When you think of a footballer whose career was significantly influenced by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, Youssef En-Nesyri stands out. This article explores the remarkable football journey of this Moroccan striker, whose rise from humble beginnings to football stardom was made possible, in part, by the King’s efforts. Mohammed VI’s initiative to boost football in Morocco proved successful through En-Nesyri’s achievements.
From a young age, En-Nesyri was destined for greatness, often playing street football as part of his daily routine. He was fortunate to grow up during a national movement spearheaded by King Mohammed VI, who launched a soccer program aimed at bringing together young football enthusiasts from the streets.
En-Nesyri was a direct beneficiary of this initiative, which reshaped Moroccan football. Thanks to King Mohammed VI’s vision, not only did En-Nesyri find his way to Europe, but three other talented young players also achieved their dreams on the continent.
Preamble:
Our biography of Youssef En-Nesyri goes beyond just his career achievements. It delves into his childhood, early passion for football, and the support he received from his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rachid En-Nesyri, as well as his family. We also introduce you to his brother, Mohamed Amin Al-Nusairi, and his sister, Zainab Zumrud, and provide insights into his lifestyle and personal life.
Now, let’s dive into the heart of his story. To give you a taste of Youssef En-Nesyri’s captivating journey, we’ve put together a gallery of his rise from boyhood to success. This summary highlights how the Moroccan striker has made an impressive journey in his football career.
Known for his exceptional finishing skills and prowess in aerial duels, Youssef En-Nesyri made a significant impact on club football, particularly highlighted during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When discussing the top North African forwards, his name shines as Morocco’s standout striker, much like Mohamed Salah represents Egypt.
Despite these impressive accolades, only a few have explored a detailed account of Youssef En-Nesyri’s life. We’ve created this biography out of our love for the beautiful game, aiming to provide a comprehensive look at his story. So, without further delay, let’s dive in.
Youssef En-Nesyri Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, the Moroccan professional footballer was born on the 1st day of June 1997. He came to the world through his parents, Mr and Mrs Rachid En-Nesyri – in Fez, a city in Morocco.
According to our research, En-Nesyri appears to be his family’s last-born child. This implies he has siblings in front of him – a brother and a sister.
All children were born to the blissful marital union between his Mother and Father. Behold the persons Youssef En-Nesyri calls his backbone.
Early Life and Growing Up Years:
Youssef En-Nesyri spent his childhood days at Fez, the second-largest city in Morocco after Casablanca. He grew up alongside his siblings, who appear to be older.
Based on findings, his brother bears the name – Mohamed Amin En-Nesyri, while Youssef En-Nesyri’s sister’s name is Zainab Zumrud.
Youssef En-Nesyri Family Background:
Rachid (his Dad) operated a football-loving and middle-class household. Back then, Youssef En-Nesyri’s family did not live in an area surrounded by wealthy people.
According to their Dad’s pockets, his household settled in a poor neighbourhood – inside the city of Fez.
It is a known fact – that Youssef En-Nesyri’s parents are very simple and peace-loving people.
Although not the rich type, they live comfortably as average Morrocan citizens. This is Youssef En-Nesyri’s little world – which is bound with so much love.
Youssef En-Nesyri Family Origin:
The Morrocan city of Fez (his roots) is one of the oldest imperial cities in the Northern African Kingdom. Owing to a part of the city’s natural beauty, UNESCO designated Fez as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
As observed here, the city has well-preserved ancient architecture that dates back to medieval times. Regarding his ethnicity, Youssef En-Nesyri (just like Nayef Aguerd) belongs to the Arab-Berber Ethnic group.
Education and Career Build-Up:
Youssef En-Nesyri realized his destiny from an early age – during which street football was the order of the day.
Lucky for En-Nesyri, the days he grew up coincided with a national movement by the King of Morocco (Mohammed VI).
The King of Morocco created a soccer initiative whose aim was to unite street-connected children. Young Youssef (as seen here) benefited from this project.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s parents and other kid’s Dad and Mum – who benefitted from the initiative had more to thank their King for.
Pictured below are some beneficiaries. The King of Morocco infused these kids into a soccer education program called – The Académie Mohammed VI de Football. It was this same academy that raised the likes of Azzedine Ounahi.
For an initiative founded by the Moroccan king, parents expect their kids to be well-taken care of.
The photo above proves that the kids never lacked. All they did was to give their best on the pitch – with a dream to play in Europe.
Youssef En-Nesyri Biography – The Football Story:
Special thanks to the initiative of Mohammed VI (King of Morocco), reshaping football in his country finally paid its dividends. Not just one, but four boys found their way to Europe.
Thanks to his brilliance, En-Nesyri became one of the lucky boys. The others are Hamza Regragui, Achraf Sidki and Soulaiman El Amrani. The latter, alongside Youssef En-Nesyri, got transferred to Malaga CF in Spain.
Even as an academy star, Youssef cost Malaga a fee of €125,000. Initially assigned to their Juvenil squad, the youngster fought his way (rising) through the club’s age groups. Before graduating from their academy, Youssef En-Nesyri helped Malaga win this trophy.
