Medhi Benatia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 01/2017
Personal information
Full name
Medhi Amine El Mouttaqi Benatia
Date of birth
17 April 1987
Place of birth
Courcouronnes, France
Height
1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position
Centre back
Club information
Current team
Juventus
(on loan from Bayern Munich)
Number
4
Juventus FC Season 2016-
Youth career
Clairefontaine
2000-2002
Guingamp
2002-2003
Marseille
2003-2005
Senior career
Marseille
2005-2008
0x apps / 0x goals
→ Tours (loan)
2006-2007
29x apps / 0x goals
→ Lorient (loan)
2007-2008
0x apps / 0x goals
Clermont
2008-2010
56x apps / 2x goals
Udinese
2010-2013
80x apps / 6x goals
Roma
2013-2014
33x apps / 5x goals
Bayern Munich
2014-
29x apps / 2x goals
→ Juventus (loan)
2016-
3x apps / 0x goals
National team
France U18
2005
1x apps / 0x goals
Morocco U20
2006-2007
4x apps / 0x goals
Morocco
2008-
42x apps / 1x goals
(* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 September 2016 - National team caps and goals correct as of 3 June 2016)
Medhi Amine El Mouttaqi Benatia[ is a footballer who plays for Italian club Juventus on loan from German club Bayern Munich, and for the Morocco national team, as a centre back.
He began his career at Marseille, spending his time loaned out to Tours and Lorient before joining Clermont in 2008.
Two years later he joined Udinese, spending three seasons there before transferring to Roma.
After helping them finish as Serie A runners-up in his only campaign there, he was signed by Bayern for €26 million, winning the Bundesliga in his first two seasons.
Born and raised in France, Benatia represents his father's Morocco at international level. He made his international debut for them in 2008 and represented the nation at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Early life
Benatia was born in Courcouronnes, France, to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother.
Club career
Marseille
Benatia joined Marseille in 2003, and signed his first professional contract with them two years later.
After loan spells at Tours and Lorient, he left for Ligue 2 club Clermont on 1 July 2008 on a free transfer.
Udinese
On 1 July 2010, Benatia signed for Serie A club Udinese Calcio, again on a free transfer. He made 80 league appearances for Udinese, scoring six goals.
Roma
On 13 July 2013, Benatia signed for Roma on a five-year contract in a €13.5 million transfer, with Nico López and Valerio Verre going the other way on co-ownership as part of the same deal.
On 26 September, Benatia scored his first goal for the club in a 2:0 victory against Sampdoria.
After further goals against Bologna, Catania and Chievo Verona in the second half of the season, he ended the season with five goals from 33 games.
Bayern Munich
On 27 August 2014, Bayern Munich announced that they had signed Benatia[11] on a five-year deal for a fee of €26 million.
Bayern Munich beat Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid, who were said to be also interested in signing him.[14] He admitted he was disappointed to leave Roma but was told he had to go because the club needed the money.
Upon hearing this, Roma President James Pallotta was furious and responded by saying he was sold for being a "poisonous liar".
On 17 September 2014, Benatia made his official debut for Bayern in a (1:0) home win against Manchester City, for the opening match of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League season, where he played for 85 minutes, completing 93% of his passes.
In the return match at Manchester City, he was sent off in the 20th minute for denying Sergio Agüero a clear goalscoring opportunity; the subsequent penalty was converted by Agüero and City went on to win 3:2.
Benatia scored his first goal for Bayern on 13 December, opening the scoring in a 4:0 win at FC Augsburg with a header.
This result put his club 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table.
On 12 May 2015, Benatia scored his first Champions League goal, heading Bayern into the lead in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.
Although his team won 3:2, they were eliminated 3:5 on aggregate.
He started the 2015-16 season in the German Super Cup, which Bayern lost in a penalty shootout after a 1:1 draw at VfL Wolfsburg.
On 14 August, he headed Xabi Alonso's free kick for the first goal of the new Bundesliga season in a 5:0 thrashing of Hamburger SV.
Loan to Juventus
On 15 July 2016, Italian champions Juventus signed Benatia on a season-long loan for €3 million, with an option to buy for an extra €17 million at the end.
He made his club debut on 27 August, in a 1:0 away win over Lazio in Serie A.
International career
Benatia was a member of Morocco's squad at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and played in their first two matches of an eventual group stage exit, defeats to Tunisia and Gabon.
In the following year's tournament in South Africa, he played the entirety of all three matches as they again were defeated at the first stage.