Moubarak "Mbark" Boussoufa (Berber languages:ⵎⴱⴰⵔⴽ ⴱⵓⵙⵙⵓⴼⴰ, ; born 15 August 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2006, 2009, and 2010. Born in the Netherlands, he played for the Morocco national team from 2006 to 2019 making 70 appearances and scoring eight goals. He began his career at Ajax before joining Chelsea, and later played for clubs including Gent, Anderlecht, and Lokomotiv Moscow.
Club career
Boussoufa started off at the youth academy of Ajax before joining Chelsea. He spent the 2005–06 season with Gent, winning several prizes in 2006: Belgian Golden Shoe, Belgian Footballer of the Year, Belgian Young Footballer of the Year and Belgian Ebony Shoe.
In June 2006, Boussoufa signed a four-year contract with Anderlecht after a €3.5 million transfer."Boussoufa finalises switch to Anderlecht" by Fahd Chafik, Morocco Times, 7 June 2006, retrieved 11 June 2006 In his first season he was a regular in the title-clinching squad. He became a key player for the team that finished second in both the 2007–2008 and the 2008–09 seasons. Boussoufa was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for a second time after the 2008–09 season in which Anderlecht barely missed out on the title, losing the Championship play-off against Standard de Liège. The next year, he managed 14 goals and 24 assists which made him the most valuable player in Anderlecht's championship-winning squad. He was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for a second consecutive time and the third time overall. After the season, he renewed his contract with a significant raise, making him the best paid footballer in Belgium."Boussoufa: Did Herman drink too much champagne?" (Dutch), Sporza, 27 April 2010 He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for the second time in 2010."Mbark Boussoufa wins Golden Shoe 2010" (Dutch), Sporza, 19 January 2011
In March 2011, Russian side Terek Grozny announced his signing, but his transfer fell through three days later. Instead, Boussoufa signed for another Russian team, Anzhi Makhachkala.
Boussoufa signed a three-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in August 2013. With Lokomotiv he won the 2015 Russian Cup, scoring the second goal as they beat Kuban Krasnodar 3–1 after extra time in the final. He returned to Gent on loan from in February 2016.
In July 2016, Boussoufa signed a two-year contract with United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira.Ten Cate krijgt bij Al-Jazira beschikking over Boussoufa - Voetbal International He made 16 appearances and scored three times as Al-Jazira went on to win the 2016-17 UAE Arabian Gulf League.
On 3 January 2019, Boussoufa signed a contract until the end season with Saudi club Al-Shabab.
International career Eligible to play for both Morocco and The Netherlands, Boussoufa chose to represent Morocco and made his international debut against the USA on 23 May 2006.
Boussoufa has represented Morocco at Africa Cup of Nations tournaments; in 2012, 2017 and 2019.
In May 2018, he was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where he was a starting player in all three of their games.
On 5 July 2019, Boussoufa announced his retirement after Morocco's loss against Benin in the round of 16, 4–1 in penalties (following a 1–1 draw), in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGent2004–05Belgian First Division29530––3252005–062894161–38112006–07200020–40Total59147181007416Anderlecht2006–07Belgian First Division3387260–46102007–082257360–3582008–09331120202039112009–102694113310553182010–1123103091–3511Total1374323636412520858Anzhi Makhachkala2011–12Russian Premier League25410001333972012–1326440142–4462013–14400000–40Total558501421338713Lokomotiv Moscow2013–14Russian Premier League2120000–2122014–151713310–2142015–16100000–10Total393331000436Gent2015–16Belgian Pro League52006000112Al Jazira2016–17UAE Pro-League2143341102982017–18163307050313Total37763111606011Al-Shabab2018–19Saudi Pro League131100000141Al-Sailiya2019–20Qatar Stars League1531000163Career total360814513778318512110
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsMorocco2006512007202008302009502010302011732012512013002014512015102016602017131201880201971Total708
Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Boussoufa goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Mbark BoussoufaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 2 September 2006 Stade Moulay Abdellah, Rabat, Morocco 2–02–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification29 February 2011Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco1–0 3–0Friendly32–04 9 October 2011 Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco 3–13–1 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification5 29 February 2012 Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco 1–02–0 Friendly6 13 October 2014 Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco 2–03–0 Friendly7 31 May 2017 Stade Adrar, Agadir, Morocco 1–21–2 Friendly8 1 July 2019 Al Salam Stadium, Cairo, Egypt 1–01–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
Honours Anderlecht Belgian Pro League: 2006–07, 2009–10 Belgian Cup: 2007–08 Belgian Super Cup: 2007, 2010
Anzhi Makhachkala Russian Cup runners-up: 2012–13
Lokomotiv Moscow Russian Cup: 2014–15
Al Jazira UAE Pro League: 2016–17
Individual Best Gent player of the Season: 2005–06 Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2005–06 Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10 Man of the Season (Belgian First Division): 2005–06 Belgian Ebony Shoe: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10 Belgian Golden Shoe: 2006, 2009, 2010 Belgian Lion Award: 2010, 2011
References
External links
Profile on Anzhi Makhachkala official website
Boussoufa named as Belgium's finest By Berend Scholten @ UEFA.com Boussoufa named as Belgium's finest By Berend Scholten @ UEFA.com