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«Rwina w lbelbala.» In the Moroccan dressing room, the phrase has become almost synonymous with Bilal El Khannouss. His teammates use it to describe his infectious good humor and love of joking around. Yet behind the image of a carefree prankster, one of the Atlas Lions’ key figures for 2026 is steadily emerging.
Born in 2004 in Strombeek-Bever, near Brussels, El Khannouss grew up in a family originally from northern Morocco. After beginning his development at Anderlecht, he continued his football education at Genk, where his technical quality and game intelligence quickly set him apart and propelled him through the ranks.
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Four years, a very different status
El Khannouss made his professional debut in 2022. Just a few months later, at only 18 years old, he found himself representing Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar. In a team that reached the semi-finals and made African football history, he got his first taste of the highest level, even if he was not yet among the squad's leading figures.
The experience proved transformative. Surrounded by more seasoned players, the young midfielder continued to mature both on and off the pitch. His club career also pushed him beyond his comfort zone. After establishing himself at Genk, he joined Leicester City in 2024, eager to test himself in a new league and take the next step in his development.
While his time in England did not always provide the stability he had hoped for, it offered valuable experience. His subsequent move to VfB Stuttgart further demonstrated his determination to challenge himself at the highest level of European football. It is the trajectory of an ambitious player who is never fully satisfied and remains driven to improve despite his young age.
Choosing Morocco
Before pulling on the Atlas Lions shirt, El Khannouss represented Belgium at youth level. Like many dual-national players before him, he faced a defining choice: represent Belgium, the country of his birth, or Morocco, the country of his roots.
His talent had attracted the attention of both federations from an early age, and his decision was closely followed on both sides of the Mediterranean, reflecting the reputation he had already built before even reaching adulthood.
On the pitch, El Khannouss has established himself as a modern midfielder, equally capable of accelerating the game or slowing it down. Blessed with excellent passing ability and outstanding vision, he thrives in the spaces between the lines, where he can disrupt opposing defenses and dictate the tempo of play. His ability to carry the ball forward, evade pressure and find solutions in tight spaces has made him one of Morocco’s main creative outlets.
It is a rare profile, somewhere between the traditional playmaker and the modern box-to-box midfielder.
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the VfB Stuttgart player embodies the new generation of Moroccan footballers: developed abroad, yet fully committed to the Atlas Lions project. It is a generation determined to build on the momentum created by Morocco’s historic run in Qatar and take it even further.
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