Mbark Boussoufa

Mbark Boussoufa

Personal information
Full name	Moubarak Boussoufa
Date of birth	15 August 1984 (1984-08-15) (age 27)
Place of birth	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Anzhi Makhachkala
Number	6
Youth career
1994–1995	Middenmeer
1995–1996	Fortius
1996–2001	Ajax
2001–2004	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	Gent	57	(14)
2006–2011	Anderlecht	147	(48)
2011–	Anzhi Makhachkala	27	(4)
National team‡
2006–	Morocco	25	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:45, 19 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Moubarak "Mbark" Boussoufa (Arabic: مُبارك بوصوفا‎, born 15 August 1984) is a Dutch-born Moroccan footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Anzhi Makhachkala and the Moroccan national team.

Early career

Mbark started off at the youth academy of Ajax Amsterdam before joining Chelsea F.C. He spent the 2005/06 season with K.A.A. Gent, winning several prizes in 2006: Belgian Golden Shoe, Belgian Footballer of the Year, Belgian Young Footballer of the Year and Belgian Ebony Shoe. He is the second player from a North African country to win the Ebony Shoe, after Mido.

Anderlecht

Boussoufa with Anzhi Makhachkala

In June 2006, Boussoufa signed a 4-year contract with R.S.C. Anderlecht after a €3.5 million transfer.^[1] 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 2008-2009 seasons. Boussoufa was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for a second time after the 2008-2009 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 20 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.^[2] He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for the second time in 2010.^[3]

On March 7, 2011, Russian side FC Terek Grozny announced his signing,^[4] but his transfer fell through three days later. According to Terek's VP Khaidar Alkhanov, Boussoufa requested unacceptable conditions in his personal contract, even though Anderlecht had agreed to sell him.^[5] In the late evening of March 10, it was announced that the transfer to Terek Grozny had collapsed and that Boussoufa had signed for another Russian team, Anzhi Makhachkala.^[6]

International career

Boussoufa has a Dutch passport and, as such would have been eligible to play for the Dutch national team if selected, but chose Morocco and played his first match for the Moroccan national team against the USA on 23 May 2006. Saison Club Pays Div. Championnat Europe

Career statistics

Club stats

As of 17 November

Club	Season	Domestic League			Domestic Cup			League Cup			Europe			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assist	Apps	Goals	Assist	Apps	Goals	Assist	Apps	Goals	Assist	Apps	Goals	Assist
Gent	2004–05	29	5	2	3	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	29	5	2
	2005–06	28	9	16	4	1	1	-	-	-	6	1	0	38	11	17
	2006–07	2	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	2	0	0	4	0	0
Anderlecht	2006–07	32	8	11	7	2	0	-	-	-	6	0	0	45	10	11
	2007–08	22	5	7	7	3	2	-	-	-	6	0	0	35	8	9
	2008–09	35	11	14	2	0	0	-	-	-	3	0	1	40	11	15
	2009–10	36	14	19	4	1	2	-	-	-	9	2	2	49	17	23
	2010–11	23	10	12	3	0	3	-	-	-	2	0	4	28	10	19
Anzhi	2011–12	26	4	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	26	4	0
Career total		213	66	91	27	7	8	-	-	-	34	3	7	274	76	106

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 September 2006	Stade Moulay Abdellah, Rabat, Morocco	Malawi	2 – 0	2 – 0	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2	9 Février 2011	Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco	Niger	1 – 0	3 – 0	Friendly
3	9 Février 2011	Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco	Niger	2 – 0	3 – 0	Friendly
4	9 October 2011	Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco	Tanzania	3 – 1	3 – 1	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

R.S.C. Anderlecht

Belgian First Division

• Champion: 2006–07, 2009–10
• Runner-up: 2007–08, 2008–09

Belgian Cup

• Winner: 2007-08

Belgian Supercup

• Winner: 2007, 2010
• Runner-up: 2008

Individual

• Belgian Golden Shoe: 2

2006, 2010

• Belgian Footballer of the Year: 3

2005-2006, 2008-2009, 2009-2010

• Belgian Ebony Shoe: 3

2005-2006, 2008-2009, 2009-2010

• Belgian Young Footballer of the Year: 1

2005-2006

• R.S.C. Anderlecht topscorer: 1

2008-2009: 11 goals

• Belgian First Division: leader in assists: 1

2009-2010: 19 assists

Preceded by Sergio Conceiçao Milan Jovanović	Belgian Golden Shoe 2006 2010	Succeeded by Steven Defour Incumbent
Preceded by Vincent Kompany Milan Jovanović	Belgian Footballer of the Year 2005-2006 2008-2009, 2009-2010	Succeeded by Mohammed Tchité Ivan Perišić
Preceded by Vincent Kompany Marouane Fellaini	Belgian Ebony Shoe 2005-2006 2008-2009, 2009-2010	Succeeded by Mohammed Tchité Romelu Lukaku
Preceded by Vincent Kompany	Belgian Young Footballer of the Year 2005-2006	Succeeded by Lucas Biglia

References

1. ^ "Boussoufa finalises switch to Anderlecht" by Fahd Chafik, Morocco Times, June 7, 2006, retrieved June 11, 2006
2. ^ "Boussoufa: Did Herman drink too much champagne?" (Dutch), Sporza, April 27, 2010
3. ^ "Mbark Boussoufa wins Golden Shoe 2010" (Dutch), Sporza, January 19, 2011
4. ^ "Мбарк Буссуфа перешел в "Терек"." (in Russian). FC Terek Grozny. http://fc-terek.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1720&Itemid=9. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
5. ^ "Трансфер Буссуфы в "Терек" сорвался из-за непомерных требований футболиста" (in Russian). Sport Express. http://news.sport-express.ru/2011-03-10/424884/. Retrieved 2011-03-10. 
6. ^ "Boussoufa moves to Anzhi, not to Grozny" (in Dutch). sporza.be. http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/voetbal/Jupiler_Pro_League/110310_Boussoufa_Anzji. Retrieved 2011-03-10. 

External links

• Profile on Anzhi Makhachkala official website (English)
• Career history at National Football Teams
• Boussoufa named as Belgium's finest By Berend Scholten @ UEFA.com Boussoufa named as Belgium's finest By Berend Scholten @ UEFA.com

Persondata
Name	Boussoufa, Mbark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 August 1984
Place of birth	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date of death
Place of death