NCAA Profile: Rayhan Bataineh (Fall 2026)

Team: Hettange Grande

Sport: Soccer
Nationality: France

Bio: Rayhan is a diminutive, technically gifted midfielder who brings order to games with calm precision. He receives on the half-turn, scans early, and uses his first touch to create time where none exists. Comfortable as a CDM, CM, or CAM, he adapts to the needs of the match: setting rhythm when control is required, or accelerating play when space appears. His low center of gravity, balance through contact, and economy of touches allow him to handle pressure in tight zones without losing clarity.

On the ball Rayhan favors solutions that simplify the next action for his teammates. He breaks lines with firm vertical passes, disguises bounce combinations to release the third man, and plays clipped diagonals to the weak side with reliable weight. From the base he can drop alongside center-backs to create the extra player in build-up; as an interior he links phases and arrives facing forward; as a 10 he finds pockets on the blind side of the holding midfielder and releases runners early rather than dwelling. His set-piece technique is clean and repeatable.

Out of possession he defends with anticipation rather than force. Rayhan screens lanes intelligently, presses on cues, and counterpresses immediately after loss to delay transitions. He is not dominant aerially, but he compensates with positioning and second-ball awareness. Over short distances his agility gives him separation; he rides contact well despite his frame and competes consistently through minute 90.

Rayhan fits best in possession-based sides that value control and positional discipline. In a 4-3-3 he can operate as a single pivot against mid-blocks or as an 8 when more verticality is needed; in a 4-2-3-1 he pairs effectively with a ball-winner at the base and dictates tempo. Continued gains in functional strength and long-range shooting will add layers to his profile, but his core strengths—decision speed, body orientation, and pass selection—already raise the technical standard of the team around him.

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