Hannibal Mejbri

Hannibal Mejbri (born 21 January 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United.[1]

Hannibal Mejbri
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-01-21) 21 January 2003
Place of birth Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 46
Youth career
Years Team
2009–2017 Paris FC
0000–2018 INF Clairefontaine
2017–2018 A.C.B.B.
2018–2019 AS Monaco
2019– Manchester United
National team‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 France U16 12 (1)
2019 France U17 3 (2)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:02, 30 June 2020 (UTC)

Early life

Mejbri was born in Ivry-sur-Seine, France,[2] and joined Paris FC in 2009.[3] In 2016, it was reported that he was being scouted by a host of English clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, the latter of which had spent time on trial with.[4] He spent time studying at the prestigious INF Clairefontaine academy.[5]

Club career

Despite the interest from English clubs, Mejbri had a short spell with Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt, before joining AS Monaco in 2018 for a fee of €1 million.[5] Despite initially being impressed by Monaco's youth development,[5] Mejbri became disillusioned by the Monégasque club within a year of signing, with his parents claiming that the Ligue 1 side had breached contract agreements.[6] In 2019, he was being tracked by clubs across Europe, including German, French and Spanish champions, Bayern Munich,[6] Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.[7][8] On 11 August 2019, Premier League side Manchester United announced on their website that they had reached an agreement with Monaco to sign Mejbri, with the youngster reportedly rejecting moves to other English clubs.[9] The fee paid by the Manchester club was believed to be around €5 million, possibly rising to €10 million in add-ons.[6][10][11][12][13]

Mejbri settled quickly into Manchester United's youth teams, progressing to the under-23 squad, despite still being 17.[14][15] He is tipped to become a first-team player at Manchester United.[16][17] Mejbri made his senior debut playing for the Manchester United U21 side against Salford City in the 2020–21 EFL Trophy on 9 September 2020.[18]

International career

Mejbri has represented France at under-16 and under-17 level.[3] He is also eligible to represent Tunisia through his parents,[6][16][19] with his father, Lofti, reportedly having played in Tunisia.[11]

Playing style

A composed midfielder on the ball, head of first-team development at Manchester United, Nicky Butt, compared Mejbri to his former teammates David Beckham and Roy Keane for his leadership skills. Coach Neil Ryan has also praised Mejbri, stating he has high hopes for the young playmaker. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has likened Mejbri’s tenacity to fellow Norwegian Jonny Hansen.[20]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 18 November 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United U21 2020–21[21] ————3[lower-alpha 1]131
Manchester United 2020–21[21] Premier League 00000000—00
Career total 000000003131
  1. Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy

References
  1. "Profile". manutd.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. "Profile". asmonaco.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. "Profile". fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. "Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal ALL tracking former Gunners trialist Hannibal Mejbri". talksport.com. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. Pruneta, Laurent (9 June 2018). "Hannibal Mejbri : "J'ai appris à vivre avec de la jalousie autour de moi"" [Hannibal Mejbri: "I learned to live with jealousy around me"]. leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. Duncker, Charlotte (11 August 2019). "Who is Hannibal Mejbri? Profile of Manchester United new signing". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  7. Jones, Matt (11 August 2019). "Manchester United Confirm Signing of Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  8. "Manchester United confident of signing Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco". skysports.com. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  9. Marshall, Adam (11 August 2019). "United accounce new academy deals". manutd.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. Gott, Tom (12 August 2019). "Hannibal Mejbri: 6 Things to Know About Manchester United's Latest Wonderkid". 90min.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  11. "Who is Hannibal Mejbri? Man Utd's new 16-year-old signing from AS Monaco". standard.co.uk. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  12. Duncker, Charlotte (26 March 2020). "Hannibal Mejbri: Man Utd's €10m teenage midfield maestro". goal.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  13. Hannibal Mejbri has terminated his contract with AS Monaco, getfootballnewsfrance.com, 24 june 2019 : "The family of Hannibal Mejbri and his lawyer Nadia Zrari announced this Friday evening their decision to “unilaterally terminate the contracts” linking them to AS Monaco."
  14. Dawson, Rob (18 April 2020). "Forget 'Sideshow Bob' sneers, Manchester United's Mejbri wants last laugh". espn.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  15. "Hannibal Mejbri – why Manchester United fans are so excited". thepeoplesperson.com. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  16. Menon, Sreehari (4 April 2020). "Who Is Hannibal Mejbri? New Manchester United Wonderkid Backed For First-team Action". republicworld.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  17. Otway, Jack (6 April 2020). "Man Utd ace Hannibal Mejbri tipped to break into first team - 'He is on the right path'". express.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  18. Plant, Michael (9 September 2020). "Manchester United Under-21s hit six at Salford". manutd.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  19. Critchley, Mark (6 February 2020). "Why Manchester United wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri deserves your attention". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  20. Otway, Jack (30 June 2020). "Man Utd have the next David Beckham and Roy Keane ready to shine after Angel Gomes exit". express.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  21. "Games played by Hannibal Mejbri in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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