Tahar El Khalej
Tahar El Khalej| Personal information |
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| Full name | Tahar El Khalej |
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| Date of birth | (1968-06-16) 16 June 1968 |
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| Place of birth | Marrakech, Morocco |
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| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
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| Playing position | Defender / Midfielder |
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| Senior career* |
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| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
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| 1990–1994 | Kawkab Marrakech | ? | (?) |
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| 1994–1997 | UD Leiria | 43 | (8) |
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| 1997–2000 | Benfica | 72 | (10) |
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| 2000–2003 | Southampton | 58 | (3) |
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| 2003 | Charlton Athletic | 3 | (0) |
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| Total | | 176 | (21) |
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| National team |
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| 1990–2001 | Morocco | 49 | (2) |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
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Tahar El Khalej (pronounced Taher Lakhlej Arabic: الطاهر الخلج) (born 16 June 1968) is a Moroccan former footballer.
Club career
Born in Marrakech, El-Khalej played for several clubs, including UD Leiria and Benfica in Portugal, and for Southampton and Charlton Athletic in England.
He joined Southampton for £350,000 in March 2000 as Glenn Hoddle's first signing for his new club, although the deal had already been arranged by Dave Jones. He scored on his debut in a 7–2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on 11 March 2000. He faced stiff competition as a central defender from Claus Lundekvam and Dean Richards, and was later employed in a midfield role. In all he made 65 appearances for the Saints, scoring four goals.[1]
One of his more notable moments was a reckless lunge on Kieron Dyer, where he earned a straight red card. Dyer was injured for months afterwards and threatened Tahar with legal action if Dyer had missed the 2002 World Cup.
In January 2003, el-Khalej moved to Charlton Athletic, before returning to Morocco at the end of the 2002–03 season.
International career
He played for the Morocco national football team and was a participant at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[2]
Retirement
El Khalej was the president of Kawkab Marrakech in 2005–06 when they played in the Moroccan 2nd division, achieving promotion to the Moroccan first division before he left the club.
Personal life
He is married with two sons, Yassine and Ahmed.[3]
References
External links
