Mbark Boussoufa

Mbark Boussoufa
Personal information
Full nameMoubarak Boussoufa
Date of birth15 August 1984
Place of birthAmsterdam, Netherlands
Height1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionAttacking Midfielder, Left Winger
Club information
Current team
Lokomotiv Moscow
Number11
Youth career
1994–1995Middenmeer
1995–1996Fortius
1996–2001Ajax
2001–2004Chelsea
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2004–2006Gent59(14)
2006–2011Anderlecht148(48)
2011–2013Anzhi Makhachkala68(11)
2013–Lokomotiv Moscow37(2)
National team‡
2006–Morocco36(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 March 2012

Moubarak "Mbark" Boussoufa (Arabic: مُبارك بوصوفا‎, born 15 August 1984) is a Dutch-Moroccan footballer who currently plays as an Attacking Midfielder for Lokomotiv Moscow[1] and the Moroccan national team. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for the second time in 2010.[2]

Early career

Mbark started off at the youth academy of Ajax Amsterdam before joining Chelsea F.C. He spent the 2005/06 season with K.A.A. Gent, winning several prizes in 2006: Belgian Golden Shoe, Belgian Footballer of the Year, Belgian Young Footballer of the Year and Belgian Ebony Shoe. He is the second player from a North African country to win the Ebony Shoe, after Mido.

Club career

Boussoufa with Anzhi Makhachkala

In June 2006, Boussoufa signed a 4-year contract with R.S.C. Anderlecht after a €3.5 million transfer.[3] In his first season he was a regular in the title-clinching squad. He became a key player for the team that finished second in both the 2007–2008 and the 2008–2009 seasons. Boussoufa was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for a second time after the 2008–2009 season in which Anderlecht barely missed out on the title, losing the Championship play-off against Standard de Liège. The next year, he managed 14 goals and 20 assists which made him the most valuable player in Anderlecht's championship-winning squad. He was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for a second consecutive time and the third time overall. After the season he renewed his contract with a significant raise, making him the best paid footballer in Belgium.[4] He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for the second time in 2010.[2]

On 7 March 2011, Russian side FC Terek Grozny announced his signing,[5] but his transfer fell through three days later. According to Terek's VP Khaidar Alkhanov, Boussoufa requested unacceptable conditions in his personal contract, even though Anderlecht had agreed to sell him.[6] In the late evening of 10 March, it was announced that the transfer to Terek Grozny had collapsed and that Boussoufa had signed for another Russian team, Anzhi Makhachkala.[7]

On 16 August 2013 he signed a 3-year contract with FC Lokomotiv Moscow.[1]

International career

Boussoufa has a Dutch passport and as such would have been eligible to play for the Dutch national team if selected, but chose Morocco and played his first match for the Moroccan national team against the USA on 23 May 2006.

Career statistics

Club

As of 2 December 2013
Club Season Domestic League Domestic Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assist Apps Goals Assist Apps Goals Assist Apps Goals Assist
Gent 2004–05 2952300---3252
2005–06 28916411610381117
2006–07 200000200400
Total 591418711810741619
Anderlecht 2006–07 32811720602451013
2007–08 22577326003589
2008–09 351114200201391115
2009–10 3614244121333531829
2010–11 231014303914351121
Total 14848702367364102075887
Anzhi 2011–12 38761000003976
2012–13 2648401142744616
2013–14 400000000400
Total 6811145011427871322
Lokomotiv Moscow 2013–14 21250000002125
2014–15 16032200001823
Total 37282200003948
Career total 3127511037995871740791136

International goals

Honours

R.S.C. Anderlecht

Belgian First Division

Belgian Cup

Belgian Supercup

Individual

2006, 2010
2005–2006, 2008–2009, 2009–2010
2005–2006, 2008–2009, 2009–2010
2005–2006
2008–2009: 11 goals
2009–2010: 24 assists

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Mbark Boussoufa in Loko!" (in Russian). fclm.ru. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Mbark Boussoufa wins Golden Shoe 2010" (Dutch), Sporza, 19 January 2011
  3. ↑ "Boussoufa finalises switch to Anderlecht" by Fahd Chafik, Morocco Times, 7 June 2006, retrieved 11 June 2006
  4. ↑ "Boussoufa: Did Herman drink too much champagne?" (Dutch), Sporza, 27 April 2010
  5. ↑ Мбарк Буссуфа перешел в "Терек". (in Russian). FC Terek Grozny. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  6. ↑ Трансфер Буссуфы в "Терек" сорвался из-за непомерных требований футболиста (in Russian). Sport Express. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  7. ↑ "Boussoufa moves to Anzhi, not to Grozny" (in Dutch). sporza.be. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

External links