Yassine Bounou facts for kids
Bounou with Sevilla in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 April 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.95 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al Hilal | ||
| Number | 37 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2010 | Wydad Casablanca | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010–2012 | Wydad Casablanca | 10 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Atlético Madrid B | 47 | (0) |
| 2012–2016 | Atlético Madrid | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | → Real Zaragoza (loan) | 35 | (0) |
| 2016–2020 | Girona | 83 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Sevilla (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2020–2023 | Sevilla | 90 | (1) |
| 2023– | Al Hilal | 45 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | Morocco U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Morocco U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 2013– | Morocco | 71 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Yassine Bounou (born 5 April 1991), also known as Bono, is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for the Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal. He also plays for the Morocco national team.
Bono started his youth career in Morocco with Wydad AC. He spent most of his adult career playing in Spain. There, he played over 150 games in La Liga and more than 50 in the Segunda División. He made history by winning the Zamora Trophy for Sevilla FC.
Bono was born in Canada to Moroccan parents. His family moved back to Morocco when he was two years old. He has played for Morocco's national team since 2013. Before that, he played for the under-23 team at the 2012 Olympics. He has also played for his country in two FIFA World Cup tournaments and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Yassine Bounou was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His family moved to Casablanca, Morocco, when he was two years old. He started playing football in the streets at a young age. At eight, he joined Wydad AC in 1999. He liked playing with his feet, but because he was tall, people suggested he become a goalkeeper. He accepted this new challenge. His favorite goalkeeper was Edwin van der Sar.
His parents were not sure about him spending so much time on football at first. But they became very supportive when they saw how talented he was. When he was 17, a scout from OGC Nice noticed his goalkeeping skills. He signed with Nice, but due to paperwork problems, he did not play for them. He returned to Wydad AC. In 2011, he played his first senior game for the club.
Playing for Wydad AC
Bono joined the first team at Wydad AC in 2010 when he was nineteen. He was the second-choice goalkeeper. His first game with the senior team was in the final of the CAF Champions League. This big match against Espérance de Tunis was played in front of 80,000 fans.
On 21 November 2011, Bono played his first league game in the Botola Pro. He played in ten league matches before moving to Atlético Madrid.
Time at Atlético Madrid
On 14 June 2012, Bono moved to the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. He first played for their reserve team, Atlético Madrid B, in Segunda División B. He was also the third goalkeeper for the main team. On 31 May 2013, he signed a new four-year contract.
In the summer of 2014, he joined the main squad permanently. This happened after other goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois and Daniel Aranzubia, left the team. He played his first game for the main team on 24 July 2014. It was a friendly match against Numancia, which Atlético Madrid won 1–0.
Loan to Zaragoza
On 1 September 2014, Bono was loaned to Real Zaragoza in the Segunda División. He stayed there for one season. He made his debut on 11 January 2015, in a game they lost 5–3 to UD Las Palmas. He played 16 games that season.
In the play-offs, Bono came in during the second leg after his team lost the first game 0–3. He helped Zaragoza win 4–1, and they moved on due to away goals. However, they lost the final to UD Las Palmas by the same rule. On 23 July 2015, he returned to Zaragoza for another one-year loan.
Playing for Girona
On 12 July 2016, Bounou signed a two-year contract with Girona. He played half of the games in his first season. Girona was then promoted to the top league in second place. In January 2019, he was the main goalkeeper for Girona. He extended his contract until June 2021.
Success with Sevilla
On 2 September 2019, Bounou joined Sevilla on a one-year loan. Girona had been relegated from the top league. He was the second-choice goalkeeper in the league. But he played regularly in the domestic cup and in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League. Sevilla won the Europa League that year.
Bounou was praised for his great performances. He saved a penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarter-finals, helping his team win 1–0. He also played well in the 2–1 semi-final win against Manchester United. In the final against Inter Milan, his important save helped Sevilla win 3–2.
On 4 September 2020, Bono signed a permanent four-year contract with Sevilla. On 21 March, he scored his first professional goal as a goalkeeper. It was in the last minute of a match against Real Valladolid, securing a 1–1 draw. In 2021, Bono kept 32 clean sheets in 59 games for his club and country. This was the most for any goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues.
