Samy Merheg
Footballer (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samy Habib Merheg[note 1] (Arabic: سامي حبيب مرهج; born 6 December 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Portuguese club Braga. Born in Colombia, he plays for the Lebanon national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samy Habib Merheg[1] | ||
| Birth name | Samy Merheg Enciso[2] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Pereira, Colombia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Braga | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2016 | Salam Zgharta | ||
| 2016–2017 | Marcet | ||
| 2017–2018 | Sant Cugat | ||
| 2018 | Cornellà | ||
| 2021 | VyV Mi Nuevo Tolima | ||
| 2022 | Rosario Central | ||
| 2023–2024 | Deportivo Pereira | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | Deportivo Pereira | 28 | (5) |
| 2026– | Braga B | 8 | (4) |
| 2026– | Braga | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Lebanon U16 | 2 | (1) |
| 2024 | Lebanon U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Lebanon | 12 | (7) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 November 2025 | |||
Early life
Merheg was born in Pereira, Risaralda Department, Colombia, to politician Habib Merheg and Juliana Enciso, a politician and former volleyball player.[4][5] His father is of Lebanese descent from both parents.[6] His maternal uncle is former professional footballer Leonardo Enciso,[5][7] and his paternal uncle is politician Juan Samy Merheg.[8]
As a child, Merheg moved with his family to Bishmizzine, Koura District, Lebanon.[9] He began attending Bishmizzine High School aged six, where he first started playing football during recess.[9]
Club career
Youth
Merheg began his football career in Lebanon at age seven, training with Salam Zgharta's academy[10] and their affiliated Koura Football Academy.[11] In 2016, he moved to Spain, where he played for Marcet[12] (including their partner club Tecnofútbol),[13] as well as Sant Cugat[14] and Cornellà.[9][10]
After his time in Spain, Merheg moved to Colombia, playing for the Risaralda Department representative youth team between 2019 and 2020.[15] In 2021, he joined VyV Mi Nuevo Tolima, scoring six goals in 10 matches for their under-15 side.[16] Although he signed with Argentine side Rosario Central in 2022,[4] registration issues due to his age prevented his participation in AFA-sanctioned competitions, prompting his return to Colombia.[7] There, he joined Deportivo Pereira in 2023,[15] where scored eight goals in five matches with the under-17s,[15][16] and five goals in 10 matches with the under-20s.[15]
Deportivo Pereira
On 17 February 2024, aged 17 years and 73 days, Merheg made his professional debut with Deportivo Pereira, starting and playing 58 minutes in a 1–0 win against Santa Fe, before being replaced by Andrés Ibargüen.[5] He finished the 2024 season with five games in all competitions.[17]
On 15 April 2025, Merheg scored his first goal for Deportivo Pereira and provided an assist in a 2–0 win against Deportivo Cali.[18] He scored a brace on 27 August 2025, including a 90+5th minute winner, helping his side defeat Real Cundinamarca 4–3 in the Copa Colombia.[19] On 18 November 2025, after scoring eight goals and providing three assists in 29 appearances during the 2025 season,[14] Merheg announced his departure from Deportivo Pereira, a decision that came amid the club's ongoing financial difficulties and contractual issues affecting the squad.[20]
Braga
On 30 December 2025, Primeira Liga side Braga announced the signing of Merheg on a free transfer, effective from 1 January 2026; he signed a contract running until the summer of 2028, with an option for two additional seasons.[14] Merheg was first called up on 14 January 2026 for a Taça de Portugal quarter-final against AD Fafe, remaining an unused substitute.[21] He made his debut for the reserve team, Braga B, on 15 February 2026, starting in a Liga 3 match against AD Fafe, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.[22] His first goals came on 22 February, scoring twice for the reserves in a 2–0 win against Marco 09.[23]
International career
Born in Colombia, Merheg was eligible to represent both Colombia and Lebanon at the international level, as his paternal grandparents were from Lebanon.[6]
Merheg played for the Lebanon under-16 team in two friendly matches against Malta in November 2022,[24] scoring in the second game on 10 November.[25] In July 2024, he was called up to the Colombia under-20 team for a micro-cycle.[26] The following month he was called up to the Lebanon under-20 team for the first time.[27] He made his debut in 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification, playing 90 minutes in a 3–2 loss to the United Arab Emirates.[28]
Merheg received his first call-up to the Lebanon national team on 5 November 2024 for friendly matches against Thailand and Myanmar.[29] He made his international debut on 14 November 2024 at the age of 17 years and 344 days, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw against Thailand.[30] Five days later, he scored his first international goals with a brace in a 3–2 victory over Myanmar.[31] On 20 March 2025, Merheg added another brace in a 4–0 friendly win against Timor-Leste, taking his goal tally to five in his first five appearances for Lebanon.[32] He continued his scoring form in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, netting his sixth goal in six games during a 5–0 win over Brunei five days later.[33]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 April 2026[17]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Deportivo Pereira | 2024 | Categoría Primera A | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | Categoría Primera A | 25 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 29 | 8 | |||
| Total | 28 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | ||
| Braga B | 2025–26 | Liga 3 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | 8 | 4 | |||
| Braga | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 36 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 12 | ||
- Includes Copa Colombia, Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
International
- As of match played 26 November 2025[34]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | 2024 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | |
| Total | 12 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Merheg goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2024 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar |  Myanmar |
2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 3–2 | |||||
| 3 | 12 December 2024 | Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Kuwait |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 20 March 2025 | Al-Khor SC Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar |  Timor-Leste |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 4–0 | |||||
| 6 | 25 March 2025 | Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al-Wakrah, Qatar |  Brunei |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2027 Asian Cup qualification |
| 7 | 18 November 2025 | Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | Brunei |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2027 Asian Cup qualification |
See also
Notes
- In Colombia, his full name is Samy Merheg Enciso.