Nabil Dirar

At 38 years old, Nabil Dirar has this physical status:

Nabil Dirar (born 25 February 1986) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays for Fenerbahçe and the Moroccan national team.

Personal life

Dirar was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and he died early: his father died as a child, leaving his mother, a housekeeper, and raising eleven children: seven sons and four sisters. His brothers helped his mother because of his mother's death.

After discovering that he skipped schools and exams, Dirar expressed his dissatisfaction with school. Despite this, Dirar continued to take auto mechanic's lessons for two years. Dirar is also a good friend with compatriot teammate Mbark Boussoufa. Dirar was fined and lost his driver's license for about fifteen days after parked his car on the bike path prior to his departure to AS Monaco in September 2012.

Dirar was born in 2011. Dirar became a father in 2012 after his wife gave birth to a daughter, Layana, causing him to drop his international duties for Morocco.

He is a Muslim.

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Club career

Dirar was born in Casablanca and began his career at RWD Molenbeek and Saint-Gilloise before moving to Diegem Sport in 2004, where he began his professional career. He scored two goals in 26 appearances during his two-year stint.

Dirar's performances attracted the attention of several clubs, including Westerlo, which won the fight against other clubs to sign him, and he was signed for three years, starting 1 July 2006.

Dirar made his Westerlo debut in the 2006–07 season, starting as a late replacement for Patrick Ogunsoto in a 2–1 loss against Roeselare. In the sixth round of the Belgia Cup, he scored his first Westerlo goal on October 21 in a 1–0 victory over Zaventem. In a 4–2 victory over Zulte Waregem on February 10, he had two assists in a 2–1 victory over Mons and did so again in a 2–1 victory over Mons on February 10, 2007, a second victory over the Zulte Waregem. Dirar scored his first Westerlo goal in the Belgian First Division in a 1–1 draw against Gent in the last match of the season. With 2 goals from 35 appearances in all leagues, he finished the 2006–07 season.

Dirar scored his first goal of the season on September 24, 2007, defeating Standard Liège by 2–1. He later scored two goals to help the team beat Roseselare 6–0 on October 20th. In a 7–2 win over RWDM Brussels on January 19, 2008, he scored one goal and helped two others. However, as the 2007–08 season progressed, he sustained injuries, restricting him to 25 appearances in all sports.

Dirar's appearances at Westerlo attracted attention from other clubs, including Ajax, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, and Standard Liège. In the end, he joined Club Brugge, signing a five-year deal on May 21.

Dirar joined the team the next day after signing for Club Brugge, alongside Joseph Akpala and Ronald Vargas. In a 4–1 victory over Tubize, he made his Club Brugge debut in the 2008–09 season, where he started and lasted the entire 90 minutes. He scored his first Club Brugge goal in the Bruges derby, a 3–1 victory over Cercle Brugge on October 19th, on his UEFA Cup debut against Swiss side Young Boys on September 18, 2008.

Dirar made his debut on his debut, then made three assists, one against Zulte Waregem and another against Kortrijk between 29 October 2008 and 1 November 2008, both of which were wins.

Dirar scored his second goal of the season on January 31, 2009, beating Tubize 3–1 and then providing three assists, which he did twice against Roeselare and Cercle Brugge between 28 February 2009 and March 2009. Both goals were also wins. In a 4–1 victory over Royal Excel Mouscron, he scored and set up two goals in his season's last match. He played for 40 goals and 11 times in all competitions during his first season with the club, finishing third behind Anderlecht and Standard Liège in the UEFA Europa League, so he qualified for the following season's UEFA Europa League.

Dirar was linked with a move to the English Premier League ahead of the 2009–10 season, with Tottenham Hotspur and Everton expressing an interest in signing him. Dirar, however, remained at the club, although shifts had been made, with manager Mathijssen and Dirar replacing him with Adrie Koster and Dirar being forced to compete with new signing Ivan Periii. Despite this, Dirar scored and set up a goal in the season's first match, a 2–1 victory over Charleroi. He spat at opposition player Yoni Buyens, who was unveiled by the referee in a 3–2 victory over KV Mechelen on August 15, 2009, but was caught on television. He was banned from five matches immediately after three were in place, three on immediate effect, and two on the season's last match. However, his ban was limited to two matches following an appeal from the club. Dirar was suspended by the club and was transferred to the reserve team at the same time due to a delay in training.

