Iraqi striker Hussein Saeed holds the record for most goals in a single edition of Gulf Arab tournaments. In 1979, during the fifth Gulf Cup held in Baghdad, Saeed scored 10 goals to top the goal scorers and became the first Iraqi player to win the title.
Saeed showcased his scoring abilities from the opening match against Bahrain, where he managed to score three goals against the legendary goalkeeper Hamoud Sultan. He then scored a brace in the second game against Qatar and one against UAE, which ended 5-0 for Iraq. Saeed also delivered a 'super hat-trick' of four goals against Oman, securing his goal-scoring title with 10 goals.
Injury prevented Saeed from participating in the ninth Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia in 1988. He returned to the Iraqi national team for the Gulf Cup in Kuwait in 1990 but withdrew from the tournament. Saeed bid farewell to football without an official retirement match, and began his administrative career with the Football Union of Iraq and the National Olympic Committee.
Saeed played 137 matches for the national team, scoring 78 goals - a record, he also participated in six matches with the military team, scoring five goals. He competed in three Olympic finals 'Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988'.
He won the Golden Boot for the Asian Youth Championship twice in 1976 and 1977 with a total of 17 goals, and earned the Golden Boot for the Asian Youth Championship twice in 1975 and 1977. He also contributed to Iraq's victory in the Merlion Cup in Singapore in 1984 and winning the Iraqi league's top scorer award five times, as well as helping Al-Thawra win the league title twice.
He was selected as one of the 25 best players of the Asian Century among a list of 30 players from both Asian and international federations. He was also chosen as Iraq's Player of the Century alongside the late Ahmed Razi.
