Abdelhamid Abuhabib (born August 6, 1989) is a Palestinian Footballer currently playing for Nablus-based Balata of the WBPL

West Bank Premier League

West Bank Premier League is one of the two top divisions of the Palestinian Football Federation. The other is the Gaza Strip League. Palestinian clubs have a rich history stretching back to the early 1930s but most teams folded due to the political turmoil that ensued...

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Early years

Abuhabeeb grew up playing football in the streets of Khan Younis from an early age. He joined his local club Shabab Khan Younis's youth team as an adolescent, following in the footsteps of his older brother Mohammed. Despite his small stature, it didn't take long before Abuhabib joined his older brother on the senior side earning his first cap in 2005.

Move to Balata

Like many other Gazan footballers Abuhabib went to the West Bank in search of more steady league play as the Gazan league had been victim of political turmoil. He signed with Merkaz Shabab Balata in 2009 and was able to secure an exit visa to travel to the West Bank. Upon his arrival, he was surprised to learn that he had not signed with a top tier side, but with a side playing in the second division. Abuhabib had a fantastic first season with Balata, scoring 9 goals and helping them earn promotion to the West Bank Premier League

West Bank Premier League

West Bank Premier League is one of the two top divisions of the Palestinian Football Federation. The other is the Gaza Strip League. Palestinian clubs have a rich history stretching back to the early 1930s but most teams folded due to the political turmoil that ensued...

. His sublime skill caught the eye of the more established Shabab Al-Khaleel

Shabab Al-Khaleel

Shabab Al-Khaleel is a Palestinian football team from the city of Hebron that plays in the West Bank Premier League....

 whom he signed with but voided the contract over undisclosed disputes. In 2010, Abuhabib signed a one-year deal keeping him in Nablus with Balata.

His second season with the club would prove to be even more spectacular. In the league, Abuhabib scored 12 goals in 22 matches helping power the newly promoted side to fourth place in the 12-team league. He also turned in numerous man of the match

Man of the match

In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 performances in the Palestinian FA Cup scoring 8 goals in 8 games helping Balata reach the final where they lost to Hilal Al-Quds. In Abuhabib's first season in the Palestinian top flight he had 22 goals in the three competitions (12 League Goals, 8 FA Cup goals, 2 Yasser Arafat Cup goals). He once again opted to extend his contract for an added year at the end of the season.

Olympic Team

Abuhabib received his first call-up to the Olympic Team in 2009 to face Tunisia. He played a pivotal role in Palestine's attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. Having been barred from traveling to Thailand by Israeli authorities for the first leg of the first round of Olympic Qualifying Abuhabib would start the second leg. He scored the only goal of the game- and the first goal in a competitive international in Palestine- in the 43rd minute on a spectacular volley from 25 meters. Abuhabib also played well in the next round against Bahrain helping Palestine win 0-1 in Manama and helping them take 1-0 halftime lead in the return leg in Palestine. Palestine would eventually go out on away goals falling just short of 3rd round of Olympic Qualifying.

National Team

Abuhabib was called up to the National Team in July 2011 to face Thailand but had to withdraw from training after suffering an abdominal injury.

Olympic Team Goals

Abdelhamid Abuhabib: International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 March 2011	Al-Ram, Palestine Palestine Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....		1-0	1-0	2012 Olympic Qual.