Dirar made his return to the first team in the UEFA Europa League on October 1st in a 2–2 draw with Toulouse. After being late for training in mid-November, he was dropped from the squad against Charleroi and, as punishment, trained alone. In a 4–1 victory over Kortrijk on December 30, he rejoined the first team and scored his second goal of the season (as well as setting up another). Dirar sustained an injury in early February that kept him out throughout February and early March. He was involved in the transfer of club captain Stijn Stijnen to the club.

Dirar returned to the first team in a 4–1 victory over Beerschot on March 21, 2010. He scored two goals in that match. He scored two goals in two matches against Anderlecht and Gent on March 3 and 11 April respectively, a week later. In 42 appearances in all leagues, he had 4 goals and 11 assists during the 2009-2010 season.

Dirar signed a new deal with Club Brugge that will run until 2014. However, he was returned to the reserve team for two weeks after he failed to attend the fan day but said he did not attend because he was sick. Dirar was sent back to the reserve team for three weeks after fouling Tiko, possibly resulting in a red card; as a result, he was suspended in the second half.

In a 2–1 victory over Sint-Truidense after a three-week absence, he was promoted to the first team and scored his first goal of the season. In a 4–3 victory over Westerlo in the upcoming match, he scored his second goal. Dirar scored one of the goal against Gent on December 26, but then was dismissed by the eventual 2–0 win. He was banned from two matches after the match. In a 5–0 victory over Charleroi on December 29th, with just one-match suspension, he rejoined the first team and scored and assisted another goal.

Dirar was involved in a 2–1 win over Lokeren on February 21, 2011, when he competed with teammate Ivan Perii over who should get a free kick; Peri Peri scored but Dirar refused to celebrate. After a 4–1 victory over Kortrijk on March 12th when he was involved in a match with a teammate over who should take a free kick this time, Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe was sent to the reserve team for the third time this season. Following the incident, Club Brugge supporters booed him, causing him to yell at the supporters with offensive gestures. He had been asked by boss Koster to leave the field to avoid exacerbating the situation. During a press conference, Dirar apologized to the club and Odjidja-Ofoe, saying his conduct was intolerable.

Dirar was sent back to the first team a few weeks later, just weeks before the season of the playoffs, and he continued to play in all of Brugge's playoff matches. In 40 appearances in all competitions, he finished the 2010-11 season with 3 goals and 11 assists. He signed a deal with the club at the end of the season, which will keep him in force until 2016.

Dirar was one of the team's most active players during the 2011-2012 season, leading all assists for Club Brugge (11). He started the season well when scoring his first European goal in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifying phase over Qaraba's 4–1 win over Qaraba, and then went on to advance to the next round despite losing 1–0 in the return leg. In a 2–0 victory over Maribor, Dirar scored again in the Europa League group stage and set up another. In a 2–1 victory over Lokeren on September 18, he followed this by scoring his first league goal of the season, as well as setting up another goal. He scored seven goals in six appearances, including against Gent, Genk, Standard Liège, Cercle Brugge, and scoring a brace against Maribor in the Europa League between October 26th and the 30th November.

Dirar was linked with a departure from Club Brugge in the January transfer window. Monaco made a bid for him, but he ended up not playing against RAEC Mons on January 29, 2012 due to a hip injury.

Dirar joined Ligue 2 side Monaco for a €7.5 million transfer fee, the most money ever received by the club Brugge. When he arrived at Monaco, he said that leaving Club Brugge for Monaco was a bid he could not refuse, even though he expressed an apology to manager Christoph Daum.

Dirar made his Monaco debut on February 13, 2012, after being drafted as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Bastia. In a 2–1 victory over Stade Lavallois, nine days later, he scored his first goal for the team on February 24th. In the 2011–12 season, he scored two more goals against Châteauroux and Istres. Dirar scored 3 goals in all competitions in the first half of the 2011–12 season.

Dirar began the season well for the club in the 2012–13 season, winning by a score in a 4–0 victory over Tours in the first match of the domestic season. In a 1–0 victory over Lens on February 25, 2013, he scored his first goal of the season. He scored on his return from two matches against Angers on March 15 in a 2–2 draw. In a 4–0 victory over Clermont on Tuesday, he scored a goal and an assist. Dirar helped the club win promotion to Ligue 1 after a two-year absence from top-flight football. He ruptured his cruciate ligaments on May 24, 2013 in the last match of the 2012–13 season. Following the match, it was announced that he would be out for six months due to a Cruciate ligament injury. He had 3 goals from 37 appearances in all leagues during the 2012-2013 season.

