Mohamed Timoumi (; born 15 January 1960) is a Moroccan former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 1985, and was the last player to win this award while playing club football in an African country. In 2006, he was selected by CAF as one of the best 200 African football players of the last 50 years.
Career Timoumi took part in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. At club level, he won the CAF Champions League with FAR Rabat, the biggest Moroccan football club of his era. He also competed for Morocco at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Timoumi played at a young age for the team of the Union of Touarga, where he was the youngest player. It was there where he was first noticed by the observers and experts of Moroccan football.
His burgeoning talent led him to join one of the biggest Moroccan clubs: FAR Rabat, with whom he won the CAF Champions League in 1985.
In 1985, his talent exploded despite a fracture during the FAR Rabat match against the Egyptian team Zamalek in the semifinals. During this year, Timoumi was, in the unanimous opinion of the international sports press, the star of Africa. He also received the African Ballon d'Or.
A year later, he participated in the final phase of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. In Mexico City, he was considered one of the most important elements of the Moroccan selection. Morocco ranked first in its group with 0 defeats and a resounding victory against Portugal 3–1. This result allowed Morocco to be the first African and Arab country to reach the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics
International
Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Morocco goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Mohamed Timoumi No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco1–02–3Friendlies 2Dakar, Senegal1–01-01982 FIFA World Cup qualification 3Cochin, India1–04-0Nehru Cup 41–22-2Nehru Cup 5Casablanca, Morocco1–02-01986 FIFA World Cup qualification 6Mohammédia, Morocco1–03-01985 Pan Arab Games 7Casablanca, Morocco1–03-0 8Rabat, Morocco2–03-01986 FIFA World Cup qualification 9Belfast, Northern Ireland1–01-2Friendlies 10Lusaka, Zambia1–01-21990 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours AS FAR Botola Pro: 1984 Moroccan Throne Cup: 1984, 1985 CAF Champions League: 1985
Morocco Mediterranean Games: 1983 Africa Cup of Nations third place: 1980 Pan Arab Games runner-up: 1985 Nehru Cup third place: 1985
Individual African Footballer of the Year: 1985 Moroccan Footballer of the Year: 1985 CAF Champions League Player of the Tournament: 1985 African Footballer of the 20th century: 30th place IFFHS All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team
References