Munir El Haddadi

Munir El Haddadi Mohamed (born 1 September 1995), known simply as Munir, is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sevilla FC.

In this article, the surname is El Haddadi.
Munir
Munir playing for Sevilla in 2020
Personal information
Full name Munir El Haddadi Mohamed[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-01) 1 September 1995
Place of birth El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Sevilla
Number 11
Youth career
2007–2009 Galapagar
2009–2010 Santa Ana
2010–2011 Atlético Madrid
2010–2011 → Rayo Majadahonda (loan)
2011–2014 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Barcelona B 28 (8)
2014–2018 Barcelona 33 (5)
2016–2017 → Valencia (loan) 33 (6)
2017–2018 → Alavés (loan) 33 (10)
2019– Sevilla 44 (12)
National team‡
2014 Spain U19 4 (6)
2014–2016 Spain U21 16 (10)
2014 Spain 1 (0)
2021- Morocco 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 05:42, 25 November 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10:18, 16 June 2019 (UTC)

Munir began his career in the youth ranks of Atlético Madrid before transferring to Barcelona in 2011,[3] where he won the 2013–14 UEFA Youth League. He made his debut for the B-team in March 2014, and scored in his first match for the senior team in August of that year, at the start of a season in which they won the treble. The following year, he was one of five top scorers in the Copa del Rey, which his team won.

Munir earned his first cap for the Spain national team against Macedonia on 8 September 2014. He unsuccessfully appealed to FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport to switch allegiance to Morocco for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Munir was born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial,[4] Madrid, and grew up in nearby Galapagar on a street likened to a "Little Morocco" by El Mundo.[5] His Moroccan father,[4] Mohamed El Haddadi Arbrqui, came to Spain in a fishing boat at age 18 and is now a chef. His mother, Zaida, hails from the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla on the north coast of Africa; she is a former kitchen hand who now looks after Munir's three siblings.[5] Up to the age of 14, Munir was a fan of Real Madrid.[5]

Club career

Early career

After starting at Galapagar and DAV Santa Ana, Munir scored 32 goals in 29 matches playing for CF Rayo Majadahonda's Cadete A team, on loan from Atlético Madrid, after impressing during a trial in 2010. However, both Atlético and Real Madrid turned down the opportunity to bring him into their ranks.[6] As a result, he attracted interest from a number of sides such as Manchester City, but signed for Barcelona's youth academy the following summer.[7]

Barcelona

Munir made his UEFA Youth League debut with the Juvenil side against Ajax U19, where he scored two goals.[8] He scored braces against Milan U19 and Copenhagen U19, finishing the tournament scoring 11 goals in 10 matches. He scored a brace in the final against Benfica U19.[9] On 3 March 2014, he extended his Barça contract until June 2017.[10]

After being an unused substitute against Tenerife and Deportivo de La Coruña, Munir made his professional debut for Barcelona B on 2 March 2014 in a 1–2 away win against Mallorca in the second division, coming as a 72nd-minute substitute for Sandro.[11] He scored his first goal as a senior player in a 2–1 home win against Girona on 19 April.[12]

Rafinha, Gerard Piqué and Munir (right) warming up for Barcelona in August 2014 before the fixture against Napoli.

On 24 August 2014, Munir made his official debut for the first team in La Liga, against Elche at Camp Nou. He started the match and scored the second goal of an eventual 3–0 win before being substituted after 67 minutes for Pedro.[13] Eight days short of his 19th birthday, he became Barcelona's third-youngest goalscorer after Bojan and Lionel Messi.[6] Munir was a nominee for the 2014 Golden Boy Award.[14]

On 22 February 2015, Munir was sent off for two bookings in Barcelona B's 0–1 defeat at Llagostera,[15] as the season ended with relegation to Segunda División B.[16] He played three matches apiece in Barcelona's successful runs in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League, but was not included in the matchday squads for either final.

Munir playing for Barcelona in 2014

Munir was an unused substitute for their 5–4 win over Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup on 11 August.[17] On 2 December, he scored his first Barcelona goals since his debut, scoring two in a 6–1 win over Villanovense as Barcelona advanced by the same score on aggregate in the domestic cup.[18] On 17 December, starting due to Messi and Neymar's injuries in the semi-finals of the year's FIFA Club World Cup in Yokohama, Munir won a penalty kick when fouled by Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao's Huang Bowen, from which Luis Suárez finished his hat-trick to send Barcelona into the final, 3–0.[19] The South American duo returned for the final, which Barcelona won 3–0 against River Plate with Munir unused.[20]

On 13 January 2016, profiting from Suárez's suspension, Munir scored both goals in a cup win at city rivals Espanyol, putting Barcelona into the quarter-finals 6–1 on aggregate.[21] He was unused for the final, a 2–0 extra-time win over Sevilla on 22 May, but with five goals was one of as many players to finish as the tournament's top scorer, among them Messi and Suárez.[22]

On 14 August 2016, Munir came on as substitute on the 76th-minute and scored to double Barcelona's lead over Sevilla in the 2016 Supercopa de España first leg to give Barcelona a lead of two goals in the second leg.[23]

