Tarik Elyounoussi (Arabic: طارق اليونسي, ṭāriq al-yūnusī, pronounced [tˤaːˈrɪq ælˈjuːnusiː]; born 23 February 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward or a winger. Born in Morocco, he represented the Norway national team.

Tarik Elyounoussi
Elyounoussi with AIK in 2018
Personal information
Full name Tarik Elyounoussi[1]
Date of birth (1988-02-23) 23 February 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Al Hoceima, Morocco
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward, winger
Youth career
2000–2002 Nylende
2003–2005 Trosvik
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Fredrikstad 69 (20)
2008–2011 Heerenveen 31 (2)
2010Lillestrøm (loan) 14 (4)
2011–2012 Fredrikstad 44 (20)
2012–2013 Rosenborg 24 (6)
2013–2016 1899 Hoffenheim 52 (4)
2016–2018 Olympiacos 23 (4)
2017–2018Qarabağ (loan) 8 (0)
2018–2019 AIK 52 (19)
2020–2024 Shonan Bellmare 93 (5)
International career
2006–2008 Norway U21 25 (5)
2008–2019 Norway 60 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 December 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2019

Club career

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Born in Al Hoceima, Morocco, Elyounoussi moved to Norway with his family when he was 11 years old. He started playing football in the club Nylende in Fredrikstad, and then joined Trosvik,[2] in which many of the young players in the Fredrikstad youth team have their roots.

He was considered to be the greatest talent Fredrikstad has produced in decades. As such he was awarded the Norwegian Young Player of the Year trophy in 2006 and 2007, after two great seasons in the league, and a Norwegian football cup trophy.

SC Heerenveen

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Elyounoussi was sought after by various Premier League clubs in the summer of 2008. However Fredrikstad accepted a bid on around €4 million from French club Le Mans on 8 July.[3] But Elyounoussi had no interest in joining Le Mans. A few weeks later Elyounoussi signed a five-year contract with Heerenveen worth €3.5 million, on 22 July. He joined Heerenveen in August 2008.[4]

He scored in his debut match against FC Volendam. He also netted an important equalizer for Heerenveen in their first round UEFA Cup match away against Vitória F.C., and his second league goal came against NEC Nijmegen.

Return to Norway

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On 19 February 2010, Lillestrøm SK loaned the 21-year-old talented forward until the end of season from SC Heerenveen.[5]

On 7 January 2011, Elyounoussi returned to Fredrikstad FK and Tippeligaen.

Elyounoussi signed for Rosenborg on 9 August 2012, binding him to the club to the end of the 2015 season.[6] Elyounoussi and Mikkel Diskerud's transfers was announced at half time during the UEFA Europa League qualifier against Servette.[7]

1899 Hoffenheim

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Rosenborg announced on 18 June 2013 that they had sold Elyounoussi to Hoffenheim, and bought Alexander Søderlund from Haugesund as his replacement. Elyounoussi joined the German side after Rosenborg's match against Strømsgodset on 22 June.[8]

Olympiacos

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Olympiacos announced that this club had agreement with TSG Hoffenheim for signing Tarik Elyounoussi on 26 August with the transfer fee estimated to €1 million.[9] On 11 September 2016, he scored his first goal with the club in a hammering 6-1 home win against Veria F.C. He played a vital role in the club, in acquiring the 7th consecutive Super League title.

Qarabağ

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On 31 August 2017, Azerbaijani champions Qarabağ FK signed Elyounoussi on loan until the end of 2017–18 season.[10] The 30-year-old Moroccan-born Norwegian international was a member of Qarabağ during the first half of 2017–18 season, on loan from the Reds, but made only seven official performances in all competitions and failed to impress.[11]

On 30 January 2018, Swedish outfit AIK announced the transfer of Elyounoussi from Olympiacos on a two-year deal; details of the fees involved have not been disclosed. In 2018, he won the Swedish league, Allsvenskan, together with AIK.[12]

Shonan Bellmare

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On 12 January 2020, J1 League side Shonan Bellmare announced the transfer of Elyounoussi from AIK on a two-year deal; details of the fees involved were not disclosed.[13] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale on 26 July 2020.[14]

He left Shonan at the end of the 2023 season, having scored five goals in 103 appearances for the Japanese club.[15]

International career

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Elyounoussi scored on his debut for the national team against Uruguay on 28 May 2008 after only four minutes on the pitch; this was one of the fastest ever debut goal on the national team.[16] He scored his second national team goal on 15 January 2012, in the opening match of 2012 King's Cup against Denmark, which was his fifth cap for Norway.[17]

Elyounoussi was chosen as captain for the international friendlies against South Africa and Zambia in January 2013,[18] and scored the winning goal in the 1–0 victory against South Africa.[19]

