Marouane Fellaini
Encyclopedia
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and the Belgium national football team. Fellaini is of Moroccan
Moroccan people
The Moroccan people are a people that share a common Moroccan culture, ancestry and speak the Moroccan variant of the Arabic language or a Berber language as a mother tongue....

 descent
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

.

Early career

Born in Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....

, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Fellaini began playing football at the age of 7 for Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

. In his first season at Anderlecht's Academy, he scored 26 goals and in his second he scored 37. He was at the club's academy until the age of 10 when he joined Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons is a Belgian football club based in Mons, Belgium. The team was promoted to the Belgian Jupiler League recently on 29 May 2011 after beating Waasland-Beveren in a "Winner-Take-All" Test match of the Final Tour of the Belgian second division and has Re-Joined the Top Belgian League...

. Three years later, he joined R. Francs Borains
R. Francs Borains
Royal Boussu Dour Borinage is a Belgian association football club based in Boussu in the province of Hainault. They have been playing in the Belgian Second Division since 2009–10. R. Boussu Dour Borinage were formerly known as Royal Francs Borains up until the start of the 2008–09 season...

 before leaving the club when he signed for Sporting Charleroi
R. Charleroi S.C.
Sporting du Pays de Charleroi is a Belgian football club based in the city of Charleroi, in the province of Hainaut. Charleroi plays in the Belgian Pro League and their current spell at the highest level in Belgian football has started in the 1985–86 season...

. At the age of 17, he signed his first permanent contract with Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....

. Between 2006 and 2008, he made 84 appearances for the club, scoring 11 times. He is known for his heading ability and stamina, which made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Belgian First Division and resulted in him winning the Ebony Shoe
Belgian Ebony Shoe
The Belgian Ebony Shoe is a football award given annually to the best African player in the Belgian Pro League. The jury is composed of the coaches of Jupiler League clubs, the Belgian national team manager, sport journalists, and honorary juror...

 in 2008, an award given to the best player of the season of African descent.

Everton

After rejected advances from Manchester United and following reported interest from Aston Villa, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 and Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

, Fellaini signed for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 in September 2008 on a five-year deal from Standard Liège for an initial transfer fee of £15 million (a record for a Belgian player and a club record for Everton). He made his Everton debut in a 3–2 away victory at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 on 14 September 2008, and scored his first goal for the team against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 in a 2–2 home draw on 5 October 2008. At the end of the 2008–09 season Fellaini was named Everton's Young Player of the Season.
In his time in England he has become well known for his large "afro" hair, becoming a cult hero with Everton fans regularly sporting afro wigs as a homage to Fellaini. Fellaini was deployed as a Second striker during the 2008–09 season, when Everton had all of their forwards out injured, usually playing behind another midfielder being used as an attacker, Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...

. After a degree of inconsistency in the attacking position and after this time of injury crisis had calmed and Everton signed
Jo
JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

, Fellaini reverted to play a key role in his favoured defensive midfield area. His performances in late 2009 and early 2010 became so impressive that David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 labelled him "as good as anyone in the league", and he re-iterated this after Fellaini won Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 against Manchester City on January 16, in this match he showed off incredible passing ability, tackling and forward play. Fellaini was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the Merseyside Derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

 on 6 February after a two footed tackle by Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...

, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Fellaini suffered an ankle injury in the F.A Cup replay victory against Chelsea on February 19 and although he was able to play in the 2-0 win against Sunderland a week later, Everton confirmed he had to undergo surgery on the injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2010/11 season. Speculation had increased that a number of top European clubs were preparing a bid for the midfielder, but Fellaini stated that he would like to stay with Everton. The club announced that Fellaini opened new contract negotiations in early April, 2011.

Fellaini made his return from injury in a pre-season friendly against Bury on July 15, 2011. On Saturday 20 August 2011, Fellaini came on for Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford is an English footballer who plays for Leicester City as a striker. He started his career as a trainee at Chelsea...

 in the 63rd minute in a 1-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

. On Saturday 1 October 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes in the Merseyside derby with Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 in a 2-0 defeat in the Barclays Premier League.

International career


Fellaini was eligible to play for Belgium or Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...

. Having already played for Belgium at youth level, he chose to continue representing the country of his birth. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 defeat against Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualification.

Fellaini also represented the U-23 team at the 2008 Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

 and achieved 4th place, losing to Brazil.

