Ahmad Sharbini is a former Croatian footballer who is currently the chairman of :hr:NK Rječina Dražice|NK Rječina.
Club career
Ahmad Sharbini began his professional career with HNK Rijeka in the Croatian Prva HNL in January 2003, when he signed his first professional contract. In the first four seasons with the club, he scored 39 league goals and 9 cup goals. With 21 goals to his account, he was the club's leading goalscorer in the 2006–07 season. He was also the league's second top goalscorer behind Eduardo da Silva. In late 2007 and early 2008, he had stints with Al-Wahda FC and FC Luzern. In mid-2008, Sharbini returned to Rijeka, and in the 2008–09 season, with 17 goals in all competitions, he was the club's joint top goalscorer with his brother Anas Sharbini. After the first league match in the new season, on 13 August 2009, he signed for Hajduk Split with his brother Anas. During his three years with Hajduk, Ahmad scored only 5 goals and most of the time struggled to make the starting line-up. Following his departure from Hajduk, he had three short stints in late 2012 and 2013, with NK Istra 1961, Al-Wehda Club and NK Jedinstvo Bihać, respectively. Following an 18-month break, since August 2015, Ahmad has been playing for :hr:NK Rječina Dražice|NK Rječina in Croatia's fifth tier. Since mid-2014, he has also been serving as the club's chairman. In 2016 he joined NK Grobničan for one season period.
Ahmad is the older brother of HNK Rijeka winger Anas Sharbini. The two brothers are born of Albanian, Croatian and Palestinian roots and raised in Rijeka, Croatia, to a local Croatian mother and Palestinian father, Jamal Al-Sharbini, Palestinian born in Damascus, Syria.
Achievements
Ahmad Sharbini is HNK Rijeka's leading goalscorer in the Croatian First Football League and the Croatian Football Cup with 54 and 14 goals to his account, respectively. Brothers Ahmad and Anas Sharbini are the only siblings to have scored a hat-trick each in a single match in top-tier European football leagues. In the first round fixture of the 2009–10 Croatian First Football League season against NK Lokomotiva, the brothers took turns. Ahmad opened the scoring after four minutes, Anas doubled the lead in the 27th minute and Ahmad made it 3–0 in the 35th minute. In the second half Anas converted a penalty in 51st minute, Ahmad completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute and two minutes later Anas scored his third goal.
