Abdessalam Benjelloun

Hibernian

Benjelloun was born in Fes. He trained with Hibernian for several weeks during the early part of 2006, while Hibs assessed whether to sign him from his hometown club Maghreb Fez. Hibs then had to undertake the complex process of obtaining the documentation needed to sign him. During this time, rumours grew on Hibs-related internet sites that Hibs had unearthed a major talent, so expectations were high when Benjelloun's signing was formally announced in March 2006. He made his debut for Hibernian in the 2006 Scottish Cup semi-final loss to local rivals Hearts on 2 April 2006. Manager Tony Mowbray was forced to play Benjelloun in that game because of injury (Chris Killen), suspension (Derek Riordan), cup transfer rules (Paul Dalglish) and the sale of Garry O'Connor. Benjelloun demonstrated his potential in the Edinburgh derby on 22 April 2006, when he came off the bench to score the winning goal. 'Benji' became an instant hero with the Hibernian supporters, although his goal celebration caused some controversy. He ran wildly towards the Hearts supporters, having scored the goal at the other end of the ground. Fortunately the Hibs goalkeeper, Zibi Małkowski, managed to prevent Benji from reaching the Hearts supporters, or a major incident could have ensued. A fellow Moroccan, Merouane Zemmama, was signed by Hibs at the start of the 2006–07 season. It was thought that this should help Benji to settle into Scottish football, and he rewarded Hibs with two goals…

Benjelloun was first selected by Morocco during the 2007–08 season. He scored on his international debut, in a 4–1 win against Belgium in Brussels. He was then selected for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers at the end of the season. Benjelloun scored in the first two matches, against Ethiopia and Mauritania.

Club

As of 06:39, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

International

Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Benjelloun goal.