Souffian El Karouani
Moroccan footballer (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Souffian El Karouani (Arabic: سفيان الكرواني; born 19 October 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Primeira Liga club Benfica, on loan from Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Morocco national team.
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El Karouani with Morocco in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 October 2000[1] | ||
| Place of birth | 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Benfica (on loan from Al-Qadsiah) | ||
| Number | 34 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2008 | TGG | ||
| 2008–2012 | Den Bosch | ||
| 2012–? | BVV | ||
| ?–2017 | Elinkwijk | ||
| 2017–2019 | NEC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | NEC | 104 | (5) |
| 2023–2026 | Utrecht | 97 | (4) |
| 2026– | Al-Qadsiah | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Benfica (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Morocco | 6 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:25, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Youth career
El Karouani played in the youth teams of TGG, Den Bosch,[3] BVV, Elinkwijk and NEC.[2]
NEC
2019–20 season
In 2019, he was promoted to NEC's first team.[4] He made his debut for the club on 9 August 2019, in the home match against FC Eindhoven which was lost 1–2.[2] El Karouani came on as a substitute for Anthony Musaba in the 68th minute. On 2 July 2020, he signed a one-year contract with NEC which included an option on another season.[5]
2020–21 season
In the 2020–21 season, he became the starting left back in an attacking NEC led by head coach Rogier Meijer.[3] On 3 October, El Karouani scored his first goal for the club in the home game against FC Eindhoven, which was won 6–0.[6] On 23 May 2021, El Karouani won promotion to the Eredivisie with NEC, by beating NAC Breda 1–2 in the final of the play-offs. He provided the assist to the winning goal by Jonathan Okita, which meant that the club returned to the highest Dutch division after an absence of four year.[7] He finished the season with 43 appearances in which he scored 3 goals, and his 8 assists were the most in the team.[1]
Utrecht
On 26 April 2023, El Karouani signed a three-year contract with Utrecht, set to commence from the 2023–24 season.[8]
Al-Qadsiah
On 4 June 2026, Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah signed El Karouani on a contract running until the summer of 2029.[9]
Loan to Benfica
Shortly after on 1 September 2026, Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah loaned El Karouani to Primeira Liga club Benfica ahead of the rest of the 2026-27 season which also includes a buy option.[10]
International career
Born in the Netherlands, El Karouani is Moroccan by descent. He debuted with the Morocco national team in a 3–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Guinea-Bissau on 9 October 2021.[11]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 May 2026[12]
| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| NEC | 2019–20 | Eerste Divisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[a] | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 33 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 3 | |||
| Total | 104 | 5 | 7 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 114 | 6 | |||
| Utrecht | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 1 | 49 | 4 | |
| Total | 97 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 118 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 201 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 232 | 12 | ||
- Season curtailed due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
- Appearance(s) in Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in European play-offs
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026[13]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |
Honours
Individual
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: May 2022,[14] November 2022,[15] March 2025,[16] April 2025[17]