Walid Birrou Essafi (born 6 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Philippines Football League club Kaya-Iloilo.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walid Birrou | ||
| Date of birth | September 6, 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kaya–Iloilo | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Gandía | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Oakland City University | 28 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | CD Teruel | ||
| 2018–2019 | Little Rock Rangers | ||
| 2019–2020 | Atlanta SC | ||
| 2020–2021 | Almagro | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | FC Wichita | ||
| 2021–2022 | Stade Marocain | ||
| 2022 | RB Keflavík | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Þróttur Vogum | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Njarðvík | 5 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Glacis United | 8 | (0) |
| 2024– | Kaya–Iloilo | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5:45, June 20, 2024 (UTC) | |||
Personal life
editBirrou was born in the city of Vilanova i la Geltrú in Spain and is of Moroccan heritage. He is the eldest of two brothers.[3][4]
Club career
editYouth and college career
editUntil the age of 19, Birrou played for the youth team of Gandía, before playing for lower league side CD Teruel while pursuing his studies.[3] From 2017 to 2018, he played football for Oakland City University, making 27 appearances in 2 seasons before graduating.[5][6][7]
Early club career
editAfter graduating, Birrou left Oakland and Teruel and signed for USL League Two side Little Rock Rangers, where he played for two seasons.[8][9][10] He transferred to Atlanta SC in 2019[4] before returning to Spain and sign with Almagro CF.[11][12][13]
After two seasons, he returned to the US to play for FC Wichita.[14] A year later, he played in the second tier of Morocco football, playing for Stade Marocain.[3]
Iceland and Gibraltar
editIn 2022 he left Stade Marocain and played for Icelandic side RB Keflavík.[15] He stayed with them for a short while before transferring to Þróttur Vogum in the same year.[16] In 2023, he signed with second-tier side Njarðvík.[17][18][19]
In August that year, he transferred to the Gibraltar Football League, signing for Glacis United where he made 8 appearances and kept 2 clean sheets.[20]
Kaya
editIn 2024, Birrou left Glacis United to join Filipino club Kaya–Iloilo, who were defending champions of the Philippines Football League.[21] [22][23] He made his first appearance and got his first clean sheet for the club in the opening match against United City.
Honours
editKaya–Iloilo
editReferences
edit- ^ Walid Birrou at Soccerway
- ^ "Walid Birrou - Global Sports Archive". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Del Amor, Jose (March 9, 2023). "Walid Birrou, nuevo guardameta del UMF Njardvík de la Segunda División de Islandia". Vavel. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the Atlanta SC Soccer Players - Get to Know Walid Birrou #73". Atlanta SC on YouTube. October 16, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Roster: Walid Birrou Essafi". Oakland Mighty Oaks. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "OCU Men's Soccer Setting Up Well for 2018 Season". Oakland Mighty Oaks. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Elmore, Austin (August 25, 2017). "Norse win opener in extra time". The Northerner. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ryan's Weekend Wrap Up 7/10-7/12". Protagonist Soccer. July 16, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Peacock, Benjamin (July 8, 2019). "LITTLE ROCK RANGERS FALL 2-0 TO DEMIZE NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Kubena, Brooks (July 12, 2018). "With 1-0 win at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock Rangers advance in playoffs". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Cochero, Cruz José (October 14, 2020). "Cambio radical en el Almagro CF para esta nueva temporada". Lanza Digital. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Fernández, Raúl (July 19, 2020). "Así están las plantillas de los provinciales de Tercera División". Lanza Digital. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "EL MERCADO EN 3ª DIVISIÓN ACTUALIZADO". Deporte Castilla La Mancha. September 26, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "FC WICHITA FALLS TO KAW VALLEY". FC Wichita. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ ÁSGEIRSSON, GUÐMUNDUR AÐALSTEINN (November 2, 2022). "NJARÐVÍK FÆR SPÆNSKAN MARKVÖRÐ (STAÐFEST)". Fotbolti. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Karlar: Félagaskiptin í íslenska fótboltanum - lokadagur". April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Spænskur markvörður til Njarðvíkur". Iceland Monitor. March 11, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Professional Rangers". Little Rock Rangers. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Þórhallsson, Runólfur Trausti (July 12, 2023). "Afturelding áfram taplaust". Visir. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "KOMNIR/FARNIR OG SAMNINGSLAUSIR Í LENGJUDEILDINNI". Fotbolti. April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kaya FC - Team Roster". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kaya-Iloilo 3-1 Manila Digger". Kaya FC. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Malihan, Drew (April 22, 2024). "Komaki lists hat-trick as Kaya blasts Maharlika, 10-1". Dugout PH. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
External links
edit- Walid Birrou at Soccerway