International goals

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.


# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2007–03–24 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

1–1 1–2 2008 Euro Qualifying
2 2008–10–11 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–0 2–0 2010 World Cup Qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 5
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 5 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised European champions Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia....

3 2009–11–15 Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Gentbrugge, Ghent, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.A.A. Gent. The stadium holds 12,919 and was built in 1920. It is due to be replaced by the new Arteveldestadion in 2010. The people of Ghent...

, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

1–0 3–0 Friendly
4 2010–10–12 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–2 4–4 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...

5 2011–10–11 Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

1–3 1–3 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...


Personal life

Fellaini was born to Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 parents from Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

 and brought up in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

. His father, Abdellatif, was a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir
Hassania Agadir
Hassania Union Sport Agadir is a Moroccan football club based in Agadir.The club was founded in 1946. They play their home games at Stade Al Inbiaâte.-Honours:*Moroccan League First Division: 2*Coupe du Trône: 0...

 who signed for Racing Mechelen but was unable to play as his former Moroccan club refused to release his paperwork. Instead of returning home, he opted to become a bus driver for STIB.

Club

As of 26 November 2011
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and the Belgium national football team. Fellaini is of Moroccan
Moroccan people
The Moroccan people are a people that share a common Moroccan culture, ancestry and speak the Moroccan variant of the Arabic language or a Berber language as a mother tongue....

 descent
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

.

Early career

Born in Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....

, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Fellaini began playing football at the age of 7 for Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

. In his first season at Anderlecht's Academy, he scored 26 goals and in his second he scored 37. He was at the club's academy until the age of 10 when he joined Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons is a Belgian football club based in Mons, Belgium. The team was promoted to the Belgian Jupiler League recently on 29 May 2011 after beating Waasland-Beveren in a "Winner-Take-All" Test match of the Final Tour of the Belgian second division and has Re-Joined the Top Belgian League...

. Three years later, he joined R. Francs Borains
R. Francs Borains
Royal Boussu Dour Borinage is a Belgian association football club based in Boussu in the province of Hainault. They have been playing in the Belgian Second Division since 2009–10. R. Boussu Dour Borinage were formerly known as Royal Francs Borains up until the start of the 2008–09 season...

 before leaving the club when he signed for Sporting Charleroi
R. Charleroi S.C.
Sporting du Pays de Charleroi is a Belgian football club based in the city of Charleroi, in the province of Hainaut. Charleroi plays in the Belgian Pro League and their current spell at the highest level in Belgian football has started in the 1985–86 season...

. At the age of 17, he signed his first permanent contract with Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....

. Between 2006 and 2008, he made 84 appearances for the club, scoring 11 times. He is known for his heading ability and stamina, which made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Belgian First Division and resulted in him winning the Ebony Shoe
Belgian Ebony Shoe
The Belgian Ebony Shoe is a football award given annually to the best African player in the Belgian Pro League. The jury is composed of the coaches of Jupiler League clubs, the Belgian national team manager, sport journalists, and honorary juror...

 in 2008, an award given to the best player of the season of African descent.

Everton

After rejected advances from Manchester United and following reported interest from Aston Villa, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 and Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

, Fellaini signed for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 in September 2008 on a five-year deal from Standard Liège for an initial transfer fee of £15 million (a record for a Belgian player and a club record for Everton). He made his Everton debut in a 3–2 away victory at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 on 14 September 2008, and scored his first goal for the team against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 in a 2–2 home draw on 5 October 2008. At the end of the 2008–09 season Fellaini was named Everton's Young Player of the Season.
In his time in England he has become well known for his large "afro" hair, becoming a cult hero with Everton fans regularly sporting afro wigs as a homage to Fellaini. Fellaini was deployed as a Second striker during the 2008–09 season, when Everton had all of their forwards out injured, usually playing behind another midfielder being used as an attacker, Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...

. After a degree of inconsistency in the attacking position and after this time of injury crisis had calmed and Everton signed
Jo
JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

, Fellaini reverted to play a key role in his favoured defensive midfield area. His performances in late 2009 and early 2010 became so impressive that David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 labelled him "as good as anyone in the league", and he re-iterated this after Fellaini won Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 against Manchester City on January 16, in this match he showed off incredible passing ability, tackling and forward play. Fellaini was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the Merseyside Derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

 on 6 February after a two footed tackle by Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...

, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Fellaini suffered an ankle injury in the F.A Cup replay victory against Chelsea on February 19 and although he was able to play in the 2-0 win against Sunderland a week later, Everton confirmed he had to undergo surgery on the injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2010/11 season. Speculation had increased that a number of top European clubs were preparing a bid for the midfielder, but Fellaini stated that he would like to stay with Everton. The club announced that Fellaini opened new contract negotiations in early April, 2011.

Fellaini made his return from injury in a pre-season friendly against Bury on July 15, 2011. On Saturday 20 August 2011, Fellaini came on for Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford is an English footballer who plays for Leicester City as a striker. He started his career as a trainee at Chelsea...

 in the 63rd minute in a 1-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

. On Saturday 1 October 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes in the Merseyside derby with Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 in a 2-0 defeat in the Barclays Premier League.

International career


Fellaini was eligible to play for Belgium or Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...

. Having already played for Belgium at youth level, he chose to continue representing the country of his birth. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 defeat against Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualification.

Fellaini also represented the U-23 team at the 2008 Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

 and achieved 4th place, losing to Brazil.

International goals

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.


# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2007–03–24 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

1–1 1–2 2008 Euro Qualifying
2 2008–10–11 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–0 2–0 2010 World Cup Qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 5
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 5 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised European champions Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia....

3 2009–11–15 Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Gentbrugge, Ghent, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.A.A. Gent. The stadium holds 12,919 and was built in 1920. It is due to be replaced by the new Arteveldestadion in 2010. The people of Ghent...

, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

1–0 3–0 Friendly
4 2010–10–12 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–2 4–4 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...

5 2011–10–11 Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

1–3 1–3 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...


Personal life

Fellaini was born to Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 parents from Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

 and brought up in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

. His father, Abdellatif, was a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir
Hassania Agadir
Hassania Union Sport Agadir is a Moroccan football club based in Agadir.The club was founded in 1946. They play their home games at Stade Al Inbiaâte.-Honours:*Moroccan League First Division: 2*Coupe du Trône: 0...

 who signed for Racing Mechelen but was unable to play as his former Moroccan club refused to release his paperwork. Instead of returning home, he opted to become a bus driver for STIB.

Club

As of 26 November 2011
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and the Belgium national football team. Fellaini is of Moroccan
Moroccan people
The Moroccan people are a people that share a common Moroccan culture, ancestry and speak the Moroccan variant of the Arabic language or a Berber language as a mother tongue....

 descent
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

.

Early career

Born in Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....

, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Fellaini began playing football at the age of 7 for Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

. In his first season at Anderlecht's Academy, he scored 26 goals and in his second he scored 37. He was at the club's academy until the age of 10 when he joined Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons
R.A.E.C. Mons is a Belgian football club based in Mons, Belgium. The team was promoted to the Belgian Jupiler League recently on 29 May 2011 after beating Waasland-Beveren in a "Winner-Take-All" Test match of the Final Tour of the Belgian second division and has Re-Joined the Top Belgian League...

. Three years later, he joined R. Francs Borains
R. Francs Borains
Royal Boussu Dour Borinage is a Belgian association football club based in Boussu in the province of Hainault. They have been playing in the Belgian Second Division since 2009–10. R. Boussu Dour Borinage were formerly known as Royal Francs Borains up until the start of the 2008–09 season...

 before leaving the club when he signed for Sporting Charleroi
R. Charleroi S.C.
Sporting du Pays de Charleroi is a Belgian football club based in the city of Charleroi, in the province of Hainaut. Charleroi plays in the Belgian Pro League and their current spell at the highest level in Belgian football has started in the 1985–86 season...

. At the age of 17, he signed his first permanent contract with Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....

. Between 2006 and 2008, he made 84 appearances for the club, scoring 11 times. He is known for his heading ability and stamina, which made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Belgian First Division and resulted in him winning the Ebony Shoe
Belgian Ebony Shoe
The Belgian Ebony Shoe is a football award given annually to the best African player in the Belgian Pro League. The jury is composed of the coaches of Jupiler League clubs, the Belgian national team manager, sport journalists, and honorary juror...

 in 2008, an award given to the best player of the season of African descent.

