- Mehdi Taouil
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Mehdi Taouil 
Taouil playing for KilmarnockPersonal information Full name Mehdi Taouil Date of birth 20 May 1983 Place of birth Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Playing position Midfielder Club information Current club Heart of Midlothian Number 21 Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2001–2003 Nancy 8 (0) 2003–2005 1. FC Nuremberg 6 (0) 2005–2007 Montpellier 48 (3) 2007–2011 Kilmarnock 107 (7) 2011– Heart of Midlothian 6 (0) National team‡ 2004 Morocco 5 (0) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 October 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 February 2010Mehdi Taouil (Arabic: مهدي طويل) (born 20 May 1983 in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Val-de-Marne) is a French-born Moroccan football player currently playing in the Scottish Premier League for Hearts.
Contents
Personal
Taouil was born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother.[1]
Club career
During the early stages of his career he played for Nancy and 1. FC Nuremberg but was limited to only infrequent games.
Montpellier
Taouil played for Montpellier in Ligue 2, joining the club on a two-year contract in June 2005, before being released at the end of the 2006/07 season. During his time there he made 48 league appearances scoring three goals.
Kilmarnock
He then signed a one-year deal at Scottish side Kilmarnock in October 2007.[2] On his Kilmarnock debut he was warmly greeted by the fans in a 1–0 loss to Motherwell and was voted as Kilmarnock's Man of the Match due to his red under-armour on his legs. He scored his first goal in the game against Hibernian on 26 December 2007 at Rugby Park, which ended in a 2–1 victory for the Ayrshire side.
Taouil was linked with a transfer to SPL rivals Hearts, but in July 2008 he signed a three year deal with Kilmarnock.[3] Following the release of Gary Wales, Taouil was given the number 10 shirt for the new season.
In all he made 118 appearances in all competitions scoring 7 goals.
Hearts
Despite turning Hearts down in 2008 they again made approaches to sign him when he became a free agent in the summer of 2011 after his three-year contract with Kilmarnock came to an end.[4]
On Tuesday 14 June 2011, Taouil signed for Hearts on a three year contract.[5] He opted to sign for the Gorgie outfit despite interest from the continent and team up with his former Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies.[6] Making his debut against Rangers at Ibrox on July the 23rd. [7]
International career
Taouil was part of the Moroccan national football team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Taouil played in all three games as the team exited in the first round, finishing third in Group D behind Iraq and Costa Rica.
References
- ^ Mehdi Taouil : "Revenir et porter les couleurs du Maroc"
- ^ "Kilmarnock seal midfielder move". BBC Sport. 19 October 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/7052652.stm. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ "Taouil commits himself to Killie". BBC Sport. 3 July 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/7487782.stm. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ "Hearts in talks with Kilmarnock's Mehdi Taouil". BBC News. 10 March 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/12702556.stm. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ^ "Mehdi Taouil leaves Kilmarnock for Hearts". BBC News. 14 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13765182.stm. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "Taouil will be a big hit: JJ". http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/articles/20110614/taouil-will-be-a-big-hit-jj_2241384_2375348. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "Rangers v Hearts". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). July 23, 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/14242065.stm. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
External links
- Mehdi Taouil career stats at Soccerbase
- Mehdi Taouil French league stats at LFP.fr (French)
- Mehdi Taouil at National-Football-Teams.com
Heart of Midlothian F.C. – current squad 1 Balogh · 2 Hamill · 3 Grainger · 4 Jónsson · 5 Barr · 6 Webster · 7 Suso · 8 Black · 9 Kyle · 10 Elliott · 11 Driver · 12 Templeton · 13 Obua · 15 Sutton · 16 Stevenson · 17 McGowan · 18 Novikovas · 19 Skácel · 21 Taouil · 22 Smith · 23 Glen · 25 Kello · 26 Žaliūkas · 27 Robinson · 30 MacDonald · 31 Mrowiec · 34 Stewart · 49 McHattie · 51 Holt · 52 Smith · C. Thomson · Manager: Sérgio
Categories:- 1983 births
- Living people
- People from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
- Association football midfielders
- Moroccan footballers
- Morocco international footballers
- French people of Moroccan descent
- French people of Algerian descent
- Moroccan expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in Scotland
- AS Nancy players
- 1. FC Nuremberg players
- Montpellier HSC players
- Kilmarnock F.C. players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
- Ligue 1 players
- Ligue 2 players
- Scottish Premier League players
- Olympic footballers of Morocco
- Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Fußball-Bundesliga players
- Moroccan people of Algerian descent
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