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Majed Osman — the London-born playmaker playing for the Lebanon national team

Majed Osman is motivated.

He wants more appearances for the Lebanon national team.

An injury only a month before the AFC Asian Cup left Osman out of the squad and feeling “devastated” to miss out on the tournament.

There is a massive World Cup qualifier approaching against Australia in the second round on March 21st. 

Osman has serious ambitions and aspirations for “The Cedars”. 

Is that not where success is bred from after all? The everlasting chase of aspirations.

“It’s one of those feelings where I’m motivated to get more experiences because I know there is so much more I can offer with the national team,” he said.

“That’s the biggest stage for me and my career is playing for the national team, and it opens a lot of doors for you also.”

Osman, 29, is at a pivotal period in his career. He is currently playing for Liga 1 club Dewa United in Indonesia. His current contract ends in May, he is leaving his options open, but he is enjoying his time at Dewa United. 

Osman’s ambitions and persistence to play at a high level started at a young age. Born in Hammersmith, West London, Osman played youth football with Brentford FC. The importance of education stems from his Lebanese background and his Dad’s traditional views. If he were to stay in the UK, he likely would have two choices. Sign as a professional or begin the process of going to university.

After Brentford failed to offer him a professional contract, he opted to play college soccer at the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Xavier Musketeers. College soccer offered a pathway to continue his education and his development within the sport. The importance of education stems from his Lebanese background and his Dad’s traditional views. If he were to stay in the UK, he likely would have two choices. Sign as a professional or begin the process of going to university.

He moved back to England in 2017 and his Dad passed away a year previously. Osman was able to be closer to his mom. After playing with clubs in non-league or lower divisions, he was given an opportunity for a change. An agent contacted him and asked him if he would consider playing in Lebanon.

“I thought about it, and I thought it was a good time to kind of break the Asian market. One of my goals was to get selected for the national team as well. The interest started as soon as I got to Lebanon, because I started well there. Lebanon is a small country. If you’re doing well, it’s very easy for it to get brought up to the national team or for that interest to kind of happen.”

Osman played in Lebanon and Jordan over the period of three seasons before receiving an offer from his current club Dewa United. He signed for the Indonesian club.

Dewa United was founded in 2022 after changing ownership. The owners have invested heavily into the club. Osman is impressed with the facilities.

“I think we have maybe the best or the second best training facilities in the league,” Osman said. “So everything is really top class in terms of facilities, there’s no complaints. That’s one of the best things about the club. It’s so new.”

Due to the club being quite young, the club is still seeking to gain supporters. Dewa United does not always receive huge crowds for attendance in the Indomilk Arena, but other clubs can draw attendances up to 50,000 and 60,000.

“Everything the club is doing is good. They’re building the right way and I’m convinced that they’ll be successful in the near future in terms of fan base and even trophies and stuff like that,” he said.

“I know many clubs in Indonesia. One of the appealing things about playing here is that a few clubs do have a lot of fans which people I think don’t know about. So, like you can get some stadiums. It’s like 50,000 or 60,000 fans. It’s unheard of in some places.”

Football is growing in Indonesia. The national team reached the last 16 of the AFC Asian Cup. The last time Indonesia reached the knockout stage of the tournament was 1996. The team will have World Cup qualifiers later in March, too. 

Osman described the country as “football crazy” and the domestic league seems to be making strides to improve as well.

“I think it’s been growing. They’re always trying to find ways to make it better. And, ways to make it better and progressive. I think there is talk about introducing VAR next season and increasing the quota for foreign players,” he said.

“I know the national team is working a lot on bringing some players with Indonesian descent who are playing at high levels. You know, some in England and other places.”

Osman, on the pitch, is usually deployed as a left winger. He enjoys expressing himself on the pitch and creating opportunities for the team.

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“I consider myself a creative player. I’ve always had that about me. I just like to enjoy what I do. I’m a big believer that football is in the end an entertainment. I like the players who do something that gets me off my seat,” he said.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be doing skills or something. People entertain with goals, people entertain in other ways.”

Osman was able to score his first goal for the Lebanon national team in November and helped to “settle” himself into the team a bit more.

Two years ago, he made his debut against Kuwait.

The moment is something he dreamed of as a kid.

“I remember thinking about a long time ago, you know it’ll be such a nice feeling to represent the national team,” Osman said.

“Now that I’m actually a member of the national team it kind of feels a bit surreal.”

Osman’s future should be exciting to watch.

His motivation to play at a high level for his country and his club is palpable. Arguably, that is one of the best traits a football player can have.

Author

  • Jaden Dakwa

    I am a sports journalist and I have been writing about football since 2021. Sports, in general, have been a passion of mine since a young age. The Gunners in North London are definitely my favorite team, but I have overwhelming love for the sport of football as a whole. In that aspect of my life, not much has changed.

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