Medhi Amine El Mouttaqi BenatiaThough the traditional Arabic spelling is "Mehdi", he spells his name "Medhi". See, for example
his Twitter account
an
Juventus
. ( ar, المهدي أمين بن عطية المتقي; ; born 17 April 1987) is a former 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, rugb ...

who played as a centre back. Well known for his tenures throughout France, Italy, and Germany; Benatia represented

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

at the international level, for whom he made 66 international appearances, and most notably captained them to their first World Cup in 20 years. Benatia began his career at

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, spending his time loaned out to

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

and Lorient before joining Clermont in 2008. Two years later he joined Udinese, spending three seasons there before transferring to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

. After helping them finish as

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

runners-up in his only campaign there, he was signed by Bayern Munich for €26 million, winning the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footb ...

in both of his seasons. In 2016 he moved to

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...

, initially on loan, and was later signed permanently by the club in 2017. Born and raised in France, Benatia initially represented his birth nation at under-18 level. He then chose to represent his father's Morocco at under-20 level, making his senior international debut in 2008. Benatia represented Morocco at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

. In 2019, Benatia announced his retirement from international football, having earned 66 caps.

Early life

Benatia was born in

Courcouronnes Courcouronnes () is a former commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Évry-Courcouronnes. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Évry Ville Nouvelle, crea ...

, France, to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother.

Club career

Marseille

Benatia joined

in 2003, and signed his first professional contract with them two years later. After loan spells at

and Lorient, he left for Ligue 2 club Clermont on 1 July 2008 on a free transfer.

Udinese

On 1 July 2010, Benatia signed for

club Udinese Calcio, again on a free transfer. He made 80 league appearances for Udinese, scoring six goals.

Roma

On 13 July 2013, Benatia signed for

on a five-year contract in a €13.5 million transfer, with Nico López and

Valerio Verre Valerio Verre (born 11 January 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Sampdoria. Club career Roma, Genoa & Siena As a graduate of reserve team, Verre signed a five-year contract in May 2012. On 3 ...

going the other way on co-ownership as part of the same deal. On 26 September, Benatia scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory against Sampdoria. After further goals against

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...

. and

Chievo Verona Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona, commonly referred to as ChievoVerona or simply Chievo , is a former professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 4,500 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a ...

in the second half of the season, he ended the season with five goals from 33 games.

Bayern Munich

On 27 August 2014, Bayern Munich announced that they had signed Benatia on a five-year deal for a fee of €26 million. Bayern Munich beat Manchester City, Chelsea,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and Real Madrid, who were said to be also interested in signing him. He admitted he was disappointed to leave Roma but was told he had to go because the club needed the money. Upon hearing this, Roma President

James Pallotta James Joseph Pallotta (born March 13, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman. In 2009, he founded Raptor Group, a private investment company. Prior to forming Raptor, Pallotta was vice chairman at Tudor Investment Corporation. He was co-o ...

was furious and responded by saying he was sold for being a "poisonous liar". On 17 September 2014, Benatia made his official debut for Bayern in a 1–0 home win against Manchester City, for the opening match of the

2014–15 UEFA Champions League The 2014–15 UEFA Champions League was the 60th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 23rd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. The final was pl ...

season, where he played for 85 minutes, completing 93% of his passes. In the return match at Manchester City, he was sent off in the 20th minute for denying

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest play ...

a clear goalscoring opportunity; the subsequent penalty was converted by Agüero and City went on to win 3–2. Benatia scored his first goal for Bayern on 13 December, opening the scoring in a 4–0 win at

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded ...

with a header; this result put his club 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table. On 12 May 2015, Benatia scored his first Champions League goal, heading Bayern into the lead in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona; although his team won 3–2, they were eliminated 5–3 on aggregate. He started the 2015–16 season in the German Super Cup, which Bayern lost in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw at VfL Wolfsburg. On 14 August, he headed Xabi Alonso's free kick for the first goal of the new Bundesliga season in a 5–0 thrashing of Hamburger SV.

