Abdelilah Hafidi (born 30 January 1992) is a Moroccan professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

for

Raja CA Raja Club Athletic ( ar, نادي الرجاء الرياضي, Nādī ar-Rajāʾ ar-Riyāḍī, zgh, ⴰⵙⵔⵉⵔ ⵏ ⵕⴰⵊⴰ ⴰⵎⴰⵏⵓⵏ), commonly referred to as Raja CA, Raja Casablanca or simply RCA is a professional footb ...

and the Morocco national team. He started his professional career playing for

Career

Club

During the

2011–12 Botola The 2011–12 Botola is the 55th season of the Moroccan Top League, but the 1st under its new format of Moroccan Pro League. It began on Friday 19 August 2011 with Maghreb Fez beating Hassania Agadir 2–0. Raja Casablanca are the holders of t ...

season, Hafidi was one of a few Raja CA B players who were called up to the first team as part of the team's board members plan, which sought to solve the team's financial difficulties by giving the chance to its young players to integrate into the first team. Hafidi made 11 appearances during that season. However, he did not play for most of the season, but still managed to score 3 goals in the

Botola The Botola Pro ( ar, البطولة الاحترافية, translit=al-buṭūla l-iḥtirāfiyya), is a Moroccan professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Moroccan football league system, it is the country's prima ...

; 2 goals against

Chabab Massira Jeunesse Sportive d'El Massira ( ar, نادي شباب المسيرة) is a football club based in Laâyoune, Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Afric ...

(4–1) and 1 goal against

KAC Kenitra KAC or Kac may refer to: Organizations * Kenitra Athletic Club, a football club in Kenitra, Morocco * Knight's Armament Company, US * Korea Airports Corporation * Kosciusko Alpine Club, an Australian ski club People * Eduardo Kac (born 1960), ...

(5–2). Raja ended a disappointing 2011–12 season as fourth in the ranking of the

, which secured them a place in the

Arab Champions League The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by eli ...

. During the 2012–13 pre-season transfer window, Raja CA's new president, Mohamed Boudrika, signed the Moroccan coach,

Mohamed Fakhir Mohamed Fakhir (born 19 October 1953) is a Moroccan football manager and former player. He was manager of the Morocco national team, and was coach of Raja Casablanca Raja Club Athletic ( ar, نادي الرجاء الرياضي, Nādī ...

. The latter made some meaningful changes to the team's squad. However, Hafidi was not released as Fakhir was convinced that the young player has a substantial individual talent. As a result, Hafidi imposed himself as an indispensable player in the team, despite his young age. Furthermore, he played an important role in the front line of the team, during all 5 matches of the Moroccan Cup

Coupe du Trône The Moroccan Throne Cup or the Throne Cup is a football tournament sponsored by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and brings together Moroccan clubs who play on the knockout system until two teams reach the final match. Unlike the league cha ...

, by scoring 3 goals in 3 consecutive matches, against

Hassania Agadir Hassania Union Sport d'Agadir ( ar, الحسنية الاتحاد الرياضي لأكادير, translit=al-ḥasaniyya al-ittiḥād ar-riyāḍiyy li-ʾagādīr, zgh, ⵍⵃⴰⵙⴰⵏⵢⵢⴰ ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵏⵏⵓⵏⵜ � ...

(2–1), KACM (0–1) and

Wydad Casablanca Wydad Athletic Club ( ar, نادي الوداد الرياضي, ) commonly referred to as Wydad AC and known as Wydad, or simply as WAC, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that ...

(1–3). Consequently, Raja won the Cup for the seventh time in its history, after beating AS FAR in the final, by penalty shoot-outs (4–5), following a score of (0–0) in the match. Hafidi's performances drew more attention during the 2012–13 season. He scored 6 goals in the

2012–13 Botola The 2012–13 Botola is the 56th season of the Moroccan Top League, but the 2nd under its new format of Moroccan Pro League. It began on 14 September 2012 with KAC Kénitra beating COD Meknès 2–1 in their away match and ended on 2 June 2013 wh ...

, 2 goals in the

and 3 goals in the Throne Cup, and won his first trophies, the 2012 Throne Cup and the 2012–13 Botola. The latter qualified Raja directly to the

2013 FIFA Club World Cup The 2013 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the 10th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between t ...

