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Khalid Boutaïb

Khalid Boutaïb is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Pau FC and represented Morocco at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

1. Overview

Khalid Boutaïb (خالد بوطيبKhalid BoutaïbArabic; born 24 April 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 2 club Pau FC. Born in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, he represents the Morocco national football team at international level. He began his senior career in amateur French leagues before making his professional debut with Istres in 2012. Boutaïb's career has seen him play for several clubs in France, including Gazélec Ajaccio, Racing Strasbourg, Le Havre, and Paris FC, as well as Yeni Malatyaspor in Turkey and Zamalek in Egypt. Internationally, he was part of Morocco's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and has participated in Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaigns. With Zamalek, he secured the CAF Confederation Cup and Egypt Cup.

2. Early Life

Khalid Boutaïb was born on 24 April 1987, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, located in the South of France. His parents were Moroccan immigrants. He acquired French nationality on 16 January 2002, a process completed through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization. Beyond his footballing talent, Boutaïb also demonstrated significant academic ability. He achieved the maximal grade of 20/20 in mathematics on his French high school examination. Despite his strong academic performance, he ultimately chose to pursue a career as a professional football player.

3. Club Career

Khalid Boutaïb began his football career in the amateur leagues of France. He spent spells with Bagnols Pont from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2010 to 2011, where he made 14 appearances and scored 7 goals. He also played for Uzès from 2007 to 2010 and between 2011 and 2012, appearing in 33 matches and scoring 13 goals. During the 2011-12 season with Uzès, he was part of the team that achieved promotion to the Championnat National.

In the summer of 2012, Boutaïb joined Istres, marking his entry into professional football. He made his professional debut on 7 August 2012, in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Clermont Foot, where he came on as a half-time substitute in a 1-2 defeat. For the 2012-13 season, he was loaned back to Uzès, where he played 24 matches and scored 6 goals. Following this, he moved to Luzenac for the 2013-14 season, making 33 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

Boutaïb then joined Gazélec Ajaccio in July 2014, playing 59 matches and scoring 12 goals between 2014 and 2016. In July 2016, after his contract with Gazélec Ajaccio expired, he signed a one-year deal with Racing Strasbourg. During his time there in the 2016-17 season, he appeared in 34 matches and scored 20 goals.

In June 2017, Boutaïb signed with Yeni Malatyaspor, a newly promoted club in the Turkish Süper Lig. He played 47 matches for them, scoring 16 goals between 2017 and 2019. In 2019, he moved to Egyptian club Zamalek, where he played 11 matches and scored 4 goals during the 2019-20 season. In October 2020, Boutaïb returned to France, joining Le Havre. He made 34 appearances and scored 7 goals for Le Havre between 2020 and 2022. On 31 January 2022, Boutaïb signed for Ligue 2 side Paris FC on a contract set to run until June 2023. He currently plays for Pau FC.

4. International Career

Khalid Boutaïb expressed his intention to represent Morocco at the international level, a decision rooted in his Moroccan parentage despite being born and raised in France.

He received his first call-up to the Morocco national football team for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches. Boutaïb made his international debut as a late substitute in a 1-0 victory against Cape Verde on 26 March 2016.

4.1. Major International Tournament Participation

In May 2018, Khalid Boutaïb was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. During the tournament, he notably scored Morocco's opening goal in the group stage match against Spain on 25 June 2018, giving his team a temporary lead. The match ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. Despite the draw, Morocco was eliminated from the group stage, finishing with one draw and two losses. He also participated in the qualification campaign for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Khalid Boutaïb representing the Morocco national football team in 2018.
Khalid Boutaïb representing the Morocco national football team in 2018.

5. Career Statistics

This section details Khalid Boutaïb's professional club statistics and his international appearances and goals for the Morocco national team.

YearClubAppearancesGoals
2006-2007Bagnols Pont
2007-2010Uzès
2010-2011Bagnols Pont147
2011-2012Uzès3313
2012-2013Istres00
2012-2013→ Uzès (loan)246
2013-2014Luzenac338
2014-2016Gazélec Ajaccio5912
2016-2017Racing Strasbourg3420
2017-2019Yeni Malatyaspor4716
2019-2020Zamalek114
2020-2022Le Havre347
2022-Paris FC

5.1. International Statistics

Morocco
YearAppsGoals
201652
201794
201893
201930
Total269

5.1.1. International Goals

Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first.

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 November 2016Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, MoroccoTogo1-12-1Friendly
2.2-1
3.1 September 2017Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, MoroccoMali2-06-02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.7 October 2017Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, MoroccoGabon1-03-0
5.2-0
6.3-0
7.23 March 2018Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, ItalySerbia2-12-1Friendly
8.25 June 2018Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, RussiaSpain1-02-22018 FIFA World Cup
9.16 October 2018Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh, Mitsamiouli, ComorosComoros1-12-22019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

6. Honours

Zamalek

  • CAF Confederation Cup: 2018-19
  • Egypt Cup: 2018-19

7. Personal Life

Khalid Boutaïb is the uncle of fellow professional footballer Nassim Chadli. He is 75 in (190 cm) tall.