Personal life

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Elyounoussi was born in Al Hoceima, Morocco and he chose to represents the Norway national team. Elyounoussi is the cousin of Mohamed Elyounoussi, who is also a Norwegian international footballer.[20]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 30 September 2023[21][22][23][24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fredrikstad 2005 Tippeligaen 3 0 1 0 4 0
2006 25 5 6 4 31 9
2007 25 9 2 1 27 10
2008 16 6 3 1 5 3 24 10
Total 69 20 12 6 0 0 5 3 86 29
Heerenveen 2008–09 Eredivisie 20 2 1 0 5[c] 3 26 5
2009–10 9 0 2 0 2 0 13 0
2010–11 2 0 0 0 2 0
Total 31 2 3 0 0 0 7 3 41 5
Lillestrøm (loan) 2010 Tippeligaen 14 4 3 2 17 6
Fredrikstad 2011 Tippeligaen 28 13 4 2 32 15
2012 16 7 2 3 18 10
Total 44 20 6 5 0 0 50 25
Rosenborg 2012 Tippeligaen 11 0 0 0 7[d] 3 18 3
2013 13 6 4 3 17 9
Total 24 6 4 3 0 0 7 3 35 12
1899 Hoffenheim 2013–14 Bundesliga 21 0 4 0 25 0
2014–15 25 4 1 1 26 5
2015–16 6 0 1 0 7 0
Total 52 4 6 1 0 0 0 0 58 5
Olympiacos 2016–17 Super League Greece 23 4 4 0 9 3 36 7
Qarabağ (loan) 2017–18 Azerbaijan Premier League 4 0 1 0 3[e] 0 8 0
AIK 2018 Allsvenskan 25 8 5 3 4[d] 0 34 11
2019 27 11 6 5 6[f] 1 39 16
Total 52 19 11 7 0 0 11 1 73 27
Shonan Bellmare 2020 J1 League 20 1 2 0 22 1
2021 19 2 0 0 0 0 19 2
2022 31 1 1 0 5 0 37 1
2023 23 1 0 0 2 0 25 1
Total 93 5 1 0 9 0 0 0 103 5
Career total 406 83 50 24 9 0 41 13 506 120
  1. ^ Includes Norwegian Football Cup, KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal, Azerbaijan Cup, Svenska Cupen, Emperor's Cup
  2. ^ Includes J. League Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 7 June 2019[24]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2008 3 1
2009 0 0
2010 0 0
2011 1 0
2012 11 4
2013 13 2
2014 9 2
2015 2 0
2016 1 0
2017 6 0
2018 7 0
2019 7 1
Total 60 10
Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elyounoussi goal.[24]
List of international goals scored by Tarik Elyounoussi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 28 May 2008 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Uruguay 1–1 2–2 Friendly
2 15 January 2012 Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Denmark 1–1 1–1 2012 King's Cup
3 29 February 2012 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland   Northern Ireland 2–0 3–0 Friendly
4 2 June 2012 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Croatia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
5 16 October 2012 Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus   Cyprus 2–1 3–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 8 January 2013 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa   South Africa 1–0 1–0 Friendly
7 6 September 2013 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Cyprus 1–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 5 March 2014 Eden Arena, Prague, Czech Republic   Czech Republic 1–1 2–2 Friendly
9 13 October 2014 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Bulgaria 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
10 7 June 2019 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Romania 1–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

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Fredrikstad

SC Heerenveen

Olympiacos

AIK

Individual

  • Norwegian Young Player of the Year: 2006, 2007

References

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  1. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ "5. divisjonsklubb styrtrik på Tarik-salg". VG Nett (in Norwegian). 23 July 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Le Mans byr 30 mill. for Tarik". VG Nett (in Norwegian). 8 July 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Heerenveen make double swoop". UEFA.com. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Elyounoussi på vei til LSK" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten.no. 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Tarik har signert for Rosenborg" (in Norwegian). nrk.no. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Tarik og Mix ble presentert i pausen". adressa.no (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi solgt til Bundesliga-klubb" (in Norwegian). TV 2. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  9. ^ http://fussball90.com/english/Content/22153 [dead link]
  10. ^ "Δανεικός στην Καραμπάχ ο Ελιουνούσι" (in Greek). www.sdna.gr. 1 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Bryter kontraktet – är klar för AIK". www.expressen.se. 27 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Officiellt: AIK värvar Elyounoussi: "Vill tillhöra en klubb som vinner titlar"". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi klar for japansk klubb". TV2 (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Kawasaki-F 3:1 Shonan". JLeague. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  15. ^ "タリク選手 契約満了のお知らせ". Shonan Bellmare (in Japanese). 9 December 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  16. ^ "- Tarik kan være tredje raskeste debutant". aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 28 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  17. ^ "Elyounoussi reddet Norge: – Dette lover godt". vg.no (in Norwegian). VG. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Tarik blir landslagskaptein" (in Norwegian). NRK. Norwegian News Agency. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  19. ^ Busk, Martin (8 January 2013). "- Dette kan sende oss til VM" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  20. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi håper han møter fetteren Mohamed (16) til duell". tv2.no (in Norwegian). TV 2. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  21. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi". nifs.no (in Norwegian). A-pressen. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  22. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi". kicker.de (in German). Kicker (sports magazine). Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Tarik Elyounoussi". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  24. ^ a b c "Tarik Elyounoussi". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
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