En Nesryi: Meet the man whose goal sent Morroco into the World Cup Semi-final
Youssef En Nesryi is one name that will always be remembered with Morroco’s historic World Cup Semi-final qualification.
That it is the first time an African nation will reach the last-four of a FIFA World Cup tournament is common knowledge, so let’s talk about the goalscorer Youssef En Nesryi.
BIRTH
En Nesryi was born on 1st June 1997 in Fes Morroco.
He is 25 years old.
FOOTBALL CAREER: CLUB
En Nesryi is a striker.
He learnt the basics of football at Magreb De Fes and Mohammed VI Football Academy before his switch to Spain where he has spent his entire career to date.
It was Malaga’s Juvenile team that secured his move from Morroco in 2015.
By 2016, the forward had done enough to get the attention of then first team coach Juande Ramos to earn his La-Liga debut in August.
Following Malaga’s relegation from the Spanish top-flight in 2018, En Nesryi moved to Leganes where he played until current club Sevilla came calling in January 2020.
From 2020 to date, the forward has appeared 89 times for Sevilla scoring 27 goals.
MORROCO
En Nesryi represented Morroco at Youth level and impressed then Atlas Lions Head Coach Herve Renard to earn a call up In 2016.
He made his debut vs Sao Tome and Principe in an international friendly game in September 2018 aged 19.
The forward was selected for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, his first international tournament with the Atlas Lions.
He has also represented Morroco at the 2019 and 2021 AFCON plus two FIFA World Cups (2018 and 2022) .
The forward has scored in all the international competitions he has played for Morroco.
En Nesryi was making his 55th appearance for Morroco vs Portugal in the 2022 World Cup Quater-final clash, his match winning strike the 17th of his international career and maybe the most important one yet.
WHAT NEXT FOR EN NESRYI AND MORROCO
History-makers Morroco will face World Champions France in the Semi-final on December 14, 2022.
Morroco Head Coach Walid Regragui will likely stick to the same starting XI and trust Youssef En Nesryi to again get the job done and write a new page on the history books with a place in the World Cup final.
En Nesryi’s Sevilla teammate goalkepeer Yaccine Bounou has been exceptional for the Atlas Lions. The 30 year old has conceded only one goal throughout the tournament.
