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Barcelona kicked off the Luis Enrique era in the best way possible after a convincing 3-0 win over Elche in La Liga. Lionel Messi scored twice but sandwiched in between those two great goals was a cool effort bydebutant Munir El Haddadi.The 18-year old Munir flicked the ball over the keeper with the outside of his left boot to double Barcas advantage, after hitting the post earlier in the match.When he was substituted mid-way through the second half, the Camp Nou crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Barca faithful are waiting with bated breath to see if he will be the next big thing from La Masia. Of course, many before him have flattered to deceive;like Bojan Krkic, for example. Munir will be hoping to show that his performance last night was no flash in the pan.Barcelona have already extended his contract till 2017, with a release clause of12 million which would reportedly riseto 35 million if he joinedthe first team. Now that that is out of the way, both club and player can look forward to a season full of promise.Here are five things you didnt know aboutMunir El Haddadi.
#1 He is a Spanish national of Moroccan origin
Munir was born in the muncipality of El Escorial in Madrid. His father is from the Moroccan city of Tetouan while his mother is from the Spanish-ruled exclave of Melilla in North Africa. Although he was born and brought up in Spain, Munir has stated that he is proud of his Moroccan roots. He regularly visits Morocco to meet relatives and can manage a little Arabic.
When it comes to international duties, Munir said three years ago that he would wait for a Moroccan national team call-up. Apparently nothing of that sort has materialised, and he has since appeared for the Spanish under-19 team. FIFA rules say that a player who played for the youth team of one country can play for another country as long as he hasn’t appeared in any senior team matches. So there is still some hope for Moroccan fans.
#2 He had a trial at Atletico Madrid and was chased by many other teams
At the tender age of 14, Munir was being touted as a possible new star by a lot of clubs in Europe. He went to Atletico Madrid on trial in 2010 and impressed the scouts enough to be accepted. He was loaned out to CF Rayo Majadahonda to gain some experience. It was there that he scored 32 times in 29 matches, generating interest from many teams, including Osasuna, Getafe, Manchester City, Rayo Vallecano and last but not the least, FC Barcelona.
Although Barca were able to snatch this precious talent, there was still a lot of interest in him, coming from the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and the master, Arsene Wenger himself. After his confident performances for Barca B and now the senior team, it seems he will definitely be staying on at Camp Nou for some more time.
#3 He was the top scorer during Barca\'s pre-season
The suspension of Luis Suarez and the injury of Neymar meant that Munir got a lot of chances to prove himself and stake his claim for a place in the first team. He ended pre-season as the top scorer for the Catalans with 4 goals. Against HJK Helsinki, he first scored off a volley from Andres Iniesta’s great aerial pass. And then, he added a second with a fine header that went in off the post. In the match against Club Leon, he again scored twice from two first-time finishes. Although he didn’t score against Napoli, he put in a good shift and impressed.
#4 He top scored in the UEFA Youth League, with one goal from the halfway line
Munir was the top-scorer with 11 goals as the Blaugrana won last year’s UEFA Youth League, which is the under-19 version of the Champions League.
He scored twice in the final, one of which was a sensational strike from the halfway line!
#5 His favourite players are Adel Taarabt and Lionel Messi
When asked by a Moroccan football site who his favourite Moroccan player was, he said it was Queens Park Rangers’ star Adel Taarabt. Looking at the way their careers are progressing, perhaps in a few years time, it will be Taarabt who might say the same about Munir! As for his favourite international star, Munir replied: “The excellent Messi.” That was three years ago; now that Munir’s playing up front with him, his conviction will only grow stronger.
