Marhej..from the land of cedars and to the cedars he returns

Sami Habib Merhej, born on December 6, 2006, is a professional football player who plays as a striker for Colombian club Deportivo Pereira and represents the Lebanese national team internationally.
Merhej was born in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia, into a family with a blend of sporting and political backgrounds. His father, Habib Merhej, is a businessman, and his mother, Juliana Enciso, is a politician and former volleyball player. His uncle is also the former soccer player, Leonardo Enciso.

Marhej began his football career at a young age, moving between Lebanon and Spain. He represented the Risaralda district in Colombia in 2019 and 2020, and succeeded in scoring six goals during ten matches in the 2021 Colombian Under-15 Championship with the team "Mi Nuevo Tolima".

In 2022, Merhej joined the Argentinian club Rosario Central, but he was unable to register for any of the tournaments organized by the Argentinian Football Association. The following year, he returned to Colombia to join Deportivo Pereira, where he made his professional debut on February 17, 2024, playing 58 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Santa Fe.

Internationally, Merhej is eligible to play for both Colombia and Lebanon due to his father's Lebanese heritage. He made his debut for Lebanon's under-16 team in a friendly against Malta in November 2022. In July 2024, he joined a training camp with Colombia's under-20 team, then returned to represent Lebanon's under-20 team in August 2024, participating in the 2025 AFC U-20 Championship qualifiers and playing 90 minutes in a 3-2 loss to the UAE.

On November 5, 2024, Merhej received his first call-up to the Lebanese national team for friendly matches against Thailand and Myanmar. He made his debut for the national team on November 14, 2024, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute in a goalless draw against Thailand. Just five days later, Merhej shone, scoring two goals to lead Lebanon to a 3-2 victory over Myanmar, confirming his rising talent and clearly making his mark on the international stage.