Zakaria El Ouahdi
Moroccan footballer (born 2001)
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Zakaria El Ouahdi (Moroccan Arabic: زكرياء الواحدي;[1] born 31 December 2001), is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger or a right-back for Belgian Pro League club Genk. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Morocco national team.
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El Ouahdi playing for Morocco at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 December 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hoboken, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Genk | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Beerschot VAC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2018 | Zulte Waregem | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Manchester IFA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | K. Berchem Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | K. Rupel Boom | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | RWD Molenbeek | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | RWD Molenbeek | 51 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Genk | 83 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Morocco U23 | 20 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Morocco | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
El Ouahdi was born in Hoboken in the Antwerp Province in a family of eight children. His parents are of Moroccan descent.[2]
Club career
In June 2021, El Ouadhi joined the under-21 side of RWD Molenbeek.[3] After good performances, El Ouadhi was regularly invited to train with the first team, and was awarded his first professional contract on 9 September 2021.[4]
On 14 August 2021, he made his professional debut in Challenger Pro League in RWD Molenbeek's 3–1 victory against Royal Excel Mouscron.[citation needed] On 3 October, he scored his first goal in professional, awarding a 2–1 win for his club against Deinze.[citation needed]
On 12 March 2023, El Ouadhi scored his first career hattrick against Club NXT, offering an important 3–2 win for RWD Molenbeek for their fight for promotion.[5][6] He terminated the 2022–23 season by winning the league with RWD Molenbeek and gained a promotion to the Jupiler Pro League.[7][8] El Ouadhi named was as Molenbeek's player of the season and figured in the league's best XI of the season.[9]
On 5 September 2023, El Ouahdi signed for Genk on an initial three-year deal with the option for a further twelve months.[10]
International career
Holding both Belgian and Moroccan citizenship, El Ouadhi chose to represent Morocco in international level. On 9 June 2023, he was called up by coach Issame Charaï in Morocco U-23 squad for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.[11] El Ouadhi appeared in four out of five matches during the tournament, and scored one goal against Mali U-23 in the semi-final match.[12] Morocco U-23 won the tournament as El Ouadhi figured in the competition's team of the tournament as the best right-back.[13][14]
El Ouadhi earned his first senior call-up for 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon and Lesotho in September 2024, but remained on the bench for both games.[15][16]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 22 March 2026[17]
| Club | Season | League | Belgian Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rupel Boom | 2020–21 | Belgian National Division 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| RWD Molenbeek | 2021–22 | Challenger Pro League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 7 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 56 | 8 | |||
| Genk | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 38 | 8 | ||||
| 2025–26 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 11[c] | 4 | — | 36 | 11 | |||
| Total | 83 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 4 | — | 101 | 19 | |||
| Career total | 135 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 159 | 27 | ||
- Appearances in Challenger Pro League promotion play-offs
- Appearance in UEFA Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Honours
RWD Molenbeek
Morocco U23
Individual
- Challenger Pro League Best XI: 2022–23[9]
- U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023[14]
- Belgian Lion Award: 2025[19]
- Ebony Shoe: 2026