Juventus

Icc-16 43826041182 o (50121710307) - Medhi Benatia (cropped)

On 15 July 2016, Italian champions

signed Benatia on a season-long loan for €3 million, with an option to buy for an extra €17 million at the end of season. He made his club debut on 27 August, in a 1–0 away win over

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. On 10 March 2017, Benatia scored his first goal for Juventus in a 2–1 win over A.C. Milan in Serie A, at the Juventus Stadium. On 12 May, Juventus exercised the option to permanently sign Benatia until 2020. In May 2017, Benatia walked out of an interview with television channel RAI Due when he heard racist abuse towards him in his earpiece. The company apologised. On 11 April 2018, Juventus were leading 3–0 away to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a score that would have taken the game to extra time as Juventus lost the first leg at home 3–0. Referee Michael Oliver awarded a 93rd minute injury time penalty to Real Madrid after Benatia challenged Lucas Vázquez in the box; the penalty was subsequently converted by

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pl ...

for a final 4–3 aggregate loss. Benatia said after the game that Oliver's call made him "more and more disgusted by the world of football". On 9 May, he scored twice in Juventus's 4–0 victory over Milan in the 2018 Coppa Italia Final, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Al-Duhail

After making only five Serie A appearances during the first half of the 2018–19 season, in January 2019, it was reported that Benatia had completed a move to Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail. On 28 January, Juventus announced the transfer fee, which was €8 million plus a maximum of €2 million in bonuses. He made his debut for Al-Duhail on 16 February, in a 1–0 home win over Al Sailiya in the Qatar Stars League.

Fatih Karagümrük

In the summer of 2021, he moved to

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

club Fatih Karagümrük. He made six league appearances before retiring from professional football on 9 December 2021.

International career

Morocco vs Algeria, June 04 2011-5 - Medhi Benatia (cropped)

Benatia made his international debut for

on 19 November 2008 in a 3–0 friendly win over Zambia at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca. He scored his first goal for them on 4 June 2011, opening a 4–0 win over rivals

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

at the

Stade de Marrakech Marrakesh Stadium ( ar, ملعب مراكش, Berber: Annar n Mrraksh) is a multi-use stadium in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was designed by Gregotti Associati International. Completed in January 2012, it is used mostly for football matches with the c ...

, in qualification for the

2012 Africa Cup of Nations The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football ...

. He was part of their squad at the final tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and played in their first two matches of an eventual group stage exit, defeats to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

. Benatia was Morocco's captain at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and played every minute until the 1–0 elimination by

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

in the quarter-finals. In March that year, he dropped himself from the national team until he became a regular for Juventus, stating "I think it’s unfair to come and play for the national team when I lack competitive football and take the place of someone who is in a better position". On 11 November, he scored in a 2–0 win away to the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

that qualified the ''Atlas Lions'' to the

, their first such tournament for 20 years. He called it "the most beautiful moment of my career". Benatia retired from international duty in October 2019, having also played at the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Style of play

A tall, large, strong, and athletic defender, with good technique, ball-playing ability, defensive skills, and an ability to organise his defence; during his time in Italy, Benatia earned a reputation as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A. He was known in particular for his tackling and ability in the air.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Benatia goal.''

Honours

Marseille * UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005 Bayern Munich *

: 2014–15, 2015–16 * DFB-Pokal: 2015–16 Juventus *

: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 *

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

: 2016–17, 2017–18 * Supercoppa Italiana:

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 ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

runner-up: 2016–17 Al-Duhail * Qatar Stars League: 2019–20 * Qatar Emir Cup: 2019 Individual * CAF Team of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 * Mars d'Or (Best Moroccan Player): 2013, 2014 *

El Heddaf ''El Heddaf'' (in Arabic الهدّاف meaning ''The Scorer'') is an Algerian nationwide daily newspaper devoted to football. Profile ''El Haddaf'' has a French edition named ''Le Buteur''. The paper organizes several events and activities about ...

Arab Footballer of the Year: 2015 * A.S. Roma Player of the Season: 2013–14 *"Gran Galà del calcio AIC" Best Central Defender: 2014 * European Sports Media's European Team of the Season: 2013–14 * Serie A Team of the Year: 2013–14 * Qatar Stars League Team of the Year: 2019–20 * Globe Soccer Awards Best Arab Player of the Year: 2014 *

France Football ''France Football'' is a French weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It is considered to be one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of its photographic reports, in-depth and exclusi ...

Africa Team of the Year: 2017 * Goal Africa Team of the Year: 2018 * IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020 *

IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benatia, Medhi 1987 births Living people Footballers from Essonne Moroccan footballers Morocco youth international footballers Morocco international footballers French footballers France youth international footballers Moroccan people of Algerian descent French sportspeople of Moroccan descent French sportspeople of Algerian descent Citizens of Morocco through descent 2012 Africa Cup of Nations players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players 2017 Africa Cup of Nations players INF Clairefontaine players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Bundesliga players Serie A players Qatar Stars League players Süper Lig players Tours FC players FC Lorient players Clermont Foot players Udinese Calcio players Olympique de Marseille players A.S. Roma players FC Bayern Munich footballers Juventus F.C. players Al-Duhail SC players Fatih Karagümrük S.K. footballers 2018 FIFA World Cup players Association football central defenders 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players Moroccan expatriate footballers French expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Qatar Expatriate footballers in Turkey Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Germany Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Turkey