| Intro | Morrocan footballer |
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
| From | France |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 3 February 1987, Caen |
| Age: | 33 years |
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.
Club career
Caen/Al-Hilal
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.
Granada
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.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 27 May 2016
| Club Performance | League | Cup | Other Cups | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| France | League | Coupe de France | Other Cups | UEFA | Total | ||||||
| Caen | 2008–09 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 | 11 | ||
| 2010–11 | 38 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 39 | 17 | ||
| Total | 75 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 76 | 28 | ||
| Saudi Arabia | League | Saudi Crown Prince Cup | Other Cups | AFC | Total | ||||||
| Al-Hilal | 2011–12 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 16 |
| Total | 21 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 16 | |
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Other Cups | UEFA | Total | ||||||
| Granada | 2012–13 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 12 | |||
| 2014–15 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 8 | |||
| 2015–16 | 35 | 16 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 38 | 17 | |||
| Total | 130 | 44 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 134 | 45 | |||
| Career total | 226 | 84 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 242 | 89 | |
International career
On 5 September 2010, El-Arabi made his debut for the Morocco national football team, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute for Mounir El-Hamdaoui, against Central African Republic national football team. He followed this up with games against Tanzania and Northern Ireland, in both games coming on as a substitute.
International goals
- Scores and results list Morocco’s goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 August 2011 | Stade Demba Diop, Dakar, Senegal | Senegal | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 29 February 2012 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco | Burkina Faso | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 13 October 2012 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco | Mozambique | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4. | 23 January 2013 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa | Cape Verde | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 5. | 24 March 2013 | Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Tanzania | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 8 June 2013 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco | Tanzania | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 7 September 2013 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 5 March 2014 | Stade de Marrakech Marrakesh, Morocco | Gabon | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 9. | 23 May 2014 | Estádio de São Luís, Faro, Portugal | Mozambique | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 10. | 4–0 | |||||
| 11. | 5 September 2015 | Stade Adrar, Agadir, Morocco | São Tomé and Príncipe | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 12. | 12 November 2015 | Stade Adrar, Agadir, Morocco | Equatorial Guinea | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13. | 26 March 2016 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde | Cape Verde | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 14. | 29 March 2016 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco | Cape Verde | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 15. | 2–0 |