Mehdi Carcela-González

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Carcela and the second or maternal family name is González.
Mehdi Carcela-González
Personal information
Full nameMehdi Carcela-González
Date of birth1 July 1989
Place of birthLiège, Belgium
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Standard Liège
Number33
Youth career
1994–2008Standard Liège
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2008–2011Standard Liège104(19)
2011–2013Anzhi Makhachkala31(1)
2013–Standard Liège40(6)
National team‡
2004Belgium U162(0)
2005–2006Belgium U1711(2)
2006–2007Belgium U1812(1)
2009–2010Belgium U218(1)
2009–2010Belgium2(0)
2011–Morocco9(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 September 2013

Mehdi Carcela-González (born 1 July 1989) is a Moroccan footballer born in Belgium to a Moroccan mother and a Spanish father, currently playing for the Belgian club Standard Liège.

Club Football Career

Standard Liège

Carcela-González is a product of the Standard Liège academy since joining the club since he was five. He made his professional debut for the club at age nineteen, where he came on as a substitute for Igor de Camargo in the 81st minutes, as Standard Liege would 2-0 win over Kortrijk on 13 September 2008.[1] He later also made his European debut for the club in the UEFA Cup match on the last game of the group-stage against Stuttgart on 18 December 2008, where he came on as a substitute for Wilfried Dalmat in the 65th minutes.[2] At the end of the season, his first season ended with a positive when the club win the league and Belgian Super Cup despite making only twelve appearance.

In 2009-10 season, Carcela-González starts his season, where he came on as a substitute, as they won the Belgian Super Cup for the second time running. He then scored his first goal for the club and making an assist, in a 5-1 win over Roeselare on 15 August 2009.[3] Four weeks later, on 13 September 2009, He scored again, but this time with a brace, as they beat Mechelen 3-0.[4] He then scored in the next match on 19 September 2009, in a 3-1 win over Lokeren.[5] On 24 November 2009 he was sent off in the Champions League group match at Arsenal after he head-butted Cesc Fàbregas in the waning moments of the game.[6] As a result, Carcela-González would miss two matches in the next European games.[7] This season proved to a breakthrough season for Carcela-González, as he scored five goals in forty-four appearance in all competitions.

In 2010-11 season, Carcela-González performance kept an eye on by Zinedine Zidane from Real Madrid.[8] He made an impressive start to the season when he scored four goals in two games against Lierse on 6 August 2010[9] and Lokoren on 14 August 2010[10] He then scored three goals in three matches between gameweeks 10 and 12, as he helped the club humiliated Anderlecht in a 5-1 win.;[11] then scored another in a loss against Genk on 17 October 2010;[12] and a 2-1 win against Gent on 24 October 2010.[13] At the end of 2010, Carcela-González was among listed as the 100 best young players in the world.[14]

Carcela-González during his time at Anzhi Makhachkala.

On 17 May 2011, he was on the receiving end of a kick in the face from Chris Mavinga while both players were tussling for the ball in a Championship match against Genk, which left him with several facial fractures and broken teeth.[15] After the match, Mavinga apologised to Carcela-Gonzalez for his actions.[16] Meanwhile in the 2010-11 season, Carcela-González would help the club progress in the Belgian Cup and scored in the second leg of the semi final of Belgium Cup, as Standard Liege beat Gent 4-1 to reach the final. Because of his injury he sustained from Mavinga, Carcela-González went on surgery to have his injuries treated.[17] Carcela-González described the incident as his "most difficult period of his life" that he could have died.[18] As a result of having surgery,[19] he missed the final of the Belgium Cup, though Standard Liege would win 2-0 against Westerlo. At the end of the season, Carcela-González made forty-four appearance in all competitions and scoring fourteen times, making him the club top scorer of the 2010-11 season.

In the summer transfer window, Carcela-González was linked with a move to Spartak Moscow.[20]

Anzhi Makhachkala

In September 2011, Carcela-González moved to Russia by joining Anzhi Makhachkala for €5.7 million, where he signed on a four-year contract.[21] Upon joining Anzhi, Carcela-González revealed that Spartak Moscow offered his wage doubled than his move to Anzhi.[22] However, Carcela-González's claim was denied by Spartak Moscow's sporting director, Dmitri Popov, believing he joined Anzhi because of his religion, due to the fact that Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, has large Muslim population in the city and joining up his compatriot team-mate Mbark Boussoufa.[23]