, as Morocco was the host country of that year's tournament. These were the beginning of a total of 8 titles he won with Raja. He won his third after a draw with Libyan side Al-Hilal SC to win the 2015 UNAF Cup. In 2017, Raja defeated

Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi ( ar, الدفاع الحسني الجديدي) is a Moroccan football club based in El Jadida. They are currently playing in the Botola. Home stadium DHJ play their home games at the Stade El Abdi. Crest Image:Difa ...

to earn the 2017 Moroccan Throne Cup. He won the

2018 CAF Confederation Cup The 2018 CAF Confederation Cup (officially the 2018 Total CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th edition of Africa's secondary club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), under the cur ...

after defeating

AS Vita Club Association Sportive Vita Club, more commonly known as AS Vita Club, AS V. Club or simply Vita Club, is a Congolese football club based in Kinshasa. History AS Vita Club was founded in 1935 by Honoré Essabe under the name of ''Renaissance'' in ...

in the final, which guaranteed them a spot in the

2019 CAF Super Cup The 2019 CAF Super Cup (officially the 2019 Total CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 27th CAF Super Cup, an annual football match in Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), between the winners of the previous s ...

that Raja will win after a 2–1 victory over

Espérance Sportive de Tunis (; ar, الترجي الرياضي التونسي, Attarajī ar-Riyāḍi Attūnisī, link=yes), also known as ''ES Tunis'' and , is a Tunisian sports club based in Bab Souika neighbourhood of Tunis, Tunisia. The club was founded in 1919, thu ...

Thani bin Jassim Stadium The Thani bin Jassim Stadium (), also known as the Al-Gharrafa Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Al Gharrafa district of Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for football matches. Al-Gharrafa SC and Umm Salal SC play there. The stad ...

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

. In

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, He won his second Botola title and the 2020 Arab Champions League after defeating

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad (Arabic: الاتحاد "The Union"), sometimes transliterated as Al-Etihad or Al-Ettihad may refer to: Sports Football Libya *Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli), a football club based in Bab Ben Gashier * Al Ittihad Gheryan, a football club bas ...

4–3 in penalties. In 2021, he achieved the 2021 CAF Confederation Cup after defeating

JS Kabylie Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (in ar, شبيبة القبائل), (Kabyle language, Kabyle: Ilemẓiyen inaddalen n leqbayel, Berber languages, In Tamazight: ⵉⵍⵎⵣⵢⵏ ⵉⵏⴰⴷⴰⵍⴻⵏ ⵏ ⵍⵇⵠⴰⵢⵍ), known as JS Kabyli ...

2–1 in the final. Raja lost the 2021 CAF Super Cup against

Al Ahly SC AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

in penalties. On January 13, 2022, Raja CA announced Hafidi's departure to Al-Hazm F.C. Established himself as one of the best Moroccan players of his generationn he said goodbye after spending more than ten years with the club, winning 9 trophies and scoring 68 goals and 75 assists in 316 games. On January 29, 2023, Abdelilah Hafidi returns to Raja and signs a six-month renewable contract after leaving Al Hazm.

International

He made his debut for Morocco in the

2013 Africa Cup of Nations The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 for sponsorship reasons, held from 19 January to 10 February 2013, was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized ...

group stage game against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, scored one in an eventual 2–2 draw that saw Morocco eliminated after three draws. Hafidi represented Morocco in the

2018 African Nations Championship The 2018 African Nations Championship, known as the Total African Nations Championship (also referred to as CHAN 2018) was the 5th edition of the African Nations Championship, a biennial football tournament organized by the Confederation of Afric ...

, helping his country to achieve the first chan title for Morocco after defeating

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

4–0 in the final. He also took part in the

2020 African Nations Championship The 2020 African Nations Championship, known as the Total African Nations Championship (also referred to as CHAN 2020) was the 6th edition of the African Nations Championship, a biennial football tournament organized by the Confederation of Afr ...

, helping his country to achieve the title and becoming the first and only country to win the Championship back to back after defeating

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

2–0 in the final.

Career statistics

:''Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

Raja CA *

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...

runner-up: 2013 *

: 2013, 2020 *

: 2012, 2017 runner-up: 2013 *

North African Cup of Champions The North African Cup of Champions was a tournament designed by the Union of North African Football (UNAF) that puts together the winners of the domestic leagues around North Africa. The tournament contains representatives from Algeria, Libya, Mo ...

: 2015 *

: 2020 *

CAF Confederation Cup The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and organi ...

: 2018, 2021 *

CAF Super Cup The CAF Super Cup (also known as African Super Cup or for sponsorship reasons TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup) is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation ...

: 2019 Morocco *

African Nations Championship The African Nations Championship (french: Championnat d'Afrique des Nations; abbreviated as CHAN), known as the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship for sponsorship purposes, is a biennial African national association football tourname ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Individual

* Botola Rookie of the Year: 2011–12 * Botola Player of the Year: 2018–19 * Botola Top assists: 2016–17 * Raja CA top goalscorer: 2014-15, 2015-16 * Raja CA top assists: 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 * Raja CA Player of the Month: October 2020 *

CHAN Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

top assists:

References

1992 births Living people People from Boujad Men's association football wingers Moroccan men's footballers Moroccan expatriate men's footballers Morocco men's international footballers Raja CA players Al-Hazem F.C. players Botola players Saudi Pro League players Saudi First Division League players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Morocco men's A' international footballers 2016 African Nations Championship players 2018 African Nations Championship players 2020 African Nations Championship players {{Morocco-footy-bio-stub