Road to Fame Story:
Making his senior debut for Malaga’s reserves, the youngster continued his blazing form. Suddenly, En-Nesyri became a master of scoring back-to-back goals for Málaga B. In total, he scored 49 goals in as little as 43 appearances.
With his name becoming very popular, the Moroccan forward kept breaking records. Back then, people said he had all qualities needed by a modern-day striker – power heading, dribbling, sprint speed and finishing.
The 8th day of July 2016 became the date his family rejoiced. That day, Juande Ramos included En-Nesyri as a member of Malaga’s senior team.
This is a team that once had big stars – the likes of Isco Santi Cazorla and Salomón Rondón.
It would interest you to know that En-Nesyri and Pablo Fornals (West Ham star) – were academy teammates at Malaga.
Together, both footballers’ formidable partnership led to goals. This was before a transfer from Leganés came the Moroccan’s way.
Youssef En-Nesyri Biography – The Success Story:
Before beginning his journey with Leganés, the North African forward received the calls to represent Morocco at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
In that tournament, Youssef En-Nesyri used his goals to announce his name – that he is a Star in the making.
Hmm… this guy really dealt with West African countries. Did you know?… he had another goal that finished off Emmanuel Adebayor’s Togo national team. Watch it here.
2018 World Cup Goal:
The next year after the AFCON came another tournament – the FIFA World Cup. To the joy of his parents and all family members, Youssef En-Nesyri got a call to the global competition.
In case you are not aware, he scored in the 2018 World Cup against a Spanish side dominated by world-class defenders – Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique.
Post World Cup Success:
His outstanding performance for Morocco made many scouts from Liverpool chase and beg for his signature.
After some intensive battles, Sevilla FC won the race to sign En-Nesyri from Leganés – for a reported €25 million.
But rather than crumble, the Moroccan Striker went from strength to strength with his new family. Because he is very good, Youssef En-Nesyri helped Sevilla reach the 4th position in La Liga – behind Diego Simeone‘s Atletico Madrid.
Let’s not forget this in a hurry. It was Youssef En-Nesyri’s Sevilla team that defeated Inter Milan in the 2019-2020 Europa League finals.
With a formidable strike partnership with Luuk de Jong, Sevilla dealt with Romelu Lukaku‘s Inter Milan to win the trophy.
Although regarded as an underdog, Sevilla wasn’t a small team. Read BBC Report about their history with this competition.
Their squad had stars like – Jules Kounde, Yassine Bounou, Javier Hernández, Jesús Navas, Sergio Reguilón, Óliver Torres and Éver Banega.
Back-to-Back Goals:
Gone are those beautiful old days when we have complete strikers in African football – like Samuel Eto‘o. Behold, in this modern era, Youssef En-Nesyri, alongside people like Sadio Mane, are rare breeds of complete forwards.
The 2020/2021 season saw the Moroccan starting a new chapter of brilliance in the area of back-to-back Goal Scoring.
As observed above, Youssef En-Nesyri is prolific and all-rounded. He has matured into a complete striker. His aerial threat and powerful movements are sharp enough to scalpel through any defence. The rest, as we say, of his Biography is now history.
Who is Youssef En-Nesyri’s Wife?
As a successful footballer in La Liga, finding love shouldn’t be difficult – Cristiano Ronaldo is very much aware of this topic.
Youssef En-Nesyri, as lots of people know, is a big, strong and handsome guy. Pictured below, he has that quality needed to maintain a girlfriend or wife.
At the time of writing Youssef En-Nesyri Biography (26th of August 2021), we notice he has already given something for his fans to think about. For many of these fans, this lady could either be a girlfriend or wife-to-be.
Now, could she be one of Youssef En-Nesyri’s sisters OR just a friend?… Honestly, we can’t tell. Well, it’s just a matter of time before our team finds out.
Personality:
If there is one thing there is to know about him, it is the fact that the Moroccan is super proud of his humble beginnings.
We found this out – just after he helped Sevilla win the 2019/2020 UEFA Europa League trophy. Celebrating his victory, En-Nesyri enclosed these two pictures with the following words;
Achieving good things in life is a beautiful thing, but achieving it when you overcoming all kinds of obstacles makes it more beautiful.
I am proud of my early beginnings and what I am today.
As a professional footballer, I will continue to work to make people happy – who did not skimp on their confidence in my capabilities.
Youssef En-Nesyri Hobby:
Away from football, the 6-foot-2 forward finds interest in other sports. One of Youssef En-Nesyri’s hobbies is the snooker game.
You probably should NOT be his opponent in snooker – because he would beat you – hands down.
A Hidden Chelsea fan:
While researching for content in our Bio, we stumbled upon this photo. Youssef En-Nesyri is pictured here wearing a Chelsea FC shirt. By implication, it is likely, that he supported Chelsea FC – while growing up.
We also notice – that the above jersey was famous during the reign of Samsung as Chelsea’s kit sponsors. Hence, it is likely that En-Nesyri found love with the Blues because they had some top African stars.
