Medhi Benatia facts for kids
Benatia playing for Morocco at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 April 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Courcouronnes, France | ||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Marseille (sporting director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Clairefontaine | ||
| 2002–2003 | Guingamp | ||
| 2003–2006 | Marseille | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Marseille | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Tours (loan) | 29 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Lorient (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Clermont | 57 | (2) |
| 2010–2013 | Udinese | 80 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | Roma | 33 | (5) |
| 2014–2017 | Bayern Munich | 29 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | → Juventus (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Juventus | 28 | (2) |
| 2019–2021 | Al-Duhail | 38 | (1) |
| 2021 | Fatih Karagümrük | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 312 | (19) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | France U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Morocco U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2008–2019 | Morocco | 66 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023– | Marseille (sporting director) | ||
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Medhi Benatia is a former professional footballer from France. He was born on April 17, 1987. Medhi played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. He is now the sporting director for the Ligue 1 club Marseille.
Medhi Benatia is famous for playing for many top clubs in France, Italy, and Germany. He also played for the Morocco national team. He played 66 games for Morocco and was their captain. He even led them to their first World Cup in 20 years!
He started his career at Marseille. He then played for Tours and Lorient on loan. In 2008, he joined Clermont. Two years later, he moved to Udinese in Italy. After three seasons, he joined Roma.
After playing for Roma, Benatia moved to Bayern Munich in Germany. He won the Bundesliga title twice with them. In 2016, he joined Juventus in Italy. He won three league titles there and helped them reach the Champions League final in 2017. Later, he played for Al-Duhail in Qatar and Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey. Medhi Benatia stopped playing professional football in 2021.
Even though he was born in France, Benatia chose to play for Morocco. He played for France's under-18 team first. Then he decided to represent Morocco, his father's home country. He played for Morocco's under-20 team and then the senior national team. He played in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He retired from international football in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Medhi Benatia was born in Courcouronnes, France. His father was from Morocco, and his mother was from Algeria.
Playing for Different Clubs
Starting at Marseille
Benatia joined Marseille in 2003. He signed his first professional contract with them two years later. He was loaned to Tours and Lorient to gain experience. On July 1, 2008, he moved to Ligue 2 club Clermont.
Time at Udinese
On July 1, 2010, Benatia signed with Serie A club Udinese. He played 80 league games for Udinese. He scored six goals during his time there.
Playing for Roma
On July 13, 2013, Benatia joined Roma. He signed a five-year contract. He scored his first goal for Roma on September 26. This helped his team win 2–0 against Sampdoria. He scored five goals in 33 games that season.
Winning with Bayern Munich
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On August 27, 2014, Bayern Munich signed Benatia. He signed a five-year deal. Many big clubs wanted to sign him. He said he was sad to leave Roma. But he was told the club needed the money.
Benatia played his first game for Bayern on September 17, 2014. It was a 1–0 win against Manchester City. He scored his first goal for Bayern on December 13. It was a header in a 4–0 win against FC Augsburg. This win put Bayern 10 points ahead in the league. On May 12, 2015, he scored his first Champions League goal. Bayern won 3–2 against Barcelona. However, they were still knocked out of the competition.
He started the 2015–16 season in the German Super Cup. Bayern lost this game after a penalty shootout. On August 14, he scored the first goal of the new league season. It was a header in a big 5–0 win against Hamburger SV.
Success at Juventus
_-_Medhi_Benatia_(cropped).jpg)
On July 15, 2016, Juventus signed Benatia on loan. He made his first appearance for Juventus on August 27. It was a 1–0 win against Lazio.
On March 10, 2017, Benatia scored his first goal for Juventus. It was in a 2–1 win over A.C. Milan. On May 12, Juventus bought Benatia permanently. He signed a contract until 2020.
In May 2017, Benatia left a TV interview. He heard racist comments in his earpiece. The TV company later apologized.
On April 11, 2018, Juventus played Real Madrid in the Champions League. Benatia was involved in a penalty decision. He scored two goals in Juventus's 4–0 win over Milan. This was in the 2018 Coppa Italia Final.
Later Career Clubs
After playing fewer games in the 2018–19 season, Benatia moved to Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail. This was in January 2019. He made his debut for Al-Duhail on February 16. It was a 1–0 win against Al Sailiya.
In the summer of 2021, he moved to Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey. He played six league games there. Medhi Benatia then retired from professional football on December 9, 2021.
Playing for Morocco
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Benatia first played for the Morocco national team on November 19, 2008. It was a friendly match against Zambia. He scored his first goal for Morocco on June 4, 2011. It was in a 4–0 win against Algeria.
He was part of Morocco's team for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also Morocco's captain at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He played every minute until they were knocked out by Egypt.
On November 11, he scored in a 2–0 win against the Ivory Coast. This win helped Morocco qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was their first World Cup in 20 years! He called it "the most beautiful moment of my career".
Benatia stopped playing for the national team in October 2019. He had played 66 games for Morocco. He also played in the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
After Retirement from Football
On November 30, 2023, Medhi Benatia was appointed as the sporting director of Marseille. This was his first professional club as a player.
How Medhi Benatia Played
Medhi Benatia was a tall, strong, and athletic defender. He had good technique and was good at passing the ball. He was also skilled at defending and organizing his team's defense. In Italy, he was known as one of the best centre-backs. He was especially good at tackling and heading the ball.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tours (loan) | 2006–07 | Ligue 2 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| Lorient (loan) | 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Clermont | 2008–09 | Ligue 2 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ligue 2 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 57 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 60 | 2 | ||||
| Udinese | 2010–11 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
| Total | 80 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | — | 97 | 7 | ||||
| Roma | 2013–14 | Serie A | 33 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 5 | |||
| Bayern Munich | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Total | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 3 | |||
| Juventus | 2016–17 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 20 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 40 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 5 | |||
| Al-Duhail | 2018–19 | Qatar Stars League | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 15 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | Qatar Stars League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Qatar Stars League | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | — | 60 | 2 | |||
| Fatih Karagümrük | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 312 | 19 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 396 | 24 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2009 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 66 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Benatia goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2011 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco |  Algeria |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 11 November 2017 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Ivory Coast |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Football Achievements
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2015–16 (won the German league title)
- DFB-Pokal: 2015–16 (won the German Cup)
Juventus
- Serie A: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 (won the Italian league title)
- Coppa Italia: 2016–17, 2017–18 (won the Italian Cup)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2018 (won the Italian Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17 (reached the final of Europe's biggest club competition)
Al-Duhail
- Qatar Stars League: 2019–20 (won the Qatari league title)
- Qatar Emir Cup: 2019–20 (won the Qatar Emir Cup)
- Qatar Cup runner-up: 2020 (reached the final of the Qatar Cup)
Individual Awards
- CAF Team of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 (chosen as one of the best players in Africa)
- Mars d'Or (Best Moroccan Player): 2013, 2014
- El Heddaf Arab Footballer of the Year: 2015
- A.S. Roma Player of the Season: 2013–14
- "Gran Galà del calcio AIC" Best Central Defender: 2014
- European Sports Media's European Team of the Season: 2013–14
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2013–14
- Qatar Stars League Team of the Year: 2019–20
- Globe Soccer Awards Best Arab Player of the Year: 2014
- France Football Africa Team of the Year: 2017
- Goal Africa Team of the Year: 2018
- IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
- IFFHS All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team
See also
In Spanish: Mehdi Benatia para niños
