Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Youssef El-Arabi | ||
Date of birth | 3 February 1987 | ||
Place of birth | Caen, France | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
|
Lekhwiya | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
2001–2002 | Caen | ||
2002–2004 | SC Hérouville Football | ||
2004–2007 | USON Mondeville | ||
2007–2009 | Caen | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2008–2011 | Caen | 75 | (28) |
2011–2012 | Al-Hilal | 21 | (12) |
2012–2016 | Granada | 130 | (44) |
2016– | Lekhwiya | 19 | (28) |
National team‡ | |||
2010– | Morocco | 37 | (15) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:05, 14 February 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 October 2016 |
Youssef El-Arabi (Arabic: يوسف العربي; born 3 February 1987) is a French born Moroccan professional footballer who plays for Qatari club Lekhwiya as a striker.
On 20 December 2008, El-Arabi made his debut for Caen, coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute against Lyon in Ligue 1. He played 2 more games that season (coming on in both as a substitute), and scored no goals (2008–09). The following season (2009–10) saw El-Arabi score 11 goals in 34 games (he came on in 11 of these games as a substitute) for Caen, as well as claiming eight assists, in Ligue 2. This season (2010–11) has seen El-Arabi score 17 goals in 38 games for Caen, as well as claiming five assists, in Ligue 1. After rejecting bids from Sevilla FC and Genoa C.F.C, he eventually signed for Al-Hilal FC in July 2011 on a four-year contract.
In the summer of 2012, El-Arabi made a €4.5 million move to Spanish side Granada CF. He scored his first goal for Granada CF in an official game away against RCD Mallorca in a 2–1 win. The goal came from a spot kick. In his first season, he helped his side avoid relegation by scoring eight goals in 31 games. The 2013–14 season saw El-Arabi start in prolific form, the striker scored six goals in 11 games (nine starts), this includes a brace against Athletic Bilbao and his first La Liga hat-trick, where he scored all three in a 3–1 win over rivals Malaga CF. At the end of the season, he was nominated for the Best African player at the LFP Awards, losing out to teammate Yacine Brahimi.