Back in the day, the likes of Mikel Obi, Ghanian Michael Essien, Ivory Coast Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou gave Africans the reasons to support Chelsea FC.
Lifestyle:
According to Youssef En-Nesyri;
To enjoy life is to understand that every moment of our existence is precious.
These were the words of Youssef En-Nesyri as he explains his lifestyle. He finds inspiration at the seaside. Also, the Morrocan doesn’t have to be a sailor to practice another of his hobby – cruising boats.
Youssef En-Nesyri Family Life:
Members of his household are the foundation of his life. In simple terms, Youssef En-Nesyri family members are the ones who understand him – both inside and out. Here we’ll tell you more about them – starting with the head of the house.
About Youssef En-Nesyri Father:
Rachid En-Nesyri is his name, and he is the brain behind pushing his son to do more in their career. Pictured below, we describe him as a simple and down-to-earth man – who lives a simple life.
While digging further about Rachid, we found something very interesting. Did you know?… Youssef En-Nesyri’s Dad is quite good at using traditional Moroccan musical instruments. Here is one of his performances.
About Youssef En-Nesyri Mother:
When her son scores hat tricks, the proud mum loves to collect match balls. We find this out during one of En-Nesyri’s hat-trick moments with Legans. He scored three against Real Betis and gifted his mum his match ball.
About Youssef En-Nesyri Siblings:
Starting with his elder brother, Al-Mahdi Amine is also a professional footballer. We notice – that he celebrates his wedding anniversary with friends and family members every July 7th.
Al-Mahdi Amine got married in a private wedding hall in Fes, with the popular artist – Idris El-Laabi – performing at the ceremony.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s sister – Zainab Zumrud – is someone who prefers to live a low-key life. Just like Al-Mahdi Amine, Zainab has set her Instagram account to private.
Youssef En-Nesyri Relatives:
According to our research, Fatima Zahrae En-Nesyri appears to be his sister-in-law. She is quite a popular figure, with over 18,000 followers on her Instagram account. Here is Fatima giving her husband a pecked on the cheek.
Youssef En-Nesyri Facts:
Rounding up this Biography story, we’ll use this section to unravel more truths about the Moroccan Footballer. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Fact #1 – Salary Breakdown:
Based on Capology reports (2021), Youssef En-Nesyri takes home a whooping €123,462 weekly.
Fact #2 – Youssef En-Nesyri Profile:
Just like Sofiane Boufal and Gerard Moreno, the Moroccan is a near-perfect finisher. However, we find it surprising that asides from his finishing score of 87, he suffers from poor ratings – in other areas. FIFA needs to visit Youssef En-Nesyri’s Profile.
Fact #3 – Youssef En-Nesyri Records:
First, he is the first person born in Morocco – to score more goals in one season – in the Spanish League.
The last person who did that was Al-Arabi bin Mubarak – with Atletico Madrid in the 1952 season (13 goals).
Again, despite his young age, Youssef En-Nesyri (at the time of writing his Bio) holds the record – as the third top scorer in the Moroccan national team.
He is behind Hakim Ziyech, the Wizard of Ajax and Chelsea, and Youssef Elaraby, the Greek Olympiacos player.
Fact #4 – Youssef En-Nesyri Religion:
The Moroccan is a practising Muslim. Since his childhood days, Youssef En-Nesyri’s parents have emphasized the need for him to show devotion to Islam. As always, he sends praises to Allah when he scores.
Fact #5 – Meaning of Youssef En-Nesyri Goal Celebration:
In simple terms, it is his idea of telling the world that he doesn’t need glasses to see the back of the net, – According to Marca. It is also a way of adjusting his lenses for the next goal.
EndNote:
Youssef En-Nesyri was born and raised in a football-loving family. Also, in a poor neighbourhood – in the city of Fez, central Morocco. He began life as a street footballer – in the alleys of the historic city.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s parents could not afford him the luxuries a rich kid would have. His Dad (Rachid) operated a middle-class family in Fez.
Just like Achraf Hakimi, he had humble beginnings and accepted his destiny of becoming a footballer – from an early age.
For the young Morrocan, the primary goal was to get to Europe and make his family enjoy the dividends of his perceived success. Académie Mohammed VI de football (his first academy formed by the King of Morocco) helped him build the foundation of his dreams.
The boy left Morocco for Spain for a transfer – as little as 126,000 euros. In Malaga, he graduated from academy football. Through determination and hard work, the 6 foot 2 striker has made his family proud.
Youssef En-Nesyri Biography teaches us that hard work, humility and commitment to duties are key factors – in the quest to secure a better future.
Being an AFCON, World Cup goal scorer and a Europa League winner – all before his 24th birthday is indeed a colossal achievement.
Thanks for taking the time to digest this memoir about a fast-rising African footballer. We care about the accuracy of our Soccer Stories. Please stay tuned for more Morrocan Soccer Stories. The history of Sofyan Amrabat and Noussair Mazraoui will excite you.
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