Mohamed Elyounoussi

Summary

Mohamed Amine Elyounoussi (Arabic: محمد أمين اليونسي; born 4 August 1994), nicknamed Moi (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈmùːɪ]), is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Danish Superliga club Copenhagen. Born in Morocco, he plays for the Norway national team.

Mohamed Elyounoussi
Elyounoussi with Basel in 2017
Personal information
Full name Mohamed Amine Elyounoussi[1]
Date of birth (1994-08-04) 4 August 1994 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Al Hoceima, Morocco
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
Copenhagen
Number 10
Youth career
Sarpsborg FK
Sarpsborg 08
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Sarpsborg 08 64 (15)
2014–2016 Molde 70 (30)
2016–2018 Basel 65 (21)
2018–2023 Southampton 79 (5)
2019–2021Celtic (loan) 44 (14)
2023– Copenhagen 22 (6)
International career
2009 Norway U15 2 (0)
2011 Norway U17 4 (0)
2012 Norway U18 5 (0)
2012 Norway U19 3 (2)
2013–2016 Norway U21 19 (5)
2013 Norway U23 1 (0)
2014– Norway 55 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Early life edit

Elyounoussi was born in Al Hoceima, Morocco and moved to Sarpsborg in Norway at a young age, where he started his professional career.

Club career edit

Sarpsborg 08 edit

He made his debut in Tippeligaen when he came on as a sub in Sarpsborg 08's match against Odd Grenland on 8 May 2011.

Molde edit

On 15 March 2014, Elyounoussi moved to fellow Tippeligaen side Molde FK.[4] During his first season with Molde FK he played in every league match and was the club's top scorer with 13 goals.[5] With the club, Elyounoussi won both Tippeligaen and the Norwegian Cup in his first season, which meant that Molde won the double for the first time in the club's history. He scored four goals in the 2014 Norwegian Cup, of which one was scored in the final against Odd. Elyounoussi scored a total of 17 goals in all competitions in the 2014 season and became Molde's top goalscorer.

In 2015, Elyounoussi scored three goals in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, all in the group stage. He scored twice against Celtic[6][7] and once against Fenerbahçe[8] and helped the team advance to the Round of 16 where they lost 1–3 on aggregate against Sevilla.

Basel edit

On 6 July 2016, Elyounoussi moved to Swiss Super League side FC Basel on a four-year contract.[9] He joined Basel's first team for their 2016–17 season under head coach Urs Fischer. After playing in four test games he made his domestic league debut on 24 July in the 3–0 home win at the St. Jakob-Park against Sion.[10] He scored his first goal for his new club just one week later on 31 July during the away game against Vaduz. It was the third Basler goal of the game and they won 5–1.[11] Elyounoussi scored a hat trick for Basel on 4 February 2017 during the home game against Lugano. These were the first three goals and were scored during the first 36 minutes of the game that Basel won 4–0.[12] Under trainer Urs Fischer, Elyounoussi won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2016–17 season. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total.[13] They also won the Swiss Cup for the twelfth time, which meant they had won the double for the sixth time in the club's history.[14]

He stayed with the club for two season and durung this time Elyounoussi played a total of 102 games for Basel scoring a total of 27 goals. 65 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, eight in the Swiss Cup, 11 in the Champions League and 18 were friendly games. He scored 21 goals in the domestic league, two in the Champions League and the other four were scored during the test games.[15]

Southampton edit

2018–19: Debut season in the Premier League edit

On 29 June 2018, Elyounoussi was signed by Southampton for a reported fee of £16 million,[16] signing a five-year contract.[17] On 12 August 2018, Elyounoussi made his Premier League debut in a 0–0 draw with Burnley, replacing Cédric in the 56th minute.[18] Despite making 19 appearances in all competitions throughout the season, Elyounoussi would not score any goals for the club.[19] Elyounoussi stated he found it “hard” to gain momentum.[20]

What was missing last season? It was all small details. It didn’t start great because I was injured and it took some time, it was my first game and I got an injury when I’d never had one in my career.

