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Rabat – Moroccans Anass Zaroury and Bilal El Khannouss have featured among the top 100 U23 players in terms of transfer value outside of Europe’s “big five” leagues.
The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory ranked Burnley FC forward Anass Zaroury 33rd with an estimated value of €18 million (MAD 182 million) while it ranked KRC Genk midfielder Bilal El Khannouss 61st with a value around €13 million (MAD 131.7 million).
Both players represented Morocco’s national football team in late 2022 and were part of the 2022 World Cup squad that made a historic run to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Zaroury holds a record of eleven goals in all competitions this season with the Clarets, with seven goals and four assists in the EFL Championship, England’s second division league.
“We started the season with a boy who needed to prove he could play English football. After six months, we had a superstar,” Burnley Manager Vincent Kompany stated.
Commenting on his performances, Morocco’s Head Coach Walid Regragui said, “He came back after playing in front of millions of people and then after being cheered on the Moroccan streets. He not only made us proud, but all of Africa.
In the friendly match between Morocco and Brazil in Tangier, El Khannouss, aged only 18, demonstrated great accuracy and overflowing confidence.
El Khannouss has made 31 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season and received the Dominique D’Onofrio Award for Best Rookie in the league on March 27.
“We truly consider El Khannouss as a top international talent. As far as we are concerned, he may be able to break the Belgian transfer record,” explained KRC Genk president Peter Croonen.
Benfica forward Gonçalo Ramos tops the CIES list with an estimated value of €70 million, followed by his teammate Antonio Silva who is valued at €66 million and Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio at €62 million.
Read also: Bilal El Khannouss Receives Belgian Pro League’s Best Rookie Award
