Zakaria Bakkali facts for kids
Bakkali playing for PSV in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 January 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Liège, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.68 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2005 | RFC Liège | ||
| 2005–2008 | Standard Liège | ||
| 2008–2013 | PSV | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013–2015 | PSV | 16 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | Jong PSV | 6 | (1) |
| 2015–2018 | Valencia | 34 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | → Deportivo La Coruña (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2018–2022 | Anderlecht | 24 | (2) |
| 2021 | → Beerschot (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | RKC Waalwijk | 36 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 2011 | Belgium U15 | 6 | (6) |
| 2011–2012 | Belgium U16 | 4 | (4) |
| 2012–2013 | Belgium U17 | 12 | (7) |
| 2013–2016 | Belgium U21 | 9 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Belgium | 2 | (0) |
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Zakaria Bakkali, born on January 26, 1996, is a talented Belgian footballer. He plays as a winger, which means he plays on the sides of the field, helping with attacks. He became famous for a special reason: he scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) in the Eredivisie league when he was very young. He was only 17 years and 196 days old, making him the youngest player ever to do this in that league!
Contents
Club Career
Playing for PSV
Zakaria started his football journey in Belgium. He played for youth teams like RFC Liège and Standard Liège. When he was 12, he moved to the Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven, a big club.
He made his first professional appearance for PSV on July 30, 2013. This was in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Zulte Waregem. A few days later, on August 3, he played his first game in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands.
On August 7, he scored his first goal for PSV in a Champions League game. Just three days later, on August 10, he scored a hat-trick (three goals) in PSV's 5–0 win over NEC Nijmegen. This made him the youngest player to ever score a hat-trick in the Eredivisie!
In 2014, Bakkali almost moved to Atlético Madrid, a Spanish club. However, the deal did not happen. He then decided not to sign a new contract with PSV. Because of this, he was not allowed to play with the main team anymore.
Moving to Valencia
On July 6, 2015, Zakaria moved to Spain to play for Valencia CF in La Liga, which is Spain's top league. He signed a five-year contract. He scored his first goal for Valencia on October 31 in a 3–0 win against Levante. On July 14, 2017, he was loaned to another Spanish team, Deportivo de La Coruña, for one year.
Joining Anderlecht
On July 4, 2018, Bakkali returned to Belgium. He signed with R.S.C. Anderlecht, one of the biggest clubs in Belgium.
Loan to Beerschot
On February 1, 2021, Bakkali went on a loan to another Belgian club, Beerschot. He played there until the end of the season.
Playing for RKC Waalwijk
Bakkali joined RKC Waalwijk, an Eredivisie club in the Netherlands, on August 3, 2022. He signed a two-year contract with them.
International Career
After he started playing well for PSV, the coach of the Belgian national team, Marc Wilmots, called him up to play for his country. However, Zakaria got injured before the game and could not play.
Zakaria has dual nationality, meaning he could choose to play for either Belgium or the Morocco national football team. On October 7, 2013, he officially chose to play for the "Red Devils," which is the nickname for the Belgian national team. He was called up again to the Belgian squad in October 2015 for important games.
See also
In Spanish: Zakaria Bakkali para niños
