeeper to centre forward, he sometimes started the match between the posts and ended it in the attack if needed. In such occasions he wasn't substituted until he had stopped some dangerous balls and scored at least once. As Racing Club Beirut goalkeeper El Ghoul, in a match of a friendly tournament in Syria, quickly jumped to the top corner and made a superb save after which the commentator nicknamed him "the Arab Yashin" for that specific match. As attacker he didn't participate at the set up of the offense nor used to make passes but most of the times waited in the box for the ball coming from a high cross.