Everton

After rejected advances from Manchester United and following reported interest from Aston Villa, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 and Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

, Fellaini signed for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 in September 2008 on a five-year deal from Standard Liège for an initial transfer fee of £15 million (a record for a Belgian player and a club record for Everton). He made his Everton debut in a 3–2 away victory at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 on 14 September 2008, and scored his first goal for the team against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 in a 2–2 home draw on 5 October 2008. At the end of the 2008–09 season Fellaini was named Everton's Young Player of the Season.
In his time in England he has become well known for his large "afro" hair, becoming a cult hero with Everton fans regularly sporting afro wigs as a homage to Fellaini. Fellaini was deployed as a Second striker during the 2008–09 season, when Everton had all of their forwards out injured, usually playing behind another midfielder being used as an attacker, Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...

. After a degree of inconsistency in the attacking position and after this time of injury crisis had calmed and Everton signed
Jo
JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

, Fellaini reverted to play a key role in his favoured defensive midfield area. His performances in late 2009 and early 2010 became so impressive that David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 labelled him "as good as anyone in the league", and he re-iterated this after Fellaini won Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 against Manchester City on January 16, in this match he showed off incredible passing ability, tackling and forward play. Fellaini was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the Merseyside Derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

 on 6 February after a two footed tackle by Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...

, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

Fellaini suffered an ankle injury in the F.A Cup replay victory against Chelsea on February 19 and although he was able to play in the 2-0 win against Sunderland a week later, Everton confirmed he had to undergo surgery on the injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2010/11 season. Speculation had increased that a number of top European clubs were preparing a bid for the midfielder, but Fellaini stated that he would like to stay with Everton. The club announced that Fellaini opened new contract negotiations in early April, 2011.

Fellaini made his return from injury in a pre-season friendly against Bury on July 15, 2011. On Saturday 20 August 2011, Fellaini came on for Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford is an English footballer who plays for Leicester City as a striker. He started his career as a trainee at Chelsea...

 in the 63rd minute in a 1-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

. On Saturday 1 October 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes in the Merseyside derby with Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

 in a 2-0 defeat in the Barclays Premier League.

International career


Fellaini was eligible to play for Belgium or Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...

. Having already played for Belgium at youth level, he chose to continue representing the country of his birth. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 defeat against Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualification.

Fellaini also represented the U-23 team at the 2008 Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

 and achieved 4th place, losing to Brazil.

International goals

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.


# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2007–03–24 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

1–1 1–2 2008 Euro Qualifying
2 2008–10–11 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–0 2–0 2010 World Cup Qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 5
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 5 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised European champions Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia....

3 2009–11–15 Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion
Jules Ottenstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Gentbrugge, Ghent, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.A.A. Gent. The stadium holds 12,919 and was built in 1920. It is due to be replaced by the new Arteveldestadion in 2010. The people of Ghent...

, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

1–0 3–0 Friendly
4 2010–10–12 Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

2–2 4–4 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...

5 2011–10–11 Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

1–3 1–3 2012 Euro Qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
This page shows the standings and results for Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...


Personal life

Fellaini was born to Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 parents from Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

 and brought up in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

. His father, Abdellatif, was a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir
Hassania Agadir
Hassania Union Sport Agadir is a Moroccan football club based in Agadir.The club was founded in 1946. They play their home games at Stade Al Inbiaâte.-Honours:*Moroccan League First Division: 2*Coupe du Trône: 0...

 who signed for Racing Mechelen but was unable to play as his former Moroccan club refused to release his paperwork. Instead of returning home, he opted to become a bus driver for STIB.

Club

As of 26 November 2011

|-
|2006–07
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Standard Liege
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....


| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Belgian First Division
||30||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||30||3
|-
|2007–08
||30||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||30||6
|-
! colspan="3" | Standard Liege
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....


!60||9||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||60||9
|-

|-
|2008–09
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...


| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|Premier League
|30||8||4||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||35||9
|-
|2009–10
|23||2||2||0||2||0||7||1||34||3
|-
|2010–11
|20||1||3||1||2||1||colspan="2"|-||25||3
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...


|11||1||0||0||3||1||colspan="2"|-||14||2
|-
! colspan="3" | Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...


!84||12||9||2||8||2||7||1||108||17
|-
! colspan="3" | Career Total
!144||21||9||2||8||2||7||1||168||26

External links

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