In his first season, Carcela-González made only eight appearance and missed most of it, due to his own injury concerns and his upcoming African Cup of Nations.[24][25] At one point, Carcela-González played in the centre forward position on 1 April 2012, in a 1-0 loss against Rubin Kazan.[26]

In his first full season, Carcela-González saw his future at the club in doubt after consider leaving the club if he doesn't get enough playing time and even the club management would consider selling him.[27] As a result, he was linked with a move to Udinese[28] Despite the surroundings, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 1-0 win over Amkar Perm on 5 August 2012.[29] In the UEFA Europa League play-off round, Carcela-González then scored again in weeks, as Anzhi would thrash AZ 5-0 and beating them 6–0 on aggregate.[30] From there, Carcela-González had an extended run in the first team that it's "is a step forward in his career."[31]

In August 2013, following restructuring at business level, Anzhi chose to transfer list their whole squad, including Carcela-González is among them.[32] Following this, Carcela-González expressed desire to leave the club, as he was linked with a move to Standard Liege, Roma.,[33] Marseille, Toulouse and Nice.[34]

Return to Standard Liège

After two years in Russia, Carcela-González returned to Standard Liège on a three-year contract, with the undisclosed fee.[35]

On 8 December 2013, after Oud-Heverlee Leuven's Bjorn Ruytinx committed a bad foul on Carcela-González and then appeared to begin laughing, Carcela-González got up, punched him in the face, and was sent off.[36] He received a four-match suspension.[37] To make effort to his Standard Liege career when he scored in a 1-0 against Charleroi on 15 February 2014.[38] Carcela-González then scored his second goal of the season, in a 1-0 win over Anderlecht on 30 March 2014.[39] On the last game of the season, he scored for the third time of the season, in a 1-0 win over Gent. But the win doesn't mean that Standard Liege didn't win the title after their arch rival Anderlecht won it after winning the match themselves.[40]

International career

He initially chose to represent his country of birth, Belgium, and even played two friendlies with the Red Devils,[41][42] however, in December 2010 he changed his mind and decided to represent Morocco.[43]

In February 2011, Carcela-González made his debut with the Atlas Lions of Morocco against Niger in a 3-0 win for his new side. He made an instant impact after being introduced as a substitute late into the second half; winning a penalty after being brought down by an opposing player which resulted in Boussoufa slotting it away to make it 2-0.[44] He was an unused substitute against Algeria in the Atlas Lions' 1-0 away loss in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying rounds on 27 March 2011.[45] After making his debut, Carcela-González later spoke out on his decision playing for Morocco, saying that he is proud to represent the national team and felt "it's was like a childhood dream."[46]

Carcela-González has made good progress with the national side, making a substitute appearance against Uganda in the LG Cup and Moroccan Manager Eric Gerets was very pleased with his performance and consequently he made the squad of the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2012.

Personal life

Even playing for the club professionally, Carcela-González remains in touch with his home town city.[47]

