Jasem Yaqoub

{{short description|Kuwaiti footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Jasem Yaqoub | image = | fullname = Jasem Yaqoub Sultan Al-Besara | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1953|10|25}} | birth_place = [[Kuwait City]], [[Kuwait]] | height = {{height|meters=1.79}} | position = [[Forward (association football)|Striker]] | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 1970–1983 | clubs1 = [[Qadsia SC]] | caps1 = | goals1 = 146 | nationalyears1 = 1972–1982 | nationalteam1 = [[Kuwait national football team|Kuwait]]<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/yacoub-intlg.html Jassim Yacoub Sultan Al-Besara – Goals in International Matches]</ref> | nationalcaps1 = 49 | nationalgoals1 = 36 | nationalyears2 = | nationalteam2 = Kuwait Military | nationalcaps2 = ? | nationalgoals2 = 29 | pcupdate = | ntupdate = }} '''Jasem Yaqoub Sultan Al-Besara''' ({{langx|ar|جَاسِم يَعْقُوب سُلْطَان الْبَصَارَة}}; born 25 October 1953) is a Kuwaiti former professional [[Association football|footballer]]. He represented the [[Kuwait national football team|Kuwait national team]] at both the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sports Reference |title=Jasem Sultan Biography and Statistics |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/su/jasem-sultan-1.html |accessdate=13 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127200115/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/su/jasem-sultan-1.html |archivedate=27 January 2012 }}</ref> and the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{FIFA player|58565|Jasem Sultan}}</ref>

== Club career == Yaqoub initially played for the [[Qadsia SC|Al-Qadsia]] youth team as a volleyball player, before joining their youth football team in 1967, where he rose up the ranks and got promoted to their senior squad in 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |title=صفحات من التاريخ: الكويتي جاسم يعقوب |url=https://www.the-afc.com/ar/national/afc_asian_cup/news/%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%85%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%8A_%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85_%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A8.html |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=the-AFC |language=en}}</ref> He initially signed with [[Kazma SC|Kazma]] before getting signed by [[Qadsia SC|Al-Qadsia]].

Yaqoub made his debut with the first team on October 2, 1970, in a 5–0 win against [[Al-Jahra SC|Al-Shuhada]], coach [[Ron Lewin]] subbed him on for an injured player in the game, the game would end with Jassim scoring four goals.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=المرعب جاسم يعقوب.. جوهرة دورات كأس الخليج – اتحاد كأس الخليج العربي لكرة القدم |url=https://agcff.com/4250/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |language=ar}}</ref>

One of his memorable goals came against [[Pelé|Pelé's]] [[Santos FC|Santos]], where he scored to enable a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KUNA :: Today in Kuwait's History :: 12/02/2018 |url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/DayEvents.aspx?date=12022018&Language=en |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.kuna.net.kw}}</ref>

Jassim was the top goal-scorer in the [[Kuwait Premier League|Kuwaiti League]] five times (1972/1973, 1974/1975, 1975/1976, 1976/1977 and 1979/1980).<ref name=":0" /> In the 1979/1980 season, he became to first player to win the [[GCC Golden Boot|Arabian Golden Boot]] with 31 goals in 26 matches.

He also helped his team win the [[Kuwait Emir Cup|Emir Cup]] several times,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kuwait 1970-79 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesk/kuw70s.html#78 |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref> even scoring a bicycle kick in the final of the 1978/1979 Emir Cup final.

== International career == Jassim represented [[Kuwait national football team|Kuwait]] from 1972 to 1982 scoring 36 goals in 49 appearances.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Jassim Yacoub Sultan Al-Besara - Goals in International Matches |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/yacoub-intlg.html |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref> He scored on his debut at the [[2nd Arabian Gulf Cup|1972 Gulf Cup]] against [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gulf Cup 1972 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesg/gulf72.html |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref> He went on to participate in the [[3rd Arabian Gulf Cup|1974]], [[4th Arabian Gulf Cup|1976]], [[5th Arabian Gulf Cup|1979]] and [[6th Arabian Gulf Cup|1982]] editions of the tournament, he was the top goal-scorer in [[3rd Arabian Gulf Cup|1974]] and [[4th Arabian Gulf Cup|1976]] scoring 6 and 9 goals. He also is the highest goal-scorer in the history of the [[Arabian Gulf Cup|Gulf Cup]] with 18 goals to his name.

In 1980, He won the [[1980 AFC Asian Cup|1980 Asian Cup]] with [[Kuwait national football team|Kuwait]] scoring four goals in the tournament and being named in the Team of the Tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Nations Cup 1980 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/80asch.html |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=x8G803Bi31IC&dat=19801002&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=news.google.com}}</ref>

Jassim appeared in the [[Football at the 1974 Asian Games|1974 Asian Games]] and the [[Football at the 1978 Asian Games|1978 Asian Games]], He also participated in [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Jasem Yaqoub Al-Besara (Player) |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/64352/Jasem_Yaqoub_Al_Besara.html |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.national-football-teams.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Honours ==

=== Individual === * [[Kuwaiti Premier League|Kuwaiti League]] top goal-scorer: 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80 *[[AFC Asian Cup]] Team of the Tournament: [[1980 AFC Asian Cup|1980]]

== Career statistics == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|[[Kuwait Emir Cup]] !colspan="2"| [[Kuwait Joint League]] !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- align=center |rowspan="13" align=center valign=center|[[Qadsia SC]] |[[1970–71 Kuwaiti Premier League|1970–71]] |rowspan="13"|[[Kuwait Premier League|KPL]] |||1||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1971–72 Kuwaiti Premier League|1971–72]] |||3||||||||5|||| |- |[[1972–73 Kuwaiti Premier League|1972–73]] |||15||||||||4|||| |- |[[1973–74 Kuwaiti Premier League|1973–74]] |||9||||||||8|||| |- |[[1974–75 Kuwaiti Premier League|1974–75]] |||25||||5||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1975–76 Kuwaiti Premier League|1975–76]] |||16||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1976–77 Kuwaiti Premier League|1976–77]] |||14||||4||||1|||| |- |[[1977–78 Kuwaiti Premier League|1977–78]] |||0||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1978–79 Kuwaiti Premier League|1978–79]] |||3||||4||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1979–80 Kuwaiti Premier League|1979–80]] |||31||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1980–81 Kuwaiti Premier League|1980–81]] |||15||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1981–82 Kuwaiti Premier League|1981–82]] |||0||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- |[[1982–83 Kuwaiti Premier League|1982–83]] |||12||||||colspan="2"|—|||| |- align=center !colspan="3"|Career total !!!146!!!!24!!!!18!!!!188 |} {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{1980 AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament}} {{Kuwaiti Premier League top scorers}} {{Kuwait squad 1976 AFC Asian Cup}} {{Kuwait Squad 1980 Summer Olympics}} {{Kuwait squad 1980 AFC Asian Cup}} {{Kuwait Squad 1982 World Cup}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaqoub, Jasem}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Kuwaiti men's footballers]] [[Category:Kuwait men's international footballers]] [[Category:Footballers at the 1980 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic footballers for Kuwait]] [[Category:1976 AFC Asian Cup players]] [[Category:1980 AFC Asian Cup players]] [[Category:1982 FIFA World Cup players]] [[Category:Qadsia SC players]] [[Category:AFC Asian Cup–winning players]] [[Category:Footballers from Kuwait City]] [[Category:Men's association football forwards]] [[Category:Kuwait Premier League players]]