Munir El Haddadi’s biography, fact, career, awards, net worth and life story

Munir El Haddadi Mohamed (Arabic: منير الحدادي محمد‎; born 1 September 1995), or simply Munir, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sevilla and the Morocco national team.

Munir began his career in the youth ranks of Atlético Madrid before transferring to Barcelona in 2011, where he won the 2013–14 UEFA Youth League. He made his debut for the B-team in March 2014, and scored in his first match for the senior team in August of that year, at the start of a season in which they won the treble. The following year, he was one of five top scorers in the Copa del Rey, which his team won.

Born in Spain to a Moroccan father, Munir earned his first cap for the Spain national team against Macedonia on 8 September 2014. He switched his allegiance to Morocco in 2021, following FIFA’s change of rules that year.

Early life

Munir was born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, and grew up in nearby Galapagar on a street likened to a “Little Morocco” by El Mundo. His Moroccan father, Mohamed El Haddadi Arbrqui, came to Spain in a fishing boat at age 18 and is now a chef. His mother, Saida Mohamed Haddou, hails from the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla on the north coast of Africa; she is a former kitchen hand who now looks after Munir’s three siblings. Up to the age of 14, Munir was a fan of Real Madrid.

Club career

Early career

After starting at Galapagar and DAV Santa Ana, Munir scored 32 goals in 29 matches playing for CF Rayo Majadahonda’s Cadete A team, on loan from Atlético Madrid, after impressing during a trial in 2010. However, both Atlético and Real Madrid turned down the opportunity to bring him into their ranks. As a result, he attracted interest from a number of sides such as Manchester City, but signed for Barcelona’s youth academy the following summer.

Barcelona

Munir made his UEFA Youth League debut with the Juvenil side against Ajax U19, where he scored two goals. He scored braces against Milan U19 and Copenhagen U19, finishing the tournament scoring 11 goals in 10 matches. He scored a brace in the final against Benfica U19. On 3 March 2014, he extended his Barça contract until June 2017.

After being an unused substitute against Tenerife and Deportivo de La Coruña, Munir made his professional debut for Barcelona B on 2 March 2014 in a 1–2 away win against Mallorca in the second division, coming as a 72nd-minute substitute for Sandro. He scored his first goal as a senior player in a 2–1 home win against Girona on 19 April.

On 24 August 2014, Munir made his official debut for the first team in La Liga, against Elche at Camp Nou. He started the match and scored the second goal of an eventual 3–0 win before being substituted after 67 minutes for Pedro. Eight days short of his 19th birthday, he became Barcelona’s third-youngest goalscorer after Bojan and Lionel Messi. Munir was a nominee for the 2014 Golden Boy Award.

On 22 February 2015, Munir was sent off for two bookings in Barcelona B’s 0–1 defeat at Llagostera, as the season ended with relegation to Segunda División B. He played three matches apiece in Barcelona’s successful runs in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League, but was not included in the matchday squads for either final.

Munir was an unused substitute for their 5–4 win over Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup on 11 August. On 2 December, he scored his first Barcelona goals since his debut, scoring two in a 6–1 win over Villanovense as Barcelona advanced by the same score on aggregate in the domestic cup. On 17 December, starting due to Messi and Neymar’s injuries in the semi-finals of the year’s FIFA Club World Cup in Yokohama, Munir won a penalty kick when fouled by Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao’s Huang Bowen, from which Luis Suárez finished his hat-trick to send Barcelona into the final, 3–0.