BEIRUT: The captain of Lebanon’s national football team, Hassan Maatouk, is set to star in a new series of documentaries, co-produced by FIFA, about some of the biggest names in the game.
As its name suggests, “Six Captains” tells the stories of a sextet of players — each from a different continent — who at the time of filming, during qualification for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, were captains of their national sides.
Maatouk, who plays his league games for Al-Ansar FC in Beirut, was selected to represent Asia by the sport’s international governing body and British production company Fulwell 73, his club said.
In a statement released on Instagram, Al-Ansar said it was “a brilliant choice” to have their player feature in the film, alongside such greats as Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, who captains the Croatian national side.
Each of the six episodes, which will be released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA’s own platform, will provide football fans with a rare insight into the players’ private and professional lives.
All of the footage, which includes the players interacting with teammates at the national and club level, was shot over the course of a year, Al-Ansar said.
Arab News was unable to reach Maatouk for a comment on Friday, but Lebanese football fan Toufic Al-Turk said he was delighted to see his national team captain featured in the show.
“Being chosen by FIFA among other world class players, is an honor for Lebanese football in general and Maatouk in particular,” he said.
“He is a good and respectable player on and off the pitch.”
Sports writer Ali Ahmad agreed, saying that being chosen for such an important production was “one of the best accolades a footballer could ever receive.”
“Maatouk is well known as a midfielder in Asia. For him to be profiled along five international footballers in a movie about the World Cup is something so special,” he said.
Also featured in the series are former Gabon captain Pierre Emeric Aubameyang, Brazil’s Thiago Silva, Brian Kaltak of Vanuatu and Andre Blake of Jamaica.
Lebanon’s captain Hassan Maatouk to star in Netflix football documentary
https://arab.news/gcq2q
Lebanon’s captain Hassan Maatouk to star in Netflix football documentary
- Midfielder will appear in ‘Six Captains’ alongside soccer greats like Luka Modric, Thiago Silva
- Series will provide rare insight into players’ private, professional lives
Real Madrid victory in Super Cup semi-final sets up fourth consecutive El Clásico in Saudi Arabia
- Early Valverde rocket set the tone for a physical encounter in front of a packed Al-Inma Stadium
- 55,651 fans attended the match, topping Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao’s crowd by more than 5,000
JEDDAH: While Wednesday saw a sea of blue and red take over Al-Inma Stadium, Thursday belonged almost entirely to the colour white. The second semi-final of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup pitted Madrid Derby rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid against each other in a fiercely contested encounter that ignited within the opening two minutes and ended with a 2-1 victory to Real Madrid.
In the first minute of the game, Real Madrid won a free kick from a position that appeared harmless, but Federico Valverde had other ideas. The Uruguayan unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that flew into the net, sending the stadium into raptures almost immediately.
Despite the early breakthrough, Real Madrid did not dominate proceedings. Atlético controlled much of the shot count, pushing relentlessly as they attempted to overcome the forged “home” advantage enjoyed by their city rivals in Jeddah.
That advantage was not driven solely by Saudi supporters. Ahead of kick-off, official broadcaster Thmanyah Sports got hold of a Real Madrid fan from Iraq who praised the organisation of the event and thanked Saudi Arabia for providing fans from across the region the opportunity to watch their team live.
Atlético didn’t plan on sending those fans home with a smile. They forced Thibaut Courtois into action on multiple occasions, with his save from a corner mid-way into the first half proving key in preserving Real’s lead.
Real did get close to doubling their advantage in the 27th minute when Rodrygo found himself through on goal, executing a trademark Ronaldo chop to beat his marker before being denied by Jan Oblak.
Atlético resumed their push after the break. In the 49th minute, they looked to find Julián Álvarez with a dangerous cross, but Antonio Rüdiger reacted sharply to step in and clear.
Once again, it was Real Madrid’s individual quality that made the difference. Valverde split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, releasing Rodrygo, who calmly slotted past Oblak in the 55th minute.
Atlético responded with increased vigour almost immediately. A slick move down the right flank culminated in a cross from Giuliano Simeone, which Alexander Sørloth powered home beyond Raúl Asencio in the 58th minute to bring the contest back to life.
As Atlético pushed for an equaliser, the Real Madrid fans rallied behind their team with chants familiar to Jeddah. Borrowing from one of Al-Ahli’s most popular anthems — one that engulfed Middle Eastern football in recent years — the crowd sang in unison: “For Real we came, from every city.”
Atlético were not fazed, as they came agonisingly close to levelling soon after. Antoine Griezmann produced a spectacular overhead kick from close range, only for Courtois to make another vital save. Moments later, Marcos Llorente broke through on the right once more, but his effort drifted wide.
Llorente continued to threaten, curling another attempt — this time from outside the box — but once again failed to find the target as Atlético searched desperately for a way back into the game.
Ultimately, Real Madrid managed to emerge unscathed, as they held on for the 2-1 victory.
Sunday will see the Al-Inma Stadium host once again, as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the fourth consecutive El Clásico Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona won the first encounter in 2023, followed by a 4-1 victory by Real in 2024, before Barcelona rallied to a 5-2 victory in the 2025 edition.
