Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 31 December 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Hoboken, Belgium | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Right-winger, right-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Genk | ||
Number | 77 | ||
Youth career | |||
2011–2013 | Beerschot VAC | ||
2013–2018 | Zulte Waregem | ||
2018–2019 | Manchester IFA | ||
2019–2020 | K. Berchem Sport | ||
2020–2021 | K. Rupel Boom | ||
2021 | RWD Molenbeek | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2021–2023 | RWD Molenbeek | 55 | (8) |
2023– | Genk | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2023– | Morocco U23 | 8 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 August 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 July 2023 |
Zakaria El Ouahdi (born 31 December 2001) is a professional footballer who plays for Belgian club Genk. He plays as a right-winger or a right-back. Born in Belgium, he represents Morocco at youth level.
El Ouahdi was born in Hoboken in the Antwerp Province in a family of eight children. His parents are of Moroccan descent.[1]
In June 2021, El Ouadhi joined the under-21 side of RWD Molenbeek.[2] After good performances, El Ouadhi was regularly invited to train with the first team, and was awarded his first professional contract on 9 September 2021.[3]
On 14 August 2021, he made his professional debut in Challenger Pro League in RWD Molenbeek's 3–1 victory against Royal Excel Mouscron.[4] On 3 October, he scored his first goal in professional, awarding a 2-1 win for his club against Deinze.[5]
On 12 March 2023, El Ouadhi scored his first career hattrick against Club NXT, offering an important 3-2 win for RWD Molenbeek for their fight for promotion.[6][7] He terminated the 2022-23 season by winning the league with RWD Molenbeek and gained a promotion to the Jupiler Pro League.[8][9] El Ouadhi named was as Molenbeek's player of the season and figured in the league's best XI of the season.[10]
On 5 September 2023, El Ouahdi signed for Genk on an initial three-year deal with the option for a further twelve months.[11]
Holding both Belgian and Moroccan citizenship, El Ouadhi chose to represent Morocco in international level. On 9 June 2023, he was called up by coach Issame Charaï in Morocco U-23 squad for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.[12] El Ouadhi appeared in four out of five matches during the tournament, and scored one goal against Mali U-23 in the semi-final match.[13] Morocco U-23 won the tournament as El Ouadhi figured in the competition's team of the tournament as the best right-back.[14][15]
RWD Molenbeek
Morocco U-23
Individual