Levon Altounian

Levon Altounian
	Altounian with Lebanon at the 1963 Arab Cup
Personal information
Full name	Levon Aram Altounian
Date of birth	15 February 1936
Place of birth	Beirut, Lebanese Republic
Date of death	6 September 2020 (aged 84)
Place of death	Roumieh, Lebanon
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Right winger, attacking midfielder
Youth career
	Homenetmen
Senior career*
Years	Team
1952–1973	Homenetmen
International career
1956–1967	Lebanon
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Levon Aram Altounian (Arabic: ليون ارام التونيان; 15 February 1936 – 6 September 2020) was a Lebanese footballer who played as a right winger or an attacking midfielder.

Altounian played his whole club career at Homenetmen, between 1952 and 1973, finishing as top scorer of the Lebanese Premier League twice: in 1962–63 and in 1966–67. Altounian also represented the Lebanon national team, captaining them to a third-place finish at the 1963 Arab Cup.

Club career

Born on 15 February 1936 in Beirut, Lebanon,^[1] Altounian played his whole club career at Homenetmen, between 1952 and 1973.^[1]^[2] He was awarded top scorer of the Lebanese Premier League twice, during the 1962–63 and 1966–67 seasons, scoring respectively 14 and 19 goals.^[1]^[3]

International career

Altounian played for the Lebanon national team,^[4] scoring two goals in the 1957 Pan Arab Games and helping Lebanon reach third place.^[1]^[5] He also participated in the 1963 Arab Cup as Lebanon's captain; he scored six goals, with Lebanon coming in third place in the competition.^[1]^[6]

Style of play

Altounian started out as an attacking midfielder, before developing as a right winger.^[2]^[7] He was known for his speed, dribbling, and technical ability, as well as for scoring difficult top-corner goals.^[2]

Personal life

Levon's favourite player was Mardik Tchaparian in Lebanon, and Pelé worldwide; his favourite coach was Joseph Nalbandian.^[2] His brother, Manuel, also played football,^[2] and represented Lebanon internationally.^[8]

Death

On 6 September 2020, Altounian died in the Daher El Bachek Hospital in Roumieh, Lebanon.^[1]

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Altounian goal.

List of international goals scored by Levon Altounian
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 October 1957	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Saudi Arabia	1–0	1–1	1957 Pan Arab Games
2	24 October 1957	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Jordan	–	6–0	1957 Pan Arab Games
3	24 October 1957	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Jordan	–	6–0	1957 Pan Arab Games
4	26 January 1962	Kuwait University Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait	Kuwait	3–0	5–0	Friendly
5	31 March 1963	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Kuwait	2–0	6–0	1963 Arab Cup
6	31 March 1963	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Kuwait	6–0	6–0	1963 Arab Cup
7	4 April 1963	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Syria	2–3	2–3	1963 Arab Cup
8	6 April 1963	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Jordan	1–0	5–0	1963 Arab Cup
9	6 April 1963	Camille Chamoun Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon	Jordan	4–0	5–0	1963 Arab Cup
10	3 April 1966	Al-Kashafa Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq	Bahrain	–	6–1	1966 Arab Cup
11	3 April 1966	Al-Kashafa Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq	Bahrain	–	6–1	1966 Arab Cup
12	5 June 1966	Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal	Senegal	–	3–2	Friendly
13	3 October 1967	Tokyo National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Japan	1–0	1–3	1968 Summer Olympics qualification
14	6 October 1967	Tokyo National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	–	11–1	1968 Summer Olympics qualification
15				–
16				–
17				–
18	9 October 1967	Tokyo National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan	Republic of China	–	5–2	1968 Summer Olympics qualification