Loan to Valencia

On 30 August 2016, Munir moved to fellow La Liga club Valencia on a season-long loan.[24] He was handed the number 9 previously worn by Paco Alcácer, who had moved in the opposite direction.[25] Munir made his debut on 11 September, replacing Santi Mina after 63 minutes of a home game against Real Betis, and his rebounded header was scored by Ezequiel Garay in a 2–3 defeat.[26] On 22 October, he scored his first goal for Los Che, coming on at half-time for Martín Montoya and equalising at the Mestalla against his parent club in a loss by the same score.[27]

Loan to Alavés

On 1 September 2017, Munir joined Deportivo Alavés on a season-long loan deal.[28] He made his debut nine days later in a 1–0 loss at Celta de Vigo, replacing Enzo for the final 33 minutes.[29] On 30 September he scored his first goal for the Basques, opening a 2–1 win at UD Levante.[30] In the reverse fixture the following 1 March, he was sent off for diving in a 1–0 win at the Mendizorrotza Stadium.[31]

Sevilla

Munir was offered the chance to renew his contract with Barcelona before its expiration in the summer, but refused to do so. Barcelona assured him that he would not play for the club again and has been favored to be sold by Coach Ernesto Valverde, saying "it would be for the best". Several clubs from England and Italy were interested in the forward, but, in January 2019, Sevilla was able to claim him for a fee of around €1 million. The transfer was able to be completed before the transfer windows closed in January, rather than during the summer.[32][33]

On 13 January, Munir made his Sevilla debut in a 2–0 loss at Athletic Bilbao, replacing Roque Mesa for the final 12 minutes.[34] He scored his first goals in March, one in each leg of a Europa League last-16 tie against SK Slavia Prague, who nonetheless won 6–5 on aggregate,[35] and finished the league season with five goals in 16 games including in a 2–0 win against Athletic on the final day to qualify for the continental tournament again.[36]

Munir scored a hat-trick on 7 November 2019 in a 5–2 Europa League group win at F91 Dudelange, which put his team through to the last 32 and bought his tally in the competition to five.[37]

On 24 November 2020, Munir scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–1 away win over Krasnodar in the 2020–21 season, that goal came in the stoppage time to grant his team a place in the knockout stages.[38]

International career

Munir was born and raised in Spain, the son of a Moroccan father, and was eligible to represent either nation internationally. It was rumoured Qatar had offered Munir a financial deal to take that country's nationality and represent the nation, which is set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[5]

On 29 August 2014, Munir was called up for the first time as one of 21 players for Albert Celades' Spain under-21 team to face Hungary and Austria in September.[39] However, after an injury to Diego Costa, Vicente del Bosque called Munir up to the senior squad for the first time ahead of a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Macedonia on 8 September.[40] He made his debut in that match, replacing Koke for the final 13 minutes of a 5–1 victory at the Estadi Ciutat de València.[41] He said after the match he never considered playing for Morocco.[42]

In June 2017, it was reported Munir and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) had contacted FIFA to change his allegiance to the Atlas Lions. However, a FIFA spokesman denied any contact and said the player was ineligible for a switch.[43] On Munir and the FRMF's request, the Court of Arbitration for Sport began debating FIFA's rules on switching allegiances in April 2018.[44] His appeal to represent Morocco was denied on 14 May.[45]

On 1 October 2020, following a rule change by FIFA that allowed a player to change their national team provided they made three or less appearances in qualifiers before the age of 21, Munir once again attempted to switch from Spain to Morocco and was called up to their national team.[46] Nevertheless, this switch was also rejected by FIFA, on the grounds that Munir played for the Spanish under-21 team in September 2016, after turning 21.[47] On 28 January 2021, FIFA published the eligibility requirements for national teams, and Munir received the green light to represent Morocco, as he played once for Spain before he turned 21.[48]

Style of play

As a child, Munir idolised Messi and Moroccan international Adel Taarabt.[49] A report from FourFourTwo magazine noted his composure on the ball, tricks, speed and highlighted his finishing ability and set-pieces; his ability with his weaker right foot was criticised.[49]

After his goalscoring debut, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique praised Munir as a player whose effort in training matches that on the pitch, but warned against getting carried away with his performance.[49]

Career statistics

Club
As of 24 November 2020[50]
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 2013–14 Segunda División 114—114
2014–15 174—174
Total 288—288
Barcelona 2014–15 La Liga 101303[lower-alpha 1]0—161
2015–16 153554[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]0268
2016–17 1000002[lower-alpha 3]131
2018–19 71212[lower-alpha 1]000112
Total 33510690415612
Valencia (loan) 2016–17 La Liga 33631—367
Alavés (loan) 2017–18 331044—3714
Sevilla 2018–19 165103[lower-alpha 4]200207
2019–20 215209[lower-alpha 4]5—3210
2020–21 72003[lower-alpha 1]100103
Total 441230158006220
Career total 1714120112484122060
  1. All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. One appearance in Supercopa de España and one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  3. All appearances in Supercopa de España
  4. All appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 16 June 2019[51]
Spain
YearAppsGoals
201410
Total10

