Marouane Fellaini
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Everton | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:07, 30 October 2008 (UTC) | |||
Marouane Fellaini (b. 22 November 1987 in Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian footballer currently playing for Everton in the English Premier League. He is a central "box to box" style midfielder.[1]
Career
In Belgium
Fellaini began playing football at the age of seven for Anderlecht. In his first season at Anderlecht's Academy he scored 26 goals and in his second he scored 37. He was at the club's academy until the age of ten when he joined Mons. Three years later he joined R. Francs Borains. He then left the club and was signed by Sporting Charleroi. At the age of seventeen he signed his first full-time contract with Standard Liège. Between 2006 and 2008 he made 84 appearances for the club, scoring 11 times.[1] He is known for his heading ability and stamina, which made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Belgian First Division and resulted in him winning the Ebony Shoe in 2008,[2] an award given to the best player of the season of African descent.
In England
Following reported interest from Aston Villa,[3] Real Madrid, Tottenham and Bayern Munich,[4] Fellaini signed for Everton in September 2008 on a five year deal from Standard Liège for a £15 million transfer fee (a record for a Belgian player and a club record for Everton).[5] He made his Everton debut in a 3–2 away victory at Stoke City on 14 September 2008,[6] and scored his first goal for the team against Newcastle United in a 2-2 home draw on 5 October 2008.[7] Fellaini's next goal came in a 1-0 victory over Bolton, in which he scored an injury time winner, then he followed up that performance by grabbing the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. He also scored the first goal in a 2-0 victory over Hull City. Due to his performances and his hairstyle, Fellaini has become something of a cult hero at Everton.
International career
Fellaini was eligible to play for Belgium or Morocco or The Ivory Coast, but chose to represent the country of his birth.
International goals
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-03-24 | Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels |  Portugal |
1-1 | 1-2 | 2008 Euro Qualifying |
| 2 | 2008-10-11 | Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels |  Armenia |
2-0 | 2-0 | 2010 World Cup Qualifying |
Personal Life
Fellaini was born to Moroccan parents from Tangier and brought up in Brussels. His father, Abdellatif, was a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir and who had signed for Racing Mechelen but was not able to play due to the Moroccan club refusing to release his paperwork. Instead of returning home, he opted to become a bus driver for STIB.[8] Fellaini is bilingual in Arabic and French.[citation needed]
Statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Standard Liege | 2006–07 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| 2007–08 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 6 | |
| Everton | 2008–09 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| Total | |||||||||||
Honours
Standard Liège
Winner
- Belgian First Division - 2007–08
- Belgian Ebony Shoe - 2008
References
- ^ a b "Players: Squad Profiles: Marouane Fellaini". www.evertonfc.com. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "Ebbenhouten Schoen voor Marouane Fellaini". www.hln.be. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-09-02. Template:Nl icon
- ^ Aston Villa weigh up move for Standard Liege star Marouane Fellaini Daily Mirror, 29 August 2008
- ^ Premier League - Toffees' Fellaini bid comes unstuck Eurosport, 25 March 2008
- ^ Marouane Fellaini signs for Everton Everton FC, 2 September 2008
- ^ Marouane Fellaini at Soccerbase
- ^ Barder, Russell (2008-10-05). "Everton 2-2 Newcastle". BBC Sport Online. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ^ Marouane Fellaini prêt pour le top 10 européen? Bladi, 26 March 2008 Template:Fr icon
External links
- Marouane Fellaini at Soccerbase
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