Nabil Dirar

Nabil Dirar (Arabic: نبيل درار; born 25 February 1986) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a winger for K.F.

[7] Dirar made his Westerlo debut in the opening match of the 2006–07 season, appearing as a late substitute for Patrick Ogunsoto in a 2–1 loss against Roeselare.

[11] In the last match of the season, Dirar scored his first Westerlo goal in the Belgian First Division, in a 1–1 draw against Gent.

[25] The next day after signing for Club Brugge, Dirar joined the squad, alongside Joseph Akpala and Ronald Vargas.

[26] He made his Club Brugge debut in the opening match of the 2008–09 season, where he started and lasted the entire 90 minutes in a 4–1 win against Tubize.

[29] After making his debut, Dirar became a first-team regular under the management of Jacky Mathijssen, then made three assists, which he did twice against Zulte Waregem[30] and once against Kortrijk between 29 October 2008 and 1 November 2008, both of which were wins.

Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Dirar was linked with a move to the English Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur and Everton expressing an interest in signing him.

[37] In a 3–2 win against KV Mechelen on 15 August 2009, he spat at opposition player Yoni Buyens, which although went undetected by the referee, was caught on television.

[53] Following a 1–0 loss against Lokeren on 23 October 2010, Dirar was again sent to the reserve side for three weeks after he fouled Tiko, which could have earned him a red card; he was substituted off in the second half as a result.

[59] Ultimately serving only a one-match ban,[60] he returned to the first team and scored and assisted another goal in a 5–0 win over Charleroi on 29 December.

French side Monaco made a bid for him, which led to him not playing against RAEC Mons on 29 January 2012 due to a hip injury.

[93] It was not until 1 February 2014 when he made his return from the first team, where he came on as a substitute for James Rodríguez in the 62nd minute in a 2–2 draw against Lorient.

[97] After missing one match due to an ankle injury,[98] Dirar scored his first goal for the club on 21 September in a 1–0 win over Guingamp.

[102] Following a shinbone injury at the start of 2015[103] Dirar made his first team return on 17 January 2015, coming on as a substitute in the second half in a 1–0 win over Nantes.

[114] After suffering from another injury,[115] his return was short-lived when he received a straight red card for leaning his head in towards referee Tony Chapron in the second half in a 1–0 win over Nice on 6 February 2016.

[121] In the next match, against Guingamp in the 2016–17 Ligue 1 opener, he was awarded the captaincy following the absence of incumbent Radamel Falcao; he recorded an assist in the 2–2 draw.

[122] He went on to captain two more matches, including against Villarreal, which ensured progression to the group stage after defeating the Spaniards 3–1 on aggregate.

[126] Two weeks after returning to the first team, he captained the side again on matchday 6 of the Champions League, a 3–0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen.

[127] He also captained the team in the following match, a 7–0 win over Rennes in the round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue seven days later.

[128] After being sidelined on three occasions due to international commitment[129] and injuries[130][131] Dirar scored an equalizer following a free-kick from Radamel Falcao in a 2–1 win over Dijon on 15 April 2017.

[132] He suffered an injury during a warm-up prior to a Champions League match against Juventus, keeping him out for the remainder of the season.

[135] It was announced on 16 June 2017 that Dirar moved to Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe for a €4.5 million transfer fee; he signed a three-year contract with an option for an additional year.

[139] After playing his last game with Mohammédia in November 2022, Dirar signed on a free transfer with Danish Third Division club Ishøj IF until the summer of 2024.

[143] Dirar initially announced his intention to play for the Belgium national football team after he decided to decline Morocco's offer.

[151] However, after a six-year absence, Dirar made his national team return, where he played as a right–back, in a 1–0 loss against Uruguay on 28 March 2015.

[153] Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Dirar grew up in a poor childhood: his father died when he was one, leaving his mother, a housekeeper, raising eleven children: seven sons and four sisters.

[154] In September 2012, Dirar was fined and lost his driver's license for about fifteen days after he parked his car in the bike path prior to his departure to AS Monaco.

[92][156][157] In 2012, Dirar became a father when his wife gave birth to a daughter, Layana, which led him to cancel his international commitment for Morocco.

Dirar playing for Monaco in 2015.
Dirar in the Moroccan squad before a friendly match against Czech Republic on 11 February 2009.