— Elyounoussi reflecting on his first season at Southampton.[20]

2019–2021: Loan to Celtic edit

On 30 August 2019, Elyounoussi joined Celtic on loan until the end of the season.[21] On 14 September 2019, Elyounoussi made his first appearance for Celtic in a 0–1 victory against Hamilton.[22] Elyounoussi would score his first goal for the club on 3 October 2019 in a 2–0 victory against CFR Cluj in the Europa League.[23] On 19 October 2019, Elyounoussi scored his first goals in the Scottish Premiership when he scored a brace in a 6–0 victory against Ross County.[24]

On 30 June 2020, the loan was extended for a further season.[25] Elyounoussi scored a brace on 18 August 2020 in a 6–0 victory against KR Reykjavik in the Champions League.[26] On 8 November 2020, Elyounoussi scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory at Motherwell.[27] On 21 March 2021, Elyounoussi scored in a 1–1 draw against Rangers which meant they could not match Celtic’s 106-point haul in the 2016–17 season.[28]

2021–22: Return to Southampton edit

On 25 August 2021, he scored a hat-trick in an emphatic 8–0 win over League Two side Newport County in the second round of the EFL Cup.[29] It was the biggest away win in Southampton's 135-year history and matched their biggest post-war win.[29] On 28 August 2021, Elyounoussi scored his first Premier League goal for Southampton in their 2–2 draw with Newcastle.[30] On 26 December 2021, Elyounoussi scored in a 2–3 victory against West Ham.[31] Elyounoussi scored his first goal in the FA Cup on 8 January 2022 in a 2–3 victory against Swansea City.[32] On 9 February 2022, Elyounoussi scored in a 2–3 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.[33] His final goal of the 2021–22 season came on 13 March 2022 in a 1–2 defeat to Watford.[34] This was his most prolific season for Southampton to date.[35]

2022–23 edit

On 13 August 2022, Elyounoussi made his first appearance of the season in a 2–2 draw with Leeds United.[36] He scored his only goal of the campaign in the penultimate game of the season in a 3–1 defeat to Brighton.[37] On 14 June 2023, Elyounoussi confirmed he would leave Southampton following the expiry of his contract at the end of the month.[38]

F.C. Copenhagen edit

On 27 July 2023, Elyounoussi signed a four-year contract with FC Copenhagen on a free transfer.[39]

International career edit

In June 2011, Elyounoussi was called up for the Norway U-17 team.[40]

In November 2013, he was called up to the senior Norwegian national team for their January 2014 international matches in Abu Dhabi.[41] He made his debut there against Poland on 18 January 2014, replacing Erik Huseklepp in the 33rd minute of a 3–0 defeat.[42] He scored his first goal for Norway on 13 June 2017 against Sweden. He scored his first hat-trick for Norway on 5 October 2017 against San Marino.

Personal life edit

His cousin, Tarik Elyounoussi, is also a Norwegian international footballer who last played for the Japanese side, Shonan Bellmare.

Elyounoussi's father used to own a pizza parlour in Norway, where Mohamed worked while living in his home town.[43]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of match played 14 April 2024[44][45]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sarpsborg 08 2011 Tippeligaen 9 0 1 0 10 0
2012 1. divisjon 26 9 3 1 29 10
2013 Tippeligaen 29 6 1 0 30 6
Total 64 15 5 1 0 0 69 16
Molde 2014 Tippeligaen 30 13 4 4 3[c] 0 37 17
2015 Tippeligaen 28 12 1 0 12 7 41 19
2016 Tippeligaen 12 5 1 1 2 0 15 6
Total 70 30 6 5 17 7 93 42
Basel 2016–17 Swiss Super League 32 10 5 0 3[d] 0 40 10
2017–18 Swiss Super League 33 11 3 0 8[d] 2 44 13
Total 65 21 8 0 11 2 84 23
Southampton 2018–19[19] Premier League 16 0 2 0 1 0 19 0
2019–20[46] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21[47] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021–22[35] Premier League 30 4 2 1 1 3 33 8
2022–23[48] Premier League 33 1 1 0 3 0 37 1
Total 79 5 5 1 5 3 89 9
Celtic (loan) 2019–20[46] Scottish Premiership 10 4 2 1 3 2 6[c] 1 21 8
2020–21[47] Scottish Premiership 34 10 2 1 2 0 9[e] 6 45 17
Total 44 14 4 2 5 2 15 7 66 25
Copenhagen 2023–24[49] Danish Superliga 22 6 3 1 12[d] 3 37 10
Career total 344 91 31 10 10 5 55 19 438 125
  1. ^ Includes Norwegian Cup, Swiss Cup, FA Cup, Scottish Cup, Danish Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Seven appearances and four goals in UEFA Europa League, two appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League

