Samy Merheg
Samy Habib Merheg is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Portuguese club Braga. Born in Colombia, he plays for the Lebanon national team.
Early life
Merheg was born in Pereira, Risaralda Department, Colombia, to politician and Juliana Enciso, a politician and former volleyball player. His maternal uncle is former professional footballer Leonardo Enciso, and his paternal uncle is politician Juan Samy Merheg.Club career
Youth
Merheg began his football career in Lebanon at age seven, training with Salam Zgharta's academy and their affiliated Koura Football Academy. In 2016, he moved to Spain, where he played for Marcet, as well as and Cornellà.After his time in Spain, Merheg moved to Colombia in 2019, playing for the Risaralda Department representative youth team until 2020. In 2021, he joined VyV Mi Nuevo Tolima, scoring six goals in 10 matches for their under-15 side. Although he signed with Argentine side Rosario Central in 2022, registration issues due to his age prevented his participation in AFA-sanctioned competitions, prompting his return to Colombia. There, he joined Deportivo Pereira in 2023, where scored eight goals in five matches with the under-17s, and five goals in 10 matches with the under-20s.
Deportivo Pereira
On 17 February 2024, aged, 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. He finished the 2024 season with five games in all competitions.On 15 April 2025, Merheg scored his first goal for Deportivo Pereira and provided an assist in a 2–0 win against Deportivo Cali. 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. On 18 November 2025, after scoring eight goals and providing three assists in 29 appearances during the 2025 season, Merheg announced his departure from Deportivo Pereira, a decision that came amid the club's ongoing financial difficulties and contractual issues affecting the squad.
Braga
On 30 December 2025, Primeira Liga side Braga announced the signing of Merheg on a free transfer, effective from 1 January 2026, with a contract until the summer of 2028 and an option for two additional seasons.International career
Born in Colombia, Merheg was eligible to represent both Colombia and Lebanon at the international level, due to his father having both parents from Lebanon.Merheg played for the Lebanon under-16 team in two friendly matches against Malta in November 2022, scoring in the second game on 10 November. In July 2024, he was called up to the Colombia under-20 team for a micro-cycle. The following month he was called up to the Lebanon under-20 team for the first time. 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.
Merheg received his first call-up to the Lebanon national team on 5 November 2024 for friendly matches against Thailand and Myanmar. He made his international debut on 14 November 2024 at the age of, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw against Thailand. Five days later, he scored his first international goals with a brace in a 3–2 victory over Myanmar. 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. 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.
Career statistics
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | ||
| 2 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | ||
| 3 | Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 4 | Al-Khor SC Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | ||
| 5 | Al-Khor SC Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | ||
| 6 | Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al-Wakrah, Qatar | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2027 Asian Cup qualification | ||
| 7 | Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2027 Asian Cup qualification |