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Adel Taarabt

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Adel Taarabt
Taarabt playing for Morocco
Personal information
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Number 7
Youth career
2004–2006 Lens
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Lens 1 (0)
2006–2007 Lens B 14 (0)
2007–2010 Tottenham Hotspur 9 (0)
2009 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 7 (1)
2009–2010 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 41 (7)
2010– Queens Park Rangers 41 (17)
International career‡
2009– Morocco 8 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 March 2011
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 March 2011

Adel Taarabt (Arabic: عادل تعرابت) (born 24 May 1989) is a Moroccan footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as an Attacking Midfielder. He began his playing career in France at Lens before moving to English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. He was unable to break into the first team at Spurs under either Juande Ramos or Harry Redknapp and moved to QPR, initially on loan, in July 2009 and then permanently in August 2010. He quickly established himself at Loftus Road and was made Captain by manager Neil Warnock at the start of the 2010/11 season. He represented France at youth levels but opted to play for his native Morocco at senior level making his debut in February 2009.

Club career

Early career

Born in Taza, Morocco,[2] Taarabt grew up in Berre-l'Étang, France having moved there at the age of nine months. He began his career at Lens in 2004, and played 14 games for RC Lens B in the Championnat de France amateur.[3] He made one first team appearance for Lens during the 2006–07 season.[4]

Tottenham Hotspur

Taarabt signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a long-term loan on 2 January 2007 after the club offered to quickly integrate him into the first team to offer him maximum playing time.[5] Within two months he made his first senior appearance in a Tottenham shirt, entering as a 87th minute substitute against local rivals West Ham United, which ended as a 4–3 victory.[6] He made a second appearance in the 1–0 loss to Chelsea, again as a second half substitute, playing as a striker.

Tottenham signed Taarabt permanently on 8 June.[7] Upon signing for Tottenham he was hyped as the next Zinedine Zidane. He scored his first goal for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Stevenage Borough on 7 July. He made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season with Tottenham against Derby County in the 4–0 win on 18 August, which he entered at the 70th minute.

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Taarabt was not given a squad number by then manager Juande Ramos, though he was given his old number when Harry Redknapp took over team management.

On 13 March 2009, he joined Championship team Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season.[8] He scored his first goal for QPR in a 2–1 win over Bristol City.[9] His loan spell was cut short after he suffered a knee injury which required surgery.[10]

Taarabt rejoined QPR on a season-long loan for the 2009–10 season on 23 July 2009.[11] On 1 October, Taarabt scored a "wonder strike" in a match against Preston North End. He collected the ball on his chest inside the QPR half and dribbling 20 yards past three players and curled in a shot from 25 yards. This led Jim Magilton labelling Taarabt as a "genius" and the goal is seen as one of the Championship's finest.[12]

Tottenham confirmed in October 2009 that Taarabt could stay at QPR for the season providing that a Premier League club did not make a bid for him in the January transfer window.[13] QPR were unable to make the transfer a permanent one because they could not afford the £4.5 million valuation placed on Taarabt by Spurs.[14]

In March 2010, Taarabt was quoted in an interview as being sorry that he signed for Tottenham. He had said "The big mistake was to sign for Tottenham and not go to another club when I first came over". He stated that he wished he had signed for Arsenal instead but had opted for Spurs after Damien Comolli moved from being a scout at Arsenal to director of football at Spurs. He stated that he felt he would have been given more chances to play at Arsenal and was advised at the time not to sign for Spurs by his friends Armand Traore and Abou Diaby, who play for Arsenal.[15]

Taarabt went on to state his intention to sign for one of the top clubs in Spain "I hope to be playing for one of the top four in Spain next season — Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Sevilla. I have contact with good teams and I know that they want me. Now I just have to hope they can agree a deal with Tottenham."[15]

In January 2011, Taarabt was interviewed by the Evening Standard, in which he stated: "The man who took me to Tottenham was Damien Comolli, now at Liverpool. He was at Arsenal then. But, when I was going to go to Arsenal, he moved to Tottenham. He told me: 'Come to Tottenham. We want to do like they do at Arsenal and take the best young players in the world. You're going to have a better chance there.' I believed him. This was a mistake and I regret it. Tottenham tried to do it like Arsenal but it's a different culture. I would have had a better chance at Arsenal. I would progress with Arsene Wenger. He is a legend in France, one of the best managers in the world".[16]

Queens Park Rangers

Taarabt playing for Queens Park Rangers in 2011

Taarabt signed permanently for QPR on 4 August 2010 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1 million.[17] He scored his first goal as a permanent QPR player during the first game of QPR's 2010–11 Football League Championship campaign against Barnsley, a penalty during the 4–0 win on 7 August 2010.[18] Taarabt's performances for QPR during August 2010 earned him the Championship's Player of the Month award, as QPR topped the table.[19]

In August 2010, with club captain Martin Rowlands a long-term injury victim and stand-in captain Fitz Hall unavailable, Taarabt was named captain.[20] In December, manager Neil Warnock revealed that Taarabt would continue to serve as captain even after Hall's return from injury.[21]

By the end of February 2011, Adel had scored 15 Championship goals for the season.[22] The 15th was scored from the penalty spot in a 3–0 away win at Middlesbrough.[23]

International career

Taarabt represented France at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels, but opted to play for Morocco, saying "I felt the time was right when I was given this opportunity".[2] On 11 February 2009 Taarabt played his first international match with Morocco in a friendly against Czech Republic in Casablanca.[24] He also made an appearance on 29 March during Morocco's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 defeat against Gabon.

