Marouane Fellaini

Early career

Born in Etterbeek, Brussels, Fellaini began playing football at the age of 7 for Anderlecht. He also competed in athletics, with the 10,000 metres being his preferred event. As a child he would run to school while his classmates used to make their daily journey by bus or car. However, Fellaini's father Abdellatif, who was a professional footballer himself, guided his son towards football. In his first season at Anderlecht's Academy, he scored 26 goals and in his second he scored 37. He was at Anderlecht's academy until the age of 10 when he joined Mons, due to his father getting a new job in the city. Three years later, he joined R. Francs Borains before leaving the club when he signed for Sporting Charleroi. At 17, he signed his first permanent contract with Standard Liège. Between 2006 and 2008, he made 84 appearances for the club, scoring 11 times. He is known for his heading ability and stamina, which made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Belgian First Division and resulted in him winning the Ebony Shoe in 2008, an award given to the best player of the season of African descent.

Everton

After rejecting the advances of Manchester United and following reported interest from Aston Villa, Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, Fellaini signed for Everton in September 2008 on a five-year deal from Standard Liège for an initial transfer fee of £15 million (at the time a record for a Belgian player and club record for…

Fellaini was eligible to play for either Belgium or Morocco. He chose to represent Belgium, from youth level upwards. He represented the under-23 team at the 2008 Olympics, when they finished in fourth place, losing to Brazil in the bronze medal match. His senior team debut was made in February 2007, and his first goal for the senior team came in a 2–1 defeat against Portugal a UEFA Euro 2008 qualification match. Fellaini made seven appearances in Belgium's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, scoring once, as Belgium reached the finals for the first time since 2002. On 4 June 2014, Fellaini was selected as part of Belgium's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. On 17 June, in Belgium's opening match against Algeria, Fellaini came on as a second-half substitute and scored the Red Devils' equalising goal in a 2–1 win. He was then named in the starting line-up for the second match against Russia on 22 June and went on to play every minute of les Diables Rouges' run to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 1–0 by Argentina in Brasília. During qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, Fellaini scored two goals in Belgium's 5–0 defeat of Cyprus and the winner in a 1–0 away victory in Israel. Following these goals, on 7 June 2015, he reached five in his last three internationals by scoring the opening two goals in a 4–3 friendly win over France at the Stade de France. On 3 September 2015, he scored his sixth goal in four international appearances against Bosnia and…

A versatile player, Fellaini was capable of playing in several positions. He often played in a defensive midfield role, or in the centre as a box-to-box midfielder, but was also capable of playing in a more advanced creative role as playmaker, or even as second striker or centre-forward during his time under David Moyes at Everton; he was also deployed as a centre-back or out wide in his youth. Fellaini was known for his tackling and work-rate, despite his lack of pace; he was also known for his eye for goal from midfield and ability to get forward, and was able to shoot and pass well with either foot, despite often favouring simple solutions when in possession. While not the most naturally technically gifted player, he was also known for his hold-up play and ability to control the ball well with his chest. Due to his height and physique, he was known in particular for his ability in the air and penchant for scoring headers, which led manager Louis van Gaal to deploy him as a deep-lying target man, or even as a striker up-front, in a 4–3–3 formation on occasion during their time together at Manchester United, which suited the team's long ball tactics.

Fellaini was born to Moroccan parents from Tangier and brought up in Brussels. His father, Abdellatif, was a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir who signed for Racing Mechelen but was unable to play as his former Moroccan club refused to release his paperwork. Instead of returning home, he opted to become a bus driver for STIB. He would later take early retirement to oversee his son's career. Fellaini is Muslim.