Moncef Zekri (Arabic: منصف زكري, born 20 September 2008) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for KV Mechelen. Born in Belgium, he is a youth international for Morocco.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 20, 2008 | ||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | KV Mechelen | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2022 | OH Leuven | ||
| 2022–2023 | Sint-Truiden V.V. | ||
| 2023– | KV Mechelen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Jong KV Mechelen | 6 | (0) |
| 2025– | KV Mechelen | 19 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2024 | Morocco U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Morocco U17 | 11 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 May 2026 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Brussels, Belgium, Zekri began his youth career at OH Leuven, then moved to Sint-Truiden V.V. in 2022, and later joined KV Mechelen in 2023. He played for the club's reserve side Jong KV Mechelen in the Belgian fourth tier during the 2024–25 season.[1]
He made his senior debut for KV Mechelen on 10 May 2025, replacing Mory Konaté in a league match against Standard Liège. A week later, he started his first match against Sporting Charleroi, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Despite interest from clubs such as Ajax Amsterdam, he signed his first professional contract with KV Mechelen at the end of the season.[2][3][4]
International career
editIn March 2025, Zekri was called up by the Morocco U17s to participate in the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Morocco.[5][6]
He was a key starter during the tournament, helping Morocco reach the final after defeating Ivory Coast U17 in a penalty shootout (0–0 regular time).[7][8][9]
Morocco then defeated Mali U17 in the final (0–0, 4–2 pen.) to claim their first-ever title in the tournament.[10][11]
He was named in the CAF team of the tournament[12] and attracted interest from European clubs.[13]
Honours
editInternational
editMorocco U17
- Africa U-17 Cup of Nations: 2025
- UNAF U-17 Tournament: Bronze medal (2024)
Individual
edit- CAF Team of the Tournament: 2025
References
edit- ↑ "Un nouveau joueur marocain est proche de rejoindre le Bayer Leverkusen". AfricaFoot (in French). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ↑ "En dat ondanks nadrukkelijke interesse van Ajax: KV Mechelen-toptalent Moncef Zekri (16) blijft bij Malinwa". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). 10 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ↑ Chaat, Youssef (20 May 2025). "Mercato : Moncef Zekri signe son premier contrat professionnel avec le KV Mechelen". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ↑ "Mercato: Le KV Mechelen sécurise Moncef Zekri". Le360 Sport (in French). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ↑ Bennis, Hicham (24 March 2025). "La liste du Maroc pour sa CAN U17 avec des joueurs de l'OL, Chelsea et Monaco". Afrik-Foot (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ "Maroc". CAF (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ Senoussi, Zoubida (15 April 2025). "CAN U17 : Le Maroc file en finale en s'imposant aux tirs au but face à la Côte d'Ivoire". Hespress (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ Kitabri, Abderrahmane (15 April 2025). "Maroc-Côte d'Ivoire : Les Lionceaux joueront leur FINALE grâce, en grande partie, à Belaârouche !". L'Opinion Maroc (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ Achache, Farid (15 April 2025). "CAN U17: le Mali et le Maroc s'offrent la finale". RFI (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ Berg, Valentin (19 April 2025). "CAN U17: le Maroc sacré champion d'Afrique pour la première fois après sa victoire face au Mali". RFI (in French). Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ↑ Penot, Hervé (19 April 2025). "Le Maroc remporte la CAN des moins de 17 ans pour la première fois de son histoire". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ↑ "CAN U17 CAF : Le onze type". CAF (in French). 19 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ↑ "Op de radar van Ajax en Leverkusen, maar 16-jarig toptalent Moncef Zekri blijft gewoon bij KV Mechelen: "Door die Africa Cup kwam alles in een stroomversnelling"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
External links
edit- Moncef Zekri at Soccerway