Achraf Lazaar
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 January 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Casablanca, Morocco | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Newcastle United | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Raja Casablanca | |||
| 2009–2012 | Varese | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2014 | Varese | 37 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Palermo | 73 | (3) |
| 2016– | Newcastle United | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2014– | Morocco | 16 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:00, 15 May 2016 (UTC). | |||
Achraf Lazaar (Arabic: أشرف لزعر; born 22 January 1992) is a Moroccan football defender who plays at left back for Newcastle United in the Football League Championship.
Club career
Born in Casablanca, he moved in Italy with his parents in 2003. He joined Varese's youth system at the age of fifteen, and made his senior debut with the team in the Serie B league in 2012, immediately emerging as one of the most interesting prospects from the small Lombardian team.[1]
In January 2014, he was signed by Serie B toppers Palermo, on loan with an option to make the move permanent by the end of the season, as an understudy to more experienced Fabio Daprelà, but immediately gained a starting spot thanks to his impressive performances. He was successively permanently signed by Palermo and confirmed as part of the club's 2014–15 squad.
On 28 August 2016, Lazaar joined Newcastle United on a five-year deal.[2] He made his debut in a 2–0 win in the EFL Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 20 September 2016.[3]
International career
Lazaar was eligible to play for Morocco, and unable to play for Italy as he was not an Italian citizen yet, despite having being raised there, due to law-related issues. He had originally never stated a clear preference for Morocco or Italy, instead declaring he would choose for the first international team who shows a true interest in calling him up.[1]
His impressive Serie B performances with Palermo then won him interest from the Moroccan national team, who called him up for a friendly match against Mozambique, played on 23 May 2014 and ended in a 4–0 win, during which he made his first senior international appearance.
References
- 1 2 "Lazaar corre per realizzare il suo sogno: "In A con il Varese"" [Lazaar runs to realize his dream: "Serie A with Varese"] (in Italian). Varese News. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ↑ "Lazaar Arrives At St. James' Park". nufc.co.uk. 28 August 2016.
- ↑ "Newcastle 2–0 Wolves". BBC Sport. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.