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Rabat – Bilal El Khannouss, who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club KRC Genk and was part of the Moroccan squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has been nominated among the 100 young footballers contending for the prestigious Golden Boy 2023 trophy, awarded to the best player in Europe.
Every year, the Italian sport newspaper, Tuttosport, unveils its list of the 100 best young players in Europe under the age of 21.
For this year’s trophy, the Italian daily has chosen to rank Bilal El Khannouss 42nd to challenge for the trophy won last year by Spain’s Gavi.
El Khannouss is the only Moroccan international running for the award, and only Achraf Hakimi had previously featured among the 10 best players in 2018.
Right after the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Bilal El Khannouss was named Belgium’s Talent of the Year 2022 at the 69th edition of the Belgian Golden Boot award.
Having played 39 games with the Belgian club this season, the attacking midfielder also won the Dominique D’Onofrio award for Best Rookie in the Jupiler Pro League on March 27.
The 19-year old talent is the 15th most promising young player in the world, according to the latest data from the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory.
Moreover, the French sports newspaper L’Equipe recently awarded the Moroccan player with 8th place in its top 30 best footballers under 20 for the past season.
The Moroccan player has been at the center of interest from top European clubs following his impressive performances for both the Belgian and Moroccan national teams.
Napoli, Fiorentina, Real Madrid, and Manchester United have all been linked with a move for the young Moroccan creative midfielder.
Read also: Morocco’s Zaroury, El Khannouss Among 100 Most Valued U23 Players
