Adel Taarabt

Early career

Taarabt was born in Taza (Morocco], Morocco. At a young age, his family moved to a small town called Berre-l'Étang, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He began his career at Lens in 2004, and played 14 matches for RC Lens B in the Championnat de France amateur. He made one first team appearance for Lens during the 2006–07 season.

Tottenham Hotspur

Still at the age of 17, Taarabt signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a long-term loan on 2 January 2007 after the club offered to integrate him quickly into the first team to offer him maximum playing time. Within two months, he made his first senior appearance in a Spurs shirt, entering as an 87th-minute substitute for Pascal Chimbonda against local rivals West Ham United in a 4–3 away victory on 4 March. On 7 April, he made the only other appearance of his loan, in a 1–0 defeat at another local rival, Chelsea; he replaced Teemu Tainio after 64 minutes. Tottenham signed Taarabt permanently on 8 June. He scored his first goal for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Stevenage Borough on 7 July. He made his first of six appearances in the 2007–08 season against Derby County in the 4–0 win on 18 August, entering the 71st minute for Wayne Routledge. He won a crucial free kick, scored by Dimitar Berbatov in a 4–3 win at Upton Park. At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Taarabt was among a group of players not given a squad number by then manager Juande Ramos, and also banned from the first-team training ground. He…

Taarabt represented France at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels, but opted to play for Morocco at senior level, saying, "I felt the time was right when I was given this opportunity". On 11 February 2009, he played his first international match with Morocco in a friendly against Czech Republic in Casablanca. He also made an appearance on 29 March during Morocco's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier 2–1 defeat against Gabon. Taarabt scored his first international goal on his first start on 31 March 2009 in a friendly 2–0 victory over Angola. On 6 September 2009, he scored his first goal in a competitive international match against Togo in the 2010 World Cup qualification after he broke through the opposing defence in stoppage time. On 3 June 2011, Taarabt decided to end his international career the day after being dropped to the bench for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Algeria. He reneged on that decision, returning on 9 October 2011 for their last qualifier against Tanzania. Taarabt scored a free-kick that would end up being the winning goal and sealing Morocco's qualification. He made two substitute appearances in a group stage exit. Taarabt was omitted from Morocco's squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations by head coach Rachid Taoussi. After five years without making an international appearance, Taarabt was recalled to the national squad in September 2019. He made his return as a substitute in a friendly match against Burkina Faso on 6 September. Four days…

Club

As of match played 9 May 2025

International

As of match played 1 June 2022

Taarabt is a Muslim and stated in an interview in June 2010 that this religion has had a significant impact on his life as a footballer:

"Being a Muslim has had a big impact on my professional life. As Muslims, we don't drink alcohol, we don't smoke, so essentially we've become healthier, more professional footballers because of our lifestyle. Before every game, I perform salat. Without it, I just don't feel confident. I make sure I pray after a match, too – to give thanks and be grateful for the stamina and strength God graced me with." Taarabt credits his parents with keeping his religion in his life, and his father for encouraging him to play professional football.