Dirar recovered his injury during the 2013–14 season, and after seven months on the sidelines, he returned to training from injury in January 2014. He didn't return from the first team until February 1, 2014, where he came as a substitute for James Rodrez in the 62nd minute in a 2–2 draw against Lorient. Dirar then scored his first goal of the season on May 10 in a 2–1 victory over Valenciennes. He had 1 goal in 13 appearances in 2013-14 across all competitions.

Dirar began the Ligue 1 season with a 2–1 loss to Lorient in the 2014–15 season. It came after new boss Leonardo Jardim began putting Dirar at a right-back position during the pre-season. Dirar scored his first goal for the club on September 21 in a 1–0 victory over Guingamp after missing just one match due to an ankle injury. Lucas Ocampos set up a goal for Lucas Ocampos to score the only goal in a UEFA Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen, a 1–0 victory on November 26.

Dirar made his first team return to action in the second half after a shinbone injury at the start of 2015, defeating Nantes 1–0. Following Jérémy Toulalan's absence in the Champions League knockout stage in the first leg, he captained Monaco for the first time. In a 3–1 victory over Stade de Reims, he scored his second goal of the season. In a 4–1 victory over Toulouse on May 3, 2014, Dirar suffered an injury and was sent-off as the 2014-15 season progressed. With 2 goals from 41 appearances in all competitions, he ended the 2014–15 season.

Dirar appeared in all seven games during the 2015-16 season, both in the Pro League and UEFA Europa League qualifying stages. However, he sustained an ankle injury in late August and was sidelined for several weeks. He returned to his first team on September 24, 2015, after four weeks of injury in a 3–2 victory over Montpellier, where he set up one of his team's goals, as well as scoring his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against Guingamp. However, he stayed sidelined, including another ankle injury.

Dirar scored one goal in a 2–1 victory over Bastia on December 5th, his first team return from the country. In the second half of a 1–0 victory over Nice on February 6, 2016, he was short-lived after recovering from another injury. It was originally a three-match suspension, but it was later extended to eight matches on March 4th.

Dirar returned to the first team on April 10 in a 4–1 loss to Lille after serving the suspension. In a 3–2 win over Guingamp on March 30, he scored his second goal of the season. He finished the 2015–16 season with 2 goals from 24 appearances in all leagues.

Dirar began the season with two assists to help the club beat Fenerbahçe to advance to the next round of the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. He was named captain of the 2016–17 Ligue 1 opener against Guingamp; he had an assist in the 2–2 draw. After defeating the Spaniards 3–1 on aggregate, he went on to captain two more games, including against Villarreal, which guaranteed promotion to the group stage. During a Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur, he sustained a calf injury, which kept him sidelined for six weeks.

Dirar returned to the first team in a 4–0 victory over Marseille on November 26, 2016, bringing him as a second-half replacement. He captained the team again on matchday 6 of the Champions League, a 3–0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen two weeks after returning to the first team. In the next match, a 7–0 win over Rennes in the Coupe de la Ligue round 16 a few days later, he captained the team. Dirar scored an equalizer after being sidelined on three occasions due to international service and injuries in a 2–1 victory over Dijon on April 15, 2017. He sustained an injury during a warm-up match against Juventus, effectively ending his season. Dirar was among three players (including Danijel Subai and Andrea Raggi) who have won both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in the last four seasons, and the club won the league for the first time since 2000. He scored 1 goal from 33 appearances in 2016-17 in all competitions.

Dirar expressed the desire to leave Monaco in May 2017 to start a new adventure. Dirar quit Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe for a €4.5 million transfer fee, according to the club's website on June 16, 2017; he did not sign a three-year deal with a option for an additional year.

International career

Dirar is both Belgian and Moroccan national, making him eligible to play for either national team or not. Since being left out of the Morocco squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, he considered playing for the Belgium after being left out of the Morocco squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

After refusing to accept Morocco's invitation, Dirar first announced that he did not want to play for the Belgium national football team. However, he was ineligible to play for Belgium due to his appearances for the Moroccan youth team. He declared his intention to play for Morocco two months later. He had previously stated that he liked himself more Moroccan than Belgian.

Dirar earned his first cap for the Morocco in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Mauritania on October 11, 2008. Since being left out of the squad, his international career was in jeopardy. He later admitted that he did not get to know then Morocco Manager Roger Lemerre, who claims Lemerre treated him like a dog. Dirar was welcomed back to the national team following Lemerre's dismissal. He was called up by Manager Eric Gerets for the Africa Cup of Nations in February 2012, but he turned down the bid, feeling that Gerets would not be requiring him for the national team squad.

Dirar returned to his national team after a six-year absence in a 1–0 loss to Uruguay on March 28, 2015. It was his first appearance since being banned.

He was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in May 2018.

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