On 27 February 2022, Bounou helped set up a goal for his teammate Munir El Haddadi. This was in a 2–1 win against Real Betis. In April, his contract was extended until 2025. He won the La Liga Ricardo Zamora Trophy for the 2021–22 season. He was the first goalkeeper not from Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atlético Madrid to win it since 2007.
At the end of 2022, Bounou was nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper. He finished in second place. On 31 May 2023, Bono was named Player of the Match in the Europa League final against Roma. He saved two penalty kicks in the shootout, helping Sevilla win 4–1 after a 1–1 draw. This win gave Sevilla their seventh title in the competition. He was also a nominee for the 2023 Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award.
Moving to Al-Hilal
On 17 August 2023, Bono joined Al-Hilal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He signed a three-year contract. In 2023, Bounou was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award. He was ranked 13th in the 2023 Ballon d'Or and 3rd in the 2023 Yashin Trophy. On 1 November 2023, he was nominated for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year and 2023 African Goalkeeper of the Year by CAF. On 11 December 2023, Bono won the best goalkeeper in Africa trophy from CAF.
International Career
Bounou could have played for either Canada or Morocco. He chose to play for Morocco. He played for the under-20 team in the 2012 Toulon Tournament. He was also part of the under-23 squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was a backup goalkeeper in that tournament, where Morocco did not get past the group stage.
Bounou said in an interview that the manager of the Canada national team contacted him. But he said he grew up in Morocco and always dreamed of playing for the Moroccan national team.
On 14 August 2013, Bounou was called up to the main squad. This was for a friendly match against Burkina Faso. He played his first game the next day, playing the entire second half of a 1–2 loss in Tangier.
In May 2018, Bounou was chosen for Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was the reserve goalkeeper. At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, he was the first-choice goalkeeper. He kept clean sheets in wins against Namibia and the Ivory Coast. This helped Morocco reach the last 16.
Bounou also played in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. During this tournament, he gained attention for insisting on speaking Arabic to the press. He refused to speak in French or English. This was to highlight that the African Nations Cup did not have an Arabic translator.
On 10 November 2022, Bounou was named in Morocco's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He made two important saves in the penalty shootout against Spain. This helped Morocco reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever. They then won 1–0 against Portugal, becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals. He kept four clean sheets in the tournament, which was the most of any goalkeeper. He was the first African goalkeeper to have three clean sheets at a World Cup.
On 28 December 2023, Bounou was selected to represent Morocco at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Personal Life
Bounou was born in Canada. His parents are from Casablanca, Morocco. Along with his national teammates, Bounou donated his blood. This was to help people affected by the 2023 Marrakesh-Safi earthquake.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wydad AC | 2010–11 | Botola | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | Botola | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Atlético Madrid B | 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 23 | 0 | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 0 | — | — | — | 47 | 0 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2013–14 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zaragoza (loan) | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Segunda División | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| Girona | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| Total | 83 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 84 | 0 | ||||
| Sevilla (loan) | 2019–20 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |
| Sevilla | 2020–21 | La Liga | 33 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 96 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 142 | 1 | ||
| Al Hilal | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 65 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 316 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 387 | 1 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 18 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 71 | 0 | |
Honours and Awards
Wydad AC
- Botola Pro: 2010
- CAF Champions League runner-up: 2011
Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2014
Sevilla
- UEFA Europa League: 2019–20, 2022–23
- UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 2020, 2023
Al-Hilal
- Saudi Pro League: 2023–24
- King's Cup: 2023–24
- Saudi Super Cup: 2023, 2024
Individual Awards
- La Liga Zamora Trophy: 2021–22
- La Liga Best African Player: 2021–22
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2021–22
- UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2019–20, 2022–23
- IFFHS Africa Team of The Year: 2022, 2023
- "Lion d'Or" African Footballer of the Year: 2023
- "Africa d'Or" African Footballer of the Year: 2023
- African Goalkeeper of the Year: 2023
- Saudi Super Cup Best goalkeeper: 2024
- Saudi Pro League Goalkeeper of the Season: 2023–24
- Saudi Pro League Goalkeeper of the Month: October 2023, November 2023, February 2024
- UMFP Best Moroccan goalkeeper abroad: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Orders
- Order of the Throne: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Bono (futbolista) para niños
