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Date of Birth: Wednesday, August 27, 1986
Birth Place: Morocco
Height: 175cm
Position: Midfielder
Former Clubs/Teams: AS Saint-Etienne

Biography

Nabil El Zhar is an attacking midfielder for Morocco and Liverpool in the English Premier League. He can play anywhere across the front line, but is able to put his lightning pace to best use when he is played on one of the wings. He is now an established performer for the Moroccan national side, scoring on his debut, and helping Morocco as they aim to qualify for South Africa 2010.

Childhood

Nabil El Zhar was born on 27th August 1986 in Ales, in the south of France. With his parents being Moroccan, Nabil was encouraged to play internationally for Morocco rather than France, although he did play for the French youth teams as a youngster. At the age of 13, El Zhar was picked up by local side Nimes, and began to progress through the ranks.

Early Career

Nabil El Zhar was still with Nimes as they fell from the Second Division to the third (semi-professional) division. He signed his first contract in 2003, when he was still a gangly 17 year old. In the few games he played, he did enough to convince Saint Etienne of his abilities, and joined the reserve team of this Ligue 1 club at the start of 04/05.

He remained in the reserves, hoping for his big break, until he finally had a chance to prove himself at the top level – in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championships. He was picked out as one of the stars of the future, prompting various trial requests from clubs who wanted to see more.

Current Club

Nabil El Zhar was tested in a reserve match against Sunderland in August 2006 ahead of being signed by Liverpool for £250,000. His pace and control of the ball excited the Anfield back-room staff, and El Zhar soon became a favourite of the reserve team’s hard-core fans.

He made his first-team debut in March 2007, but remained a fringe player for the next few seasons – competing for a first-team place against experienced professionals like Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant and Yossi Benayoun was too difficult, though he continued to get the odd match where he was thrown on at the end to add pace and cause confusion in the box.

International

Nabil El Zhar could have played for France, the country of his birth, but instead opted to play for his parent’s country – Morocco. He has always felt Moroccan, though obviously France holds a special place in his heart. He broke into the Moroccan U-20 team ahead of the 2005 Youth World Cup, where he made his name as an attack-minded midfielder.

He made his debut for Morocco’s first team long before he would have been able to break into the France national side, in March 2008, and has remained a key-man for the Moroccans as they aim to qualify for South Africa 2010.