References

  1. ↑ "Standard Liege 2 - 0 Kortrijk". World Football. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Match Report: Stuttgart 3 - 0 Standard Liege". UEFA Official Website. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Match Report: KSV Roeselare 1 -5 Standard Liege". World Football. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Standard wins, but loses Defour" [Standard wint, maar verliest Defour] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 13 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Match Report: Lokoren 1 - 3 Standard Liege". World Football. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Arsenal 2 - 0 Standard Liege". BBC Sport. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Carcela but two European games on the side" [Carcela maar 2 Europese matchen aan de kant] (in Dutch). De Standaard. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Zidane wants Real Madrid Carcela" [Zidane veut Carcela au Real Madrid] (in French). Info Sports. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Match Report: Lokoren 1 - 4 Standard Liege". World Football. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Match Report: Standard Liege 3 - 3 Sporting Lokoren". World Football. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Match Report: Standard Liege 5 - 1 Anderlecht". World Football. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Racing Genk beat Standard Liege" [Racing Genk verslaat Standard Luik] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "AA Gent Standard Liege goes beyond" [Standard Luik gaat AA Gent voorbij] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Don Balon’s list of the 100 best young players in the world". The Spoiler Website. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "Le terrible choc Mavinga-Carcela". DH.be (in French). 17 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Belgium: a player confuses football with kickboxing (video)" [Belgique: un joueur confond le football avec du kick-boxing (vidéo)] (in French). Gentside Sport. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "Flink battered Carcela under the knife" [Flink gehavende Carcela onder het mes] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "Recovering Carcela-Gonzalez: "Could be dead '" [Herstellende Carcela-Gonzalez: 'Had dood kunnen zijn'] (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Mehdi Carcela successful surgery" [Mehdi Carcela succesvol geopereerd] (in Dutch). De Standaard. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Spartak Moscow chasing Standard Liege's Mehdi Carcela". Goal.com. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Standard Liege says Carcela-Gonzalez to join Anzhi pending medical". RIA Novositi. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Carcela-Gonzalez: in "Spartacus" I was offered a bit more than "Anji"" [Карсела-Гонсалес: в "Спартаке" мне предлагали немного больше, чем в "Анжи"] (in Russian). Championat.com. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Popov: Carcela-Gonzalez would have gotten in "Spartacus" more than in "Anji"" [Попов: Карсела-Гонсалес не получал бы в "Спартаке" больше, чем в "Анжи"] (in Russian). Championat.com. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Carcela Gonzalez missed training "Anji" due to food poisoning" [Карсела-Гонсалес пропустил тренировку "Анжи" из-за пищевого отравления] (in Russian). Championat.com. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  25. ↑ "Bussufa and Carcela-Gonzalez returned in "Anji"" [Буссуфа и Карсела-Гонсалес вернулись в "Анжи"] (in Russian). Championat.com. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ex-Anzhi Coach Takes Swipe at Hiddink’s Team". RIA Novosti. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  27. ↑ ""Anji" willing to part with Carcela-Gonzalez" ["Анжи" готов расстаться с Карсела-Гонсалесом] (in Russian). Championat.com. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "Larini: "Udinese" not contacted "Anji" about Carcela-Gonzalez" [Ларини: "Удинезе" не связывался с "Анжи" по поводу Карсела-Гонсалеса] (in Russian). Championat.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Carcela-Gonzalez: my goal was to change the course of the game with "Amkar"" [Карсела-Гонсалес: моя задача состояла в том, чтобы поменять ход игры с "Амкаром"] (in Russian). Championat.com. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "Anzhi Smash 5 Past Dutch for Europa League Group Spot". RIA Novosti. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Carcela-Gonzalez: "Anji" - this is a step forward in my career" [Карсела-Гонсалес: "Анжи" — это шаг вперёд в моей карьере] (in Russian). Championat.com. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Tottenham and Chelsea transfer target Willian poised for bargain move as Anzhi slash budget". Daily Mirror. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  33. ↑ "Carcela-Gonzalez can go to "Standard" or "Roma"" [Карсела-Гонсалес может перейти в "Стандард" или "Рому"] (in Russian). Championat.com. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  34. ↑ ""Marseille", "Nice" and "Toulouse" interested Carcela-Gonzalez" ["Марсель", "Ницца" и "Тулуза" интересуются Карсела-Гонсалесом] (in Russian). Championat.com. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "Standard Carcela gets back from Russia" [Standard haalt Carcela terug uit Rusland] (in Dutch). Sporza Official Website. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  36. ↑ Clements, Ashley (9 December 2013). "Belgian league match reaches boiling point as Liege midfielder Carcela-Gonzalez sent off for punching opponent in the face". Mail Online. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  37. ↑ "Vuistslag komt Carcela op vier duels schorsing te staan" [Punch brings Carcela four-match ban] (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "Bone wins Menzo, Standard best in Walloon derby" [Been wint van Menzo, Standard beste in Waalse derby] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Standard Liege back on top in Belgium" [Standard Luik terug aan kop in België] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "Anderlecht again champion of Belgium" [Anderlecht opnieuw kampioen van België] (in Dutch). AD.nl. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "Official: Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez Opts To Represent Belgium At International Level". Goal.com. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  42. ↑ "Standard Liege's Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez Yet To Decide On International Future". Goal.com. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  43. ↑ "Georges Leekens: "We have done everything to be"" [Georges Leekens : "On a tout fait pour l’avoir] (in French). DHnet. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "Morocco 3-0 Niger: Atlas Lions Thrash The Mena Thanks To Mbarak Boussoufa Double". Goal.com. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Algeria 1-0 Morocco: Hassan Yebda penalty lifts Fennecs to first win". Goal.com. 27 March 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  46. ↑ "I Am Proud That I Chose Morocco – Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez". Goal.com. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  47. ↑ "Medhi Carcela gets it own sports complex in Belgium" [Mehdi Carcela krijgt eigen sportcomplex in België] (in Dutch). Bladna.nl. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.

External links