Nabil Dirar

Nabil Dirar

200px Nabil Dirar in the shirt of Morocco
Personal information
Full name	Nabil Dirar
Date of birth	(1986-02-25) 25 February 1986
Place of birth	Casablanca, Morocco
Height
Position(s)	Left winger
Team information
Current team	Monaco
Number	7
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2006	Diegem Sport	26	(2)
2006–2008	Westerlo	57	(3)
2008–2012	Club Brugge	99	(18)
2012–	Monaco	111	(11)
International career‡
2007	Morocco U23	2	(1)
2008–	Morocco	14	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:31, 30 April 2016 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 October 2015

Nabil Dirar (Arabic: نبيل ضرار‎‎, born 25 February 1986) is a Moroccan footballer who currently plays for Monaco and the Moroccan national team.

Career

Early career

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Dirar began his football career in Belgium with various clubs situated in Brussels. Dirar played for the R. White Daring Molenbeek and R.U. Saint-Gilloise as a young player. Dirar's professional career started in 2004 when he signed at K. Diegem Sport, making 26 appearances and scoring twice over the course of two years. His performance drew the attention of many clubs, with eventually Westerlo and then a Belgian first division club signing him in 2006.

Westerlo

Dirar, as a newcomer in the Belgian Pro League in Westerlo, soon became a strong player for the team. His positional and technical abilities led Dirar to being compared to his Moroccan countryman Mbark Boussoufa, who won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2006. Like Boussoufa who joined Belgian giant Anderlecht after coming from K.A.A. Gent, Dirar was in doubt but stayed at Westerlo for two more years before joining Club Brugge at the end of the 2007–08 season.

Club Brugge

In 2008, Dirar joined Club Brugge alongside Joseph Akpala and Ronald Vargas, where Jacky Mathijssen was serving as the trainer. Dirar, whose playing style is sometimes compared to that of an indoor footballer, received more playing time and opportunities under Mathijssen. In his first season at the club, Club Brugge finished third behind Standard Liège and Anderlecht and qualified for the Europa League. Things started to change when Mathijssen's contract at Brugge wasn't renewed and he was replaced by Adrie Koster.

Prior to the 2009–10 season the club bought Ivan Perišić, who plays the same position as Dirar. Koster put Dirar on the left and Perišić on the right wing. Under Koster, Dirar was an important player in the team, but he increasingly stood out by his behaviour on and off the pitch. In the match between Brugge and KV Mechelen, Dirar allegedly spat on the face of opposing player Yoni Buyens, for which Dirar received a two-match ban. In September 2009, Dirar was sent to the reserve team due to his tardiness at training. Furthermore, he was frequently involved in altercations with teammates, such as a training incident with the club captain Stijn Stijnen and refusing to celebrate with Perišić after he scored from a free kick that Dirar wanted.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, Dirar was again sent to the reserve side for two weeks because he didn't show up at a fan day. However, Dirar countered that he didn't show up because he was ill. Following an abysmal loss against Lokeren on 23 October, Dirar was again sent to the reserve side for three weeks. After an impressive performance in the reserve squad, Koster reinstated Dirar as a first team player, and he managed to regain a starting position. In March 2011, during a home match against K.V. Kortrijk, Dirar was again involved in altercations with teammate Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe following a dispute over who should take a free kick. After the incident fans booed at Dirar, who responded with obscene gestures. In order to defuse the situation, Koster then ordered Dirar off the pitch, causing Club Brugge to end the game, which was won 4 goals to 1 with 10 players. A few weeks later, before the start of the playoffs, Koster reinstated Dirar again to the first team. Also in the 2010–11 season, Dirar took up the vacant number 10 shirt following Wesley Sonck's move to Lierse.

During the turbulent first half of the 2011–12 season, which saw Koster being replaced by Christoph Daum, Dirar received regular playing time. With his numerous assists, Dirar was one of the most productive players during that period. In the UEFA Europa League, on matchday 5 against the Slovenian team NK Maribor, Dirar scored two goals in a 4–3 comeback win.

AS Monaco

On 31 January 2012, Dirar joined Monaco for a transfer fee of €7.5m, the highest transfer fee ever received by Club Brugge. Dirar made his debut on 13 February, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss against Bastia. Nine days later on 24 February, Dirar scored his first goal for the team in a 2–1 win over Stade Lavallois. He would score one goal each against Châteauroux and Istres, becoming the first player to score the club's third goal in the match that season, with a 3–2 win. Dirar mainly played the left midfield position, although he played once in right midfield position under manager Marco Simone. Claudio Ranieri would succeed the sacked Simone and under Ranieri, Dirar would retain his first team status and playing at the left wing position. During the 2012–13 season, which saw AS Monaco competing for promotion, Dirar retained his status as a starting player. On 24 May 2013, in the final game of the 2012–13 season, Dirar ruptured his cruciate ligaments.

International career

Dirar holds both Belgian and Moroccan nationality. He announced his intention to play for the Belgium national football team after he decided to decline Morocco's offer. However, Dirar was ineligible to play for Belgium due to his appearances for the Moroccan youth squad. He was a member of the Olympic (U23) national team and he made his first cap for the Moroccan national football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Mauritania on 11 October 2008.

External links

• Nabil Dirar at National-Football-Teams.com