Hassan El Fakiri

Infobox Football biography
playername = Hassan El Fakiri
fullname = Hassan El Fakiri
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1977|4|18
cityofbirth = Temsamane
countryofbirth = Morocco
height = height|m=1.74
currentclub = SK Brann
position = Midfielder
clubnumber = 7
youthyears =
youthclubs = Lyn
years = 1995-1999
2000
2000-2005
2001
2001-2002
2005-2007
2007-
clubs = Lyn
Brann
AS Monaco
Lyn (loan)
Rosenborg (loan)
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Brann
caps(goals) = 85 (7)
09 (3)
41 (0)
13 (1)
17 (0)
49 (1)
14 (2) [http://www.brann.no/index.php?valg=spiller&spiller=41 Sportsklubben Brann - Ekte lidenskap har et navn ] ]
nationalyears = 2004-
nationalteam = Norway
nationalcaps(goals) = 08 (0)
ntupdate = April 14 2008
pcupdate = July 6, 2007

Hassan El Fakiri ( _ar. حسن الفكيري) (born April 18 1977 in Temsamane, Morocco) is a Norwegian footballer currently playing for SK Brann.

El Fakiri started his career with the Oslo-based club FC Lyn Oslo. He made his debut in game against local rivals Skeid on May 28 1995. As a young and talented midfielder, El Fakiri earned the adulation of the Lyn fans, who made him player of the year in 1997.

El Fakiri joined SK Brann in 2000, instantly catching the eyes of scouts from the French side AS Monaco FC. Due to SK Brann's dire financial straits at the time, Hassan El Fakiri was sold to the French Ligue 1 team before he had actually played a league game for SK Brann. El Fakiri played 9 league games for SK Brann, scoring 3 goals, before leaving Bergen in the transfer window. One of the most notable contributions from El Fakiri was a sterling performance in midfield in the first game of the 2000 Tippeliga season, a 4-1 home drubbing of local rivals Viking FK. Interestingly enough, two of the goals in this game was scored by the striker Mons Ivar Mjelde, who later re-signed El Fakiri, this time as manager for SK Brann.

Hassan El Fakiri's stay in Monaco started off slowly, being sent out on loan to both his boyhood team FC Lyn Oslo and Rosenborg BK. The 2002/2003 French League 1 season saw El Fakiris fortunes change, with AS Monaco coach Didier Deschamps' preferring to use the midfielder as a right back. Hassan El Fakiri was even a un-used substitute in the 2004 Champions League final between AS Monaco and Portuguese side FC Porto. Hassan El Fakiris contract with AS Monaco FC expired in 2005, and El Fakiri chose to continue his career with Borussia Mönchengladbach, joining the Bundesliga side on a Bosman free transfer. At Borussia, El Fakiri returned to his favoured midfield berth, helping the side to 10th place in the 2005/2006 Bundesliga. However, the next season Borussia were relegated from the Bundesliga after losing 1-0 at home to VfB Stuttgart on the last matchday.

The relegation coincided with Hassan El Fakiri's contract expiring, and after considering several contract proposals from Norwegian clubs, Fakiri returned to Brann seven years after he left Brann for Monaco. [Cite news| publisher = bt.no | url = http://fotball.bt.no/eliteserien/article86235.ece| title = El Fakiri til Brann - Gashi til FFK no icon | author =Erli Berg Daneshmand, Tore Nilssen | date = July 25, 2007] El Fakiri's return to Bergen was a happy one, helping SK Brann to their first Norwegian championship in 44 years.

Honours

Norway

*Norwegian Premier League: 2007

References