The national German team thrashed Norway 6-0 in their Group C match on Monday gaining a place at next year’s World Cup in Russia. Throughout the preliminary European eliminations, five players of Moroccan descent are taking part of the Norwegian team.
According to the French daily newspaper L’Equipe, we are talking about Omar Elabdellaoui, Haitam Aleesami, Mohamed and Tarik Eluounoussi and Mohammed Abdellaoue.
Born on December the 5th 1991 in Oslo, Norway, Omar Elabdellaoui is a Norwegian international feetballerof Moroccan origin who plays a s a right back. Cousin of Mohammed and Mustafa Abdellaoue, two international footballers, Omar is currently playing for the Greek club Olympiacos. He used to play before for Manchester City, the Norwegian club Strømsgodset and the Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Moreover, Mohammed Abdellaoue is also among the players of the Norwegian national team who are originally from Morocco. Born on October the 23rd, 1985 in Oslo, he plays as a forward for Valerenga. He made his debut at an Oslo ice hockey club before joining the Skeid club in 2001. From 2010 to 2015 he played in the Bundesliga, the German Football Championship with German clubs, Hanover 96 then VfB Stuttgart, before returning to Vålerenga Fotball, a Norwegian football club in the city of Oslo.
Haitam Aleesami, is also a Norwegian player of Moroccan descent/ He was born in Oslo on July the 31st in 1991. He joined for the first time the Norwegian team for a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier in 2015, he has been selected five times since then to wear the colors of Norway. The Italian US Palermo defender also made his debut at the Norwegian club Skeid. From 2015 to 2016, he played for the Swedish club IFK Göteborg, where he participated to four matches in the Europa League.
For their part, Mohamed and Tarik Elyounoussi are cousins born in Al Hoceima. Mohamed was born on August the 4th , 1994. He plays as a forward for Basel in the Swiss super league. He started his career with the Norwegian club Sarpsborg FK before moving to the Sarpsborg 08 club. He was summoned in 2014 for the first time by the Norwegian national team.
His older cousin Tarik was born on February the 23rd, 1988 in the capital of the Rif. He currently plays for the Olumpiacos. Tarik Elyounoussi started in 2008 with the Norwegian national team. He has since been selected 40 times to wear the colors of his host country. Most famous of them all, he was elected in 2006 and then in 2007 "best young Norwegian player". He joined Trosvik IF club before proving himself in the club Fredrikstad FK. From 2008 to 2011, he played for the Dutch club SC Heerenveen. After a return to Norway for two seasons, he was summoned by the German club 1899 Hoffenheim where he played from 2013 to 2016 before joining Olympiakos Piraeus.