Taarabt scored his first international goal on his first start on 31 March 2009 in a friendly 2–0 victory over Angola.[25] On 6 September 2009 he scored his first goal in a competitive international match against Togo in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification after he broke through the opposing defence in stoppage time.[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of 20 March 2011
Club Season League Cups Europe[27] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
RC Lens 2006–07 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2006–07 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2007–08 6 0 1 0 3 0 10 0
2008–09 1 0 2 0 1 0 4 0
Total 9 0 3 0 4 0 16 0
Queens Park Rangers 2008–09 7 1 0 0 – 7 1
2009–10 41 7 3 0 – 44 7
2010–11 37 15 0 0 – 37 15
Total 85 23 3 0 0 0 88 23
Career Total 95 23 6 0 4 0 105 23

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 31 March 2009 Estádio do Restelo, Lisboa, Portugal  Angola 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 6 September 2009 Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo  Togo 1–1 1–1 2010 WCQ
3 10 October 2009 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon  Gabon 1–3 1–3 2010 WCQ

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Personal life

Taarabt is a Muslim and stated in an interview in June 2010 that this religion has had a significant impact on his life as a footballer:

"Being a Muslim has had a big impact on my professional life. As Muslims, we don't drink alcohol, we don't smoke, so essentially we've become healthier, more professional footballers because of our lifestyle. Before every game, I perform salah. Without it, I just don't feel confident. I make sure I pray after a match, too – to give thanks and be grateful for the stamina and strength God graced me with."[28]

Taarabt credits his parents with keeping his religion in his life, with his choice to play professional football.[28]

Honours

  • Championship Player of the Month: August 2010[29]
  • Football League Player of the Year: 2010-2011[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "Player profiles". Queens Park Rangers F.C. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  2. ^ a b "International ambition". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Adel Taarabt". Playerhistory. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  4. ^ "Adel TAARABT". Ligue de Football Professionnel. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  5. ^ "Tottenham sign midfielder Taarabt". BBC Sport. 2 January 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  6. ^ Fletcher, Paul (4 March 2007). "West Ham 3–4 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Tottenham agree deal for Taarabt". BBC Sport. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  8. ^ "QPR complete Taarabt loan swoop". BBC Sport. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  9. ^ "QPR 2–1 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  10. ^ Ley, John (28 April 2009). "Adel Taarabt returns to Tottenham from QPR loan needing knee surgery". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  11. ^ "Taarabt seals Loftus Road return". BBC Sport. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  12. ^ "QPR 4 Preston North End 0: Adel Taarabt's wonder strike inspires Rangers romp at Loftus Road". Daily Mail. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  13. ^ Warburton, Paul (22 October 2009). "QPR relieved after Spurs confirm Taarabt loan agreement". London Informer. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  14. ^ Butler, Jeremy (29 March 2010). "Preston 2–2 QPR: The Daily Mirror match report". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  15. ^ a b Bennett, Julian (18 March 2010). "Adel Taarabt's parting shot to Tottenham: I wish I had joined Arsenal". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  16. ^ Bose, Mihir (26 January 2011). "Neil Warnock's like a dad – I'm desperate to get QPR promoted, says Adel Taarabt". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  17. ^ "Queens Park Rangers sign Adel Taarabt from Tottenham". BBC Sport. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  18. ^ "QPR 4–0 Barnsley". BBC Online. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  19. ^ "QPR's Neil Warnock & Adel Taarabt scoop top awards". BBC Sport. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  20. ^ "Taarabt is captain marvel as QPR prove summit special". Mail on Sunday. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  21. ^ "Taarabt to keep armband". Sky Sports. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  22. ^ Bagchi, Rob (2 March 2011). "QPR's swashbuckling Adel Taarabt leads ranks of second division Caesars". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  23. ^ Harris, Bob (28 February 2011). "Middlesbrough 0 QPR 3". The Sun. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  24. ^ "Morocco and Czech Republic draw 0–0 in friendly". USA Today. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  25. ^ "International round-up". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  26. ^ "Togo and Morocco draw 1-1 in World Cup qualifier". USA Today. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  27. ^ Counts for appearances and goals at the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Supercup and UEFA Intertoto Cup. Including qualifying games.
  28. ^ a b "Adel Taarabt". Emel. June 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  29. ^ "QPR's Neil Warnock & Adel Taarabt scoop top awards". BBC Sport. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  30. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/9431137.stm. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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