International edit

As of match played 26 March 2024[50]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2014 2 0
2015 3 0
2016 0 0
2017 9 4
2018 8 1
2019 2 0
2020 4 1
2021 11 3
2022 10 0
2023 5 1
2024 1 0
Total 55 10
Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elyounoussi goal.[51]
List of international goals scored by Mohamed Elyounoussi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 June 2017 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Sweden 1–0 1–1 Friendly
2 5 October 2017 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino   San Marino 4–0 8–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 5–0
4 7–0
5 16 October 2018 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Bulgaria 1–0 1–0 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C
6 7 September 2020 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland   Northern Ireland 1–0 5–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
7 4 September 2021 Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia   Latvia 2–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 11 October 2021 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway   Montenegro 1–0 2–0
9 2–0
10 19 November 2023 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland   Scotland 3–3 3–3 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours edit

Molde

Basel

Celtic

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "Mohamed Amine Elyounoussi" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Mohamed Elyounoussi: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Mohamed Elyounoussi". Southampton F.C. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Selger Elyounoussi til tippeligarival". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). 15 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Toppscorern". Molde FK (in Norwegian). 9 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Molde 3-1 Celtic Match Report". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Celtic 1-2 Molde Match Report". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Fenerbache 1-3 Molde Match Report". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Mohamed Elyounoussi wechselt zum FCB". fcb.ch (in German). FC Basel. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  10. ^ Marti, Caspar (2016). "3:0 gegen Sion – Der FCB war beim Auftact parat". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  11. ^ Marti, Caspar (2016). "Klarer Sieg beim FC Vaduz". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  12. ^ Marti, Caspar (2017). "Elyounoussi hattrick beim 4:0 gegen Lugano". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  13. ^ Marti, Casper (2017). "Der Saisonabschluss im Zeitraffer". FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Swiss football: FC Basel wins 3-0 over Sion in Geneva; police extra vigilant after game". allaboutgeneva.com. 25 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  15. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2022). "Mohamed Elyounoussi - FCB statistic". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Mohamed Elyounoussi signs for Southampton from Basel for reported £16m". BBC Sport. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Saints sign Elyounoussi". Southampton FC. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  18. ^ Mann, Mantej (12 August 2018). "Southampton 0–0 Burnley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Games played by Mohamed Elyounoussi in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Southampton loanee Moi Elyounoussi talks Celtic move". Southern Daily Echo. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
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  22. ^ Watt, Martin (14 September 2019). "Hamilton 0–1 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Celtic 2–0 CFR Cluj: Odsonne Edouard and Mohamed Elyounoussi send Celtic top". Sky Sports. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Celtic 6–0 Ross County: Hoops return to top of Scottish Premiership". Sky Sports. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
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  26. ^ Campbell, Andy (18 August 2020). "Celtic 6–0 KR Reykjavik". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  27. ^ Lindsay, Clive (8 November 2020). "Motherwell 1–4 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  28. ^ Duncan, Thomas (21 March 2021). "Celtic 1–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Southampton secured the biggest away win in their history as they hammered Newport County 8-0 at Rodney Parade". BBC. 25 August 2021.
  30. ^ Rose, Gary (28 August 2021). "Newcastle 2–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  31. ^ De Cosemo, Harry (26 December 2021). "West Ham 2–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  32. ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (8 January 2022). "Swansea City 2–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  33. ^ Bysouth, Alex (9 February 2022). "Tottenham Hotspur 2–3 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  34. ^ Poole, Harry (13 March 2022). "Southampton 1–2 Watford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
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  37. ^ Mann, Mantej (21 May 2023). "Brighton & Hove Albion 3–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  38. ^ House, Alfie (14 June 2023). "Moi Elyounoussi confirms Southampton exit at end of his contract". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
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  43. ^ Heneage, Kristan (24 March 2016). "Mohamed Elyounoussi: The pizza-loving forward Leicester are eyeing as Mahrez's replacement". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  44. ^ "Mohamed Elyounoussi". nifs.no (in Norwegian). A-pressen. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
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  46. ^ a b "Games played by Mohamed Elyounoussi in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  47. ^ a b "Games played by Mohamed Elyounoussi in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  48. ^ "Games played by Mohamed Elyounoussi in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  49. ^ "Games played by Mohamed Elyounoussi in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
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  53. ^ Celtic win fourth straight Scottish Cup as Hazard's shootout saves break Hearts, Ewan Murray, The Guardian, 20 December 2020
  54. ^ English, Tom (8 December 2019). "Rangers 0–1 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  55. ^ "SAFP Golden 11 2017 - Die Gewinner". Golden11. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  56. ^ "Månedens Hold i marts". 3F Superliga (in Danish). 26 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.

External links edit

  • Profile at the F.C. Copenhagen website
  • Profile at altomfotball.no
  • Profile at sarpsborg08.no
  • Mohamed Elyounoussi – UEFA competition record (archive)