Asaad Babiker (Arabic: اسعد بابكر; born 31 August 2003) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Lahti.

Asaad Babiker
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-08-31) 31 August 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Cairo, Egypt
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
Lahti
Number 24
Youth career
2015–2021 Reipas Lahti
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Reipas Lahti 65 (22)
2021– Lahti 18 (0)
International career
Finland U16
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 October 2024

Club career

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Born in Cairo, Egypt, Babiker is of Sudanese descent. He immigrated to Finland as a child, and following pressure from a school classmate, joined the academy of Reipas Lahti at the age of eleven.[2] In 2021, he signed his first contract with the club's parent side, Lahti, allowing him to represent both teams in official competitions.[2] In February of the same year, he made his professional debut, coming on as a late second-half substitute for Lassi Forss in a 1–1 Finnish Cup draw with HJK Helsinki on 6 February.

In his first season, he featured predominantly for Reipas in the third-tier Kakkonen, scoring four goals, including a brace against KuFu-98 in August.[3] The following year he failed to feature for Lahti, despite scoring eight goals in twenty-two Kakkonen appearances for Reipas.[4][5]

He returned to Lahti's first team again on 28 January 2023, coming on as a second-half substitute for Daniel Koskipalo in a Finnish League Cup game, as Lahti lost 2–0 to Honka. His prolific goal-scoring form for Reipas continued, as he scored another brace in a 3–1 win against Tikkurilan Palloseura (TiPS) on 26 August.[6][7]

On 25 January 2024, Babiker signed a new professional contract with FC Lahti first team for the 2024 season.[8][9][10] He debuted in Veikkausliiga on 6 April 2024 in the opening game of the 2024 season against Ilves, as a substitute to Luke Ivanovic.[11]

International career

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Babiker was called up to a Finnish under-16 regional camp in November 2018.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 27 October 2024.[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] Other Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Reipas 2021 Kakkonen 17 4 0 0 17 4
2022 Kakkonen 22 8 0 0 22 8
2023 Kakkonen 23 6 2 2 25 8
2024 Kakkonen 3 4 3 4
Total 65 22 2 2 0 0 0 0 67 24
Lahti 2021 Veikkausliiga 0 0 2 0 2 0
2022 Veikkausliiga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 Veikkausliiga 0 0 0 0 1[b] 0 1 0
2024 Veikkausliiga 18 0 3 1 6[b] 1 27 2
Total 18 0 5 1 7 1 30 2
Career total 83 22 7 3 7 1 97 26
Notes
  1. ^ Includes Finnish Cup
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the Finnish League Cup

References

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  1. ^ Asaad Babiker at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b Toivonen, Heidi (12 April 2021). "Asaad Babiker nousi FC Lahden edustusjoukkueeseen" [Asaad Babiker joined FC Lahti's representative team]. kannaksenlukio.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Juniorikatsaus: Asaad Babikerilla kahden maalin ottelu" [Junior review: Asaad Babiker has a two-goal match]. fclahti.fi (in Finnish). 16 August 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. ^ Reipas tyylitellen selvään kotivoittoon: "Voittolukemat olisivat voineet olla vaikka 8–0", Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, Eerikki Lyytikäinen, 6 July 2022
  5. ^ Leirilaakson raportti: kahden maalin takaa rinnalle, lahdenreipas.fi, 17 January 2021
  6. ^ Lyytikäinen, Eerikki (26 August 2023). "Reippaan Asaad Babiker upotti TiPSin" [The dashing Asaad Babiker sank TiPS]. ess.fi (in Finnish). Etelä-Suomen Sanomat. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  7. ^ Reippaalle vakuuttava kotivoitto, Eerikki Lyytikäinen, 10 June 2023
  8. ^ Asaad Babiker FC Lahteen, fclahti.fi, 25 January 2024
  9. ^ FC Lahti sopimukseen uuden hyökkääjän kanssa, Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 25 January 2024
  10. ^ Kahdelle viirupaidalle liigasopimukset, lahdenreipas.fi, 25 January 2024
  11. ^ Ilves – FC Lahti, veikkausliiga.com
  12. ^ "FC Lahti B:n kolmikko alueleirillle" [FC Lahti B's trio for the regional camp]. fcreipas.fi (in Finnish). 20 November 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  13. ^ Asaad Babiker at Soccerway
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