Ahmed Faras (; born 7 December 1946) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chabab Mohammédia at club level and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

internationally. Faras was named African Footballer of the Year in 1975. In 2006, Faras was selected by CAF as one of the best 200 African football players of the last 50 years.

Club career

Faras played for Chabab Mohammédia between 1965 and 1982, winning the Moroccan League in 1981 and finishing as the league's top-scorer in 1969 and 1973. He retired in 1982, after spending 17 years with the club.

International career

Faras was a member of Morocco national team from 1965 to 1979, wearing the captain's armband for eight consecutive years, starting from 1971. At international level, Faras took part in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in

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, and the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

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, before leading his team to African Cup of Nations success in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

. Faras scored a total of 42 goals in 94 games for his national side.

1972 Summer Olympics

The Moroccan national team was placed in Group A, with

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. Faras played a major role in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was the top scorer for the Moroccan national team with 3 goals scored all against

making it his first and only hat-trick for the National team.

1976 Africa Cup of Nations

was placed in Group B. Morocco tied its first match against Sudan and won its second against Zaire. Morocco played the final game against Nigeria, to determine the group winner, and Morocco won by 3 goals to 1. In the final round Morocco defeated Egypt 2-1 with a goal scored by Faras in the 23rd minute. They played against Nigeria again and won 2-1 scored by Faras in the 82nd minute. Morocco was to play its final against Guinea and needed a tie to win the cup. The match ended in a tie and Morocco won the cup. Faras was named best player of the tournament and was the 2nd top goal-scorer.

Career statistics

Honours

Chabab Mohammédia * Botola Pro: 1980 * Moroccan Throne Cup: 1972, 1975 * Moroccan Super Cup: 1975 * Maghreb Cup Winners Cup: 1973 * Maghreb Cup Winners Cup runner-up: 1975 Morocco * African Cup of Nations: 1976 * Kuneitra Cup: 1974 * Pan Arab Games: 1976 Individual * African Footballer of the Year: 1975 *Top Scorer: Botola Pro: 1969 (16 goals) *Top Scorer: Botola Pro: 1973 (16 goals) *Player of the Tournament: Africa Cup of Nations: 1976 * Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 1976 *Top Scorer: Kuneitra Cup: 1974 * IFFHS All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team Records * Morocco all-time top goalscorer * Chabab Mohammédia all-time top goalscorer

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faras, Ahmed 1946 births Living people Moroccan men's footballers Morocco men's international footballers 1970 FIFA World Cup players Competitors at the 1967 Mediterranean Games Competitors at the 1971 Mediterranean Games Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Morocco 1972 African Cup of Nations players 1976 African Cup of Nations players 1978 African Cup of Nations players People from Mohammedia Footballers from Casablanca-Settat African Footballer of the Year winners Botola players Africa Cup of Nations–winning players Men's association football forwards SCC Mohammédia players Mediterranean Games competitors for Morocco 20th-century Moroccan sportsmen