Adel Taarabt

 ( 1989 Births ) 

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 was given his old number when Harry Redknapp took over team management, but his only Premier League appearance that season came in a goalless North London derby on 8 February 2009, playing three minutes in place of Aaron Lennon.

On 23 July 2009, Taarabt rejoined QPR on a season-long loan for the 2009–10 season. On 1 October, Taarabt scored a "wonder strike" in a match against Preston North End. He collected the ball on his chest inside the QPR half, dribbled 20 yards past three players and curled in a shot from 25 yards.

Tottenham confirmed in October 2009 that Taarabt could stay at QPR for the season providing that a Premier League club did not make a bid for him in the January transfer window. QPR were unable to make the transfer permanent because they could not afford the £4.5 million valuation placed on Taarabt by Spurs.

In March 2010, Taarabt was quoted in an interview as being sorry he had signed for Tottenham, saying, "The big mistake was to sign for Tottenham and not go to another club when I first came over." He stated he wished he had signed for Arsenal instead but had opted for Spurs after Damien Comolli moved from being a scout at Arsenal to director of football at Spurs. He said he felt he would have been given more chances to play at Arsenal and was advised at the time not to sign for Spurs by his friends Armand Traoré and Abou Diaby, who played for Arsenal. Taarabt went on to state his intention to sign for one of the top clubs in Spain: "I hope to be playing for one of the top four in Spain next season – Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Valencia CF or Sevilla FC. I have contact with good teams and I know that they want me. Now I just have to hope they can agree a deal with Tottenham."

On 5 August 2010, Taarabt signed a three-year contract with QPR for an undisclosed fee.

In January 2011, Taarabt was interviewed by the Evening Standard in which he said, "The man who took me to Tottenham was Damien Comolli. He was at Arsenal then. But, when I was going to go to Arsenal, he moved to Tottenham. He told me: 'Come to Tottenham. We want to do like they do at Arsenal and take the best young players in the world. You're going to have a better chance there.' I believed him. This was a mistake and I regret it. Tottenham tried to do it like Arsenal but it's a different culture. I would have had a better chance at Arsenal. I would progress with Arsène Wenger. He is a legend in France, one of the best managers in the world."

In March 2011, Taarabt missed two matches when he returned to France for family matters as one of his cousins had been killed. In the return fixture, Morocco manager Erik Gerets opted to drop Taarabt to the substitutes' bench. Taarabt decided to not turn up to the international fixture and vowed to never play for his country again. However, several months later, Taarabt wanted to play for Morocco again, which Gerets reluctantly allowed, but said that if Taarabt acted irrationally again, he would not play for his country while he was in charge.

Some notable moments during the season were against Cardiff City (an away 2–2 draw), where Taarabt picked up a brace, scoring a wonder goal in the process. During the home match against the same opposition, Taarabt scored the winner which took QPR back to the top of the Championship.

These factors had the unfortunate effect of unsettling Taarabt and he was unable to recreate his form from the previous season. By early November, he had taken over 20 shots yet scored zero goals. Prior to this, he had often let his temper get the better of him. During the 6–0 loss away to Fulham on 2 October, he was substituted at half-time. His attitude provoked criticism from his teammates, with Joey Barton being particularly vocal. Taarabt was again substituted at half-time for a poor showing in the 3–1 defeat at Tottenham and was subsequently omitted from the side for the matches against Manchester City and Stoke City. During this period, continued speculation linked him with PSG, and QPR manager Neil Warnock even admitted he would gladly accept an offer for Taarabt if the right one came along. Adel was considered the best Arab player of 2011 for the Argélia Le Buteur newspaper.((cite

Taarabt went on international duty and also had some minor injuries which also saw him left out of the side at this stage. Warnock was highly critical of the player's agents during this period and laid much of the blame for him being unsettled at their feet. He advised him to rethink the advice they had given him and said, "They won't make him better and I think it is a shame. Adel can always make money but he is better than that. I will be sad if he ends up going to make some money because I think he has great ability." Still left out of the side throughout most of November, subsequent injuries to his teammates saw a recall, however, and he was commended for his performance in the 2–0 loss to Manchester United on 18 December. He sustained this level of improved performance against Sunderland and Swansea City. On 31 March, Taarabt scored the first goal in QPR's victory over Arsenal, and was also voted Man of the Match. Taarabt followed up his goal against Arsenal by scoring a long-range free-kick, the winning goal in a victory over his former club Tottenham on 21 April. He was also shown his first red card in English football in the same match for a second bookable offence.

After seven months with Benfica's reserve team, Taarabt returned to the first-team in February 2019, making his debut on 30 March 2019 as a 71st-minute substitute in a 1–0 home win over Tondela in Primeira Liga.

During the 2019–20 season, Taarabt established himself as a regular starter for Benfica in an unfamiliar defensive midfield position. On 1 September 2022, Benfica announced the termination of his contract.

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 later, he was selected to start against Niger and assisted the only goal of the match for midfield partner Walid El Karti.

"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.

• Football League Cup: 2007–08; runner-up: 2008–09

Queens Park Rangers

• Football League Championship: 2010–11
  (2026). 9780755362318, Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 9780755362318

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2016-17, 2018–19
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2019 Benfica 5–0 Sporting Lisbon Soccerway
• Taça de Portugal runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21

Sharjah

• AFC Champions League Two: 2024–25

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11 Championship
• EFL Championship Player of the Month: August 2010
• EFL Championship Player of the Year: 2010–11
• EFL Championship Top assist provider: 2010–11
• UAE President's Cup Top scorer: 2023–24