Taouil playing for Kilmarnock |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mehdi Taouil | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | Nancy | 8 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | 1. FC Nuremberg | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Montpellier | 48 | (3) |
| 2007–2011 | Kilmarnock | 107 | (7) |
| 2011– | Heart of Midlothian | 14 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Morocco | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:47, 17 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Mehdi Taouil (Arabic: مهدي طويل) (born 20 May 1983 in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Val-de-Marne) is a French-born Moroccan football player currently playing in the Scottish Premier League for Hearts.
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Taouil was born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother.[1]
During the early stages of his career he played for Nancy and 1. FC Nuremberg but was limited to only infrequent games.
Taouil played for Montpellier in Ligue 2, joining the club on a two-year contract in June 2005, before being released at the end of the 2006/07 season. During his time there he made 48 league appearances scoring three goals.
He then signed a one-year deal at Scottish side Kilmarnock in October 2007.[2] On his Kilmarnock debut he was warmly greeted by the fans in a 1–0 loss to Motherwell and was voted as Kilmarnock's Man of the Match due to his red under-armour on his legs. He scored his first goal in the game against Hibernian on 26 December 2007 at Rugby Park, which ended in a 2–1 victory for the Ayrshire side.
Taouil was linked with a transfer to SPL rivals Hearts, but in July 2008 he signed a three year deal with Kilmarnock.[3] Following the release of Gary Wales, Taouil was given the number 10 shirt for the new season.
In all he made 118 appearances in all competitions scoring 7 goals.
Despite turning Hearts down in 2008 they again made approaches to sign him when he became a free agent in the summer of 2011 after his three-year contract with Kilmarnock came to an end.[4]
On Tuesday 14 June 2011, Taouil signed for Hearts on a three year contract.[5] He opted to sign for the Gorgie outfit despite interest from the continent and team up with his former Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies.[6] Making his debut against Rangers at Ibrox on July the 23rd. [7]
Taouil was part of the Moroccan national football team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Taouil played in all three games as the team exited in the first round, finishing third in Group D behind Iraq and Costa Rica.
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