Noureddine Naybet ( ar, نور الدين نيبت; born 10 February 1970) is a Moroccan 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, rugby ...

who played as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He played in Spain (

Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña (), Deportivo or simply Dépor, is a professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. They currently p ...

) and Portugal for

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

and England for

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

. He is considered one of the best defenders in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

of his generation. Naybet spent the longest and most successful period of his career with

Deportivo La Coruña ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable) Mexicable is a aerial lift line in Ecatepec de Mo ...

in Spain's

, from 1996 to 2004. He was named the 44th greatest African player of all time by the African football expert Ed Dove. Naybet played a record 115 matches for the Morocco national team scoring four goals, representing the country in two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

and six

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...

tournaments.

Early life

Born in Casablanca on 10 February 1970, the young toddler, addicted to football, spent much of his time teasing the ball, in the streets of Derb Chorfa. Already talented and hardworking, he was quickly spotted by the Étoile de Casablanca, where he only stayed a week before joining Wydad Casablanca.

Club career

Wydad

Naybet began his professional career playing for

Wydad 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 ...

, being part of the squads that won three

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 ...

championships as well as the 1992 edition of the

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and co ...

Nantes and Sporting

From 1993 to 1996 he represented

FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, a ...

(France) and

, being always an important first-team member and winning one domestic cup in each country. He played the 1995 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in 2 legged match against

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, the first match ended in a 0–0 tie, as-well the second match ended in a 2–2 tie. Naybet found the net in the 42nd minute. Sporting won the replay match in a 3–0 victory.

Deportivo de La Coruña

In the 1996 summer Naybet signed a four-year deal with Spain's

, for roughly

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

1.6 million. He made his

debut on 31 August 1996, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. Naybet scored a career best four goals in the 1997–98 season, but the

Galicians Galicians ( gl, galegos, es, gallegos, link=no) are a Celtic-Romance ethnic group from Spain that is closely related to the Portuguese people and has its historic homeland is Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. Two Romance l ...

could only finish in 12th position. He was still an undisputed starter in 1999–2000 – often partnering Argentine

Gabriel Schürrer Gabriel Francisco Schürrer Peralta (born 16 August 1971) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a central defender. He spent the better part of his career in Spain, appearing for five different clubs in nearly one fu ...

– as the club conquered the first league in its history. He won one

league title in

1999–2000 La Liga The 1999–2000 La Liga season, the 69th since its establishment, began on 21 August 1999 and ended on 20 May 2000. Deportivo La Coruña won their first league title with 69 points, the lowest for a champion since three points for a win was intr ...

, one

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...

and two

Spanish Super Cup Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

. and for

won Cup of Portugal. In the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, Naybet passed the first round qualification with ease, In the second round they were placed with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...

, and PSG. In his first qualification match Naybet managed to defeat PSG, 3–1. They qualified to the knock out stages after topping the second round group stages. But were knocked out by

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

in the quarter-finals. In the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Naybet played a major role during the Group stages playing its first match against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

which ended in a tie. They defeated

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in their second match, 2–1, the winning Naybet goal in the last minute. They qualified top of their group and to the second round. On 12 March 2002, Naybet defeated

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, 2–0. They were defeated by

in the quarter final in a 5–2 aggregate. Naybet started in all his 13

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 competit ...

appearances in the 2003–04 campaign, helping ''Dépor'' to the semi-finals of the competition. In the last-four's second leg, at home against

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

, he was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

Pierluigi Collina Pierluigi Collina (; born 13 February 1960) is an Italian former football referee. He was named "The World's Best Referee" by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics six consecutive times from 1998-2003. Collina is still ...

after two bookable offenses, and the tie ended 1–0 in favour of the Portuguese.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 12 August 2004, aged 34, Naybet joined

for a reported fee of £700,000. He netted his first and only goal for the Spurs on 13 November, in a 5–4

North London derby The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is co ...

loss to

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

. After only three games in 2005–06, under new manager

Martin Jol Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol (born 16 January 1956) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. He played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps wit ...

, Naybet was released and retired from football. In June 2005, however, he had renewed his contract for a further season. He spent most of his 17-year professional career with Deportivo La Coruña, appearing in 284 competitive games and winning four major titles, including the 2000 national championship. He also competed in France, Portugal and England.

International career

Naybet was a Moroccan international for 16 years, gaining his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

on 9 August 1990 in a 0–0 friendly draw in

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

. He competed in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. He proceeded to appear for his country in two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s, playing two games in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

and three in 1998 as both editions ended in group stage elimination. Naybet played all six contests in the 2004 African Cup of Nations, helping the Atlas Lions finish second in

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

. In early January 2006, five months after announcing his international retirement after falling out of favour with coach

Ezzaki Badou Ezzaki Badou ( ar, الزاكي بادو; born 2 April 1959), nicknamed Zaki, is a Moroccan football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He manages CS Chebba. Playing career Born in Sidi Kacem, Zaki represented AS ...

, he returned to the national team just ahead of the

2006 Africa Cup of Nations The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was the 25th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa. It was hosted by Egypt. Just like in 2004, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. Egypt w ...

. In August 2007, Naybet was named assistant manager under

Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the wor ...

Style of play

He is a magnificent and well-rounded centre-back, who boasted all of the physical attributes as well as the mental qualities to excel in the heart of the defence for major European sides.

Personal life

A devout

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Naybet observed fasting during the month of

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, even when it coincided with the football season. However, he has been believed to be caught drinking recreationally.

Career statistics

International

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

Honours

Wydad Casablanca *

: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93 *

Moroccan Throne Cup 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 ch ...

: 1989 *

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

* Afro-Asian Cup: 1993 * Arab Club Champions Cup: 1989 *

Arab Super Cup The Arab Super Cup ( ar, الكأس العربية الممتازة) was an Arab football competition, held between four teams (the winners and runners-up of both the Arab Club Champions Cup and the Arab Cup Winners' Cup) each year. History The ...

Sporting CP *

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 seaso ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese football match played since 1979 between the winners of the Portuguese League (Primeira Liga) and Portuguese ...

Deportivo La Coruña *

: 1999–2000. runner-up 2000–01, 2001–02 *

: 2001–02 *

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España or the ''Spanish Super Cup'' is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2019–20 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Semi-finals: 2003–04 Morocco *

runner-up: 2004 *

Hassan II Trophy The Hassan II Trophy (official name: ''Coupe internationale Hassan II de football''), was a friendly football tournament organised by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation that was played in Casablanca. There have been three tournaments: the fi ...

runner-up:

3rd place: 1996 Individual *

Team of the Tournament: 1998 *

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 Africa Men's Dream Team *

All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team *

CAF Men Team of the Century

References

External links

* *
Deportivo archives
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Naybet, Noureddine 1970 births Living people Moroccan Muslims Footballers from Casablanca Moroccan footballers Association football defenders Botola players Wydad AC players Ligue 1 players FC Nantes players Primeira Liga players Sporting CP footballers La Liga players Deportivo de La Coruña players Premier League players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Morocco international footballers 1994 FIFA World Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players 1992 African Cup of Nations players 1998 African Cup of Nations players 2000 African Cup of Nations players 2004 African Cup of Nations players 2002 African Cup of Nations players 2006 Africa Cup of Nations players Olympic footballers of Morocco Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Competitors at the 1991 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Morocco FIFA Century Club Moroccan expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in England Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in England Mediterranean Games medalists in football