Firas Al-Khatib

On 29 September 2019, Al-Khatib announced his retirement from football after spending the whole summer without a club.

He wasn't in the final squad of AFC Asian Cup 2019 after getting injured about a month before the tournament, although, he claimed that he was capable of participating if the manager called him because his injury was minor and he could be part of the second match at least. It was really disappointing to him as he mentioned many times on Bein Sports as he was one the pundits there during the tournament. He was one of the first people who asked to sack Stange after the lost against Jordan. In an interview diffused 20th of March 2019, he denied any rows between players about the captaincy before and during Asian cup 2019, and denied also what Omar Al Somah said earlier about falling out for the captaincy armband.

On 5 September 2019, Al Khatib played against Philippine in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification; hence he became the first Asian and seventh footballer in total to participate in six different World Cup qualifiers, other footballers are: Gianluigi Buffon, Essam El Hadary, Pat Jennings, Russell Latapy, Víctor René Mendieta Ocampo and Dwight Yorke.

In September 2017, he joined to Al-Salmiya, and scored 11 goals in his Kuwaiti Premier League. He became the best goalscorer in Kuwait Premier League history after he scored 147 goals, exceeding many Kuwaiti legends.

From 2012 to 2017, Al-Khatib boycotted the Syrian national football team to protest president Bashar al-Assad and his regime's bombing and starving of Khatib's hometown of Homs in response to massive peaceful protests in 2011. But on 23 March 2017, he re-joined Syrian national football team and showing full support of Al Assad

Al-Khatib ended the season with 20 goals and shared the VIVA Premier League 2014-15 top league scorer with Patrick Fabiano. His total goal tally in all competitions was 24 goals. In 2015–16, he was selected in the VIVS Premier League 1st Team alongside teammate Ali Maqseed. Al-Khatib also won the VPL Golden Boot and top scorer of Al-Arabi with 27 goals; his highest tally in any season with any team.

He left Iraq to join Sergio Batista's Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua at February 2013. He scored his first goal in his Chinese Super League debut.

He became a free agent at the end of the 2013–14 football season and returned to Kuwait. He declined an offer from Kuwait SC and joined Al-Arabi SC on a 2-year deal.

During the first derby against Al-Salmiya SC, Al-Khatib scored his 100th league goal, but Al-Arabi SC lost the match 3–2.

In July 2012, he participated in three games with Nottingham Forest, scoring once in a trial of month. He impressed manager Sean O'Driscoll enough that the club were looking to sign him on a permanent basis but he was denied a work permit and the club was unable to sign him.

On 10 September 2012 he tweeted that he signed with Iraqi Premier League club Zakho FC officially.

On 24 August 2009, Al Khatib signed a two-year contract with Al-Qadsia in the Kuwaiti Premier League and played alongside his old teammate Jehad Al-Hussain.

On June 2005 he was loaned out to Al-Ahli in Qatar for one match, and played alongside Pep Guardiola.

In August 2002 he transferred to Kuwaiti Club Al-Naser, and played in Kuwaiti Premier League for the first time. He then moved to Al-Arabi, which also competed in the Kuwaiti Premier League.

During 2001, he spent two trials in Belgium; first with Gent and the second with Anderlecht.

He plays between 2001–2002 for the Syrian U-17 team, he plays for Syria in the AFC U-17 Championship 2002 in the UAE and he was a part of the Syrian U-23 team in the AFC Olympic qualification Athens 2004.

Al Khatib has been a regular for the Syria national football team from 2001 to 2012. His international debut was at the FIFA World Cup qualification 2002., when he came on as a substitute for Khaled Al Zaher in the match against Philippine on 4 May 2001 in the Al-Hamadaniah Stadium in Aleppo. On 11 May 2001 he scored one goal in the FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 match against Laos the match was finished 9–0 for Syria.

Al Khatib started his professional career in the Syrian Premier League with Al-Karamah in the Season 1999–00. On 6 October 2000, he scored his first goal in the Syrian Premier League against Al-Futowa which 1–1 finished.

Al-Khatib began playing football at Al-Karamah SC, he was included in the club's categories U-14, with whom he played for two seasons. One of the most important achievements of Al Khatib with youth Al Karamah was the victory of the Republic Cup and the title of the league's top scorer twice 1994/1995, 1995/1996. He then went on to play for Al Karamah U-17 in 1997, where he was crowned with the league title in the same year.

Firas Mohamad Al Khatib (Arabic: فراس محمد الخطيب ‎; born 9 June 1983 in Homs, Syria) is a Syrian retired footballer who predominantly played as a forward. He is Syria's all-time record goalscorer with 36 goals.