Profile Mounir El Hamdaoui

Personal information

Full name : Mounir El Hamdaoui
Date of birth : 14 July 1984
Place of birth : Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height : 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position : Striker
Current club : Ajax
Number : 9
Senior career :
2001–2005 Excelsior
2005–2006 Tottenham Hotspur
2005–2006 Derby County (loan)
2006–2007 Willem II
2007–2010 AZ
2010– Ajax
National team :
2004–2005 Netherlands U-21
2009– Morocco

Club career

Excelsior

El Hamdaoui went across the youth academy of SBV Excelsior, whereas he performed together with his youth allies Robin van Persie and Saïd Boutahar. In the 2001–02 season the musician made his debut for the Rotterdam side below executive Adrie Koster, scoring two goals within six appearances. El Hamdaoui performed a gross of 74 league fits for Excelsior, scoring 32 goals. Excelsior big brother Feyenoord was also interested within signing the musician, and El Hamdaoui coached a number of moments with Feyenoord's former squad, but a shift was never realised.

Tottenham Hotspur

In 2005, English club Tottenham Hotspur (managed via fellow Dutchman Martin Jol) signed the musician from Excelsior. He signed a three and a halves year contract with Tottenham Hotspur and transported from Excelsior Rotterdam within January 2005. He never made an impression within the Premier League but featured within the Peace Cup within July 2005 within which Tottenham raised the prize consecutive a 3–1 victory against Olympique Lyonnais. He also scored two goals onto his debut within a friendly against Northampton Town and scored against Aldershot Town onto his former team debut within another friendly.

Derby County

In September 2005 El Hamdaoui attended Derby County onto credit appearing six moments, scoring two goals ahead of a dislocated shoulder constrained the credit towards be cut short and he replaced towards Spurs. Derby persisted towards monitor his move and within January 2006 he replaced towards Pride Park for another credit spell. Unfortunately, this too was towards be disrupted due towards sting, a groin complication dragging him towards replace towards Tottenham within morning March. This second credit import was not cancelled, but as soon as replacing towards obligation with Derby within April, a further sting complication prematurely ended his season.

Willem II

In June 2006, El-Hamdaoui transported back towards his native Netherlands towards play for Willem II, due towards a scarcity of opportunities at Spurs. On 19 August 2006, he spotted his league debut for Willem II via scoring within their 2-1 victory against FC Utrecht. After an impressive activate, scoring three goals within four fits he again suffered an sting, which deterred him performing for nine months. El Hamdaoui alone performed seven competitive fits for the Tilburg side, scoring three goals. In his second season at the Willem II, he deserted the club as soon as two league fits towards collaborate AZ.

AZ

On 31 August 2007, El Hamdaoui signed with AZ Alkmaar until 2011.[6] On 16 September 2007, he made his debut for AZ within a league match against Sparta Rotterdam, scoring one goal. By the end of his former season at AZ, he had scored seven goals within 23 league matches. The 2008–09 season proved towards be an excellent one for El Hamdaoui and AZ. He scored within the former toy of the season against NAC Breda, although AZ forgotten 1-2. By the winter contravene, he had scored 16 goals within 17 league fits, incorporating a hattrick against his old club Willem II. At the winter contravene, AZ was leading the league list, and El Hamdaoui was leading the goal-scoring charts. By the end of the season, AZ had won the second championship within their history, and El Hamdaoui was the top scorer within the Eredivisie, with 23 goals within 31 fits, 1 many than Ajax's Luis Suárez. He was also named the Dutch Footballer of the Year.

El Hamdaoui (second from top left) with Ajax teammates within 2010
At the initiating of the 2009–10 season, there were a lot of corrections at AZ. Manager Louis van Gaal had vanished the club towards go towards FC Bayern Munich, and was replaced via Ronald Koeman. AZ had a bad activate towards the season, although the musician had still scored 9 goals within 11 fits via the winter break. However, defending winners AZ located themselves within eighth site with 28 points within twenty fits, 24 points rear leaders PSV. Just ahead of the winter contravene, Koeman was fired and veteran executive Dick Advocaat was carried within towards rob over. Russia executive Advocaat reported that he expected at lowest 15/16 goals from the musician, El Hamdaoui reported "Advocaat knows what he's talking approximately, I think. It provides me confidence, I know what I can do." There was sure progress within the second portion of the season as AZ ceased the league within fifth site, with El Hamdaoui scoring twenty goals within 26 league matches. However, due towards the financial events AZ was having because of the bankruptcy of sponsor DSB Bank, it was noticeable that the striker would possess towards be sold towards dampen the weight of his income onto the budget balance.

Ajax

On thirty July 2010, El Hamdaoui signed a four-year import with Ajax, rejoining his former Spurs executive Martin Jol. El Hamdaoui spotted his league début for Ajax with two goals against Groningen onto eight August 2010. He scored a goal within the play-off round second foot of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv, assisting Ajax victory 2–1 onto combine and ending a five-year drought from this competition. He scored his former Champions League goal with his novel club, netting the opener against Milan, with the toy ending 1–1.

International career

Although being born within the Netherlands and having performed for their Under-21 side El Hamdaoui has pledged his international future towards Morocco. El Hamdaoui performed his alone toy with Morocco B within 2005 against Saudi Arabia. On six November 2006, El Hamdaoui reported within an interview towards Dutch football journal Voetbal International that he, at one degree, needed towards play senior international football for the Moroccan national side. He was appointed towards collaborate the Moroccan national team and made his former international hat with the team onto 11 February 2009 against the Czech Republic. His impression against the Czech Republic was a success, as his technical ability charmed the Moroccan fans, whom are known for favoring technical football. Moroccan fans at the Stade Mohamed V were chanting "Allez Hamdaoui" around the game. The consecutive day, Moroccan press praised his erformance and welcomed him as a "much necessary addition" towards the Moroccan team. El Hamdaoui punched his former goal within the 84th minute within a 1–2 loss towards Gabon. His second international goal arrived within a CAN Qualifier 2012 against Tanzania, whereas he scored the alone goal within a 0-1 victory, assisted via Arsenal-star Marouane Chamakh.