Honours

Club
Munir (second from right) wearing his UEFA Super Cup medal, 2015

Barcelona Youth

Barcelona[50]

Sevilla

Individual

References
  1. "Acta del Partido celebrado el 24 de noviembre de 2018, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 24 November 2018, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  2. "Munir El Haddadi". Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. "Barcelona sign 15year child future star". Ahram. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  4. "El Haddadi promise excites Barcelona". UEFA. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  5. Mucha, Martín (31 August 2014). "El padre de Munir, la esperanza musulmana del Barça: 'Llegué en patera'" [The father of Munir, Barça's Muslim hope: 'I arrived in a small boat']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  6. "Munir tripping the light fantastic". FIFA. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  7. "Five facts about Arsenal linked Munir El Haddadi". Hereisthecity. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  8. "Barcelona 4 Ajax 1". UEFA. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  9. "Munir El Habbadi". UEFA. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  10. "Munir El Haddadi extended his contract with Barcelona". Starafrica. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  11. "RCD Mallorca vs Barcelona B". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  12. "Barcelona B vs Girona FC". Marca. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  13. Cryer, Andy (24 August 2014). "Barcelona 3–0 Elche". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  14. Richards, Alex (28 October 2014). "England pair Raheem Sterling and Calum Chambers join Adnan Januzaj in Golden Boy award nominations". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  15. "El Llagostera hunde al Barça B, con el viento como protagonista" [Llagostera sink Barça B, with the wind as the protagonist] (in Spanish). Marca. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  16. Güell, Robert (31 May 2015). "FC Barcelona B fall to Leganés, and down to the Second Division B, 5–2". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  17. "Barcelona 5–4 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  18. "Night for Barcelona youth as Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi star – in pictures". The National. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  19. "Barcelona 3–0 Guangzhou Evergrande". 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  20. Begley, Emlyn (20 December 2015). "River Plate 0–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  21. "Espanyol 0–2 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  22. "Guidetti acaba como pichichi de la Copa del Rey" [Guidetti finishes as Copa del Rey Pichichi] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  23. "Suarez & Munir give Barcelona advantage" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  24. "Agreement with Valencia for Munir loan". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  25. "VCF Official Statement | Munir". Valencia CF. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  26. "Munir El Haddadi's fine Valencia debut spoiled by Castro". Sport. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  27. "Valencia 2–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  28. "Munir, calidad y goles para el ataque alavesista" [Munir, quality and goals for the alavesista attack] (in Spanish). Deportivo Alavés. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  29. "Gracias a 'Maxi Gol'" [Thanks to 'Maxi Goal']. Marca (in Spanish). 10 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  30. "El efecto De Biasi asalta Orriols y saca los colores al Levante" [The De Biasi effect assaults Orriols and embarrasses Levante]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 30 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  31. "El epic fail que protagonizó Munir tras su expulsión frente al Levante". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 March 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  32. Marsden, Sam. "Sevilla sign Barcelona striker Munir El Haddadi at cut-price fee". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  33. "Barcelona and Sevilla agree €1m Munir transfer". Goal. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  34. Herrán, Alfonso (13 January 2019). "Williams desencadenado" [Williams unchained] (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  35. "Slavia Prague 4–3 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  36. "Valencia clinch Champions League spot, Getafe in Europa League". Reuters. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  37. "Munir and Dabbur seal Sevilla's place in Europa League knockout rounds". Marca. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  38. "Krasnodar 1–2 Sevilla". UEFA. 24 November 2020.
  39. "OFFICIAL: Call up list for the matches against Hungary and Austria". RFEF. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  40. "Costa ruled out of Spain squad, Munir is replacement". Goal.com. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  41. "Morocco lose appeal to recruit Spain's Munir". ESPN.com. 14 May 2018.
  42. Corrigan, Dermot (8 September 2014). "Spain forward Munir El-Haddadi never considered playing for Morocco". ESPN FC. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  43. "FIFA denies clearing Munir El Haddadi to change allegiance to Morocco". ESPN. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  44. "Munir El Haddadi: Barcelona forward challenges Fifa ruling on eligibility". BBC Sport. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  45. "Munir: CAS rejects attempt to play for Morocco at World Cup". AS. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  46. "Munir El Haddadi and Morocco take advantage of Fifa rule change". BBC Sport. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  47. Dunbar, Graham (8 October 2020). "FIFA rejects El Haddadi bid to switch to Morocco from Spain". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  48. "Munir El-Haddadi peut enfin jouer avec le Maroc". besoccer.com (in French). 28 January 2021.
  49. Yu, Cronan (31 August 2014). "What you need to know about Barca's Munir El Haddad". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  50. Munir El Haddadi at Soccerway
  51. "Munir El Haddadi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  52. "First Youth League title goes Barcelona's way". UEFA.com. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  53. "Copa del Rey Top Scorer: 2015–16". World Football. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  54. "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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