Karim Rekik (; born 2 December 1994) is a Dutch professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a defender for

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system. The first team to w ...

club

Al-Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business * Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazira, a traditional ...

. Rekik came through the youth academy at

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

, before joining

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

who he signed on a professional terms in 2011. He would only make one appearance for City in the league over a four-year spell, spending time on loan with

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

and PSV. In 2015 he signed for

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

where he remained for several seasons before joining

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

. He has been capped at numerous international levels, including four caps for

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

between 2014 and 2017.

Early life

Rekik was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. His father was born in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

and his mother is a Dutch primary school teaching assistant. He has a younger brother,

Omar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

, who is also a professional footballer who is currently a free agent. Rekik started his football when he joined

Scheveningen Scheveningen () is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict () of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is popular ...

in 1999 before joining

, where he went on to stay for nine years. But in March 2011,

made an approach for Rekik, as Feyernood were determined to keep a hold off him. The approach was to be controversial, as the club took the case matter to the Dutch FA, as a result of the club losing their youngsters to

clubs. The club was also considering legal action against Rekik's agent

Søren Lerby Søren Lerby (born 1 February 1958) is a Danish former football player, manager, and licensed agent. As a player, he spent most of his career in Dutch football, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax Amsterdam and two with PSV Eindho ...

, though he insisted he was following FIFA's rules. The case was dismissed.

Club career

Manchester City

Rekik signed for

from Feyenoord in the summer of 2011, and made his debut appearance for the first team in the Dublin Super Cup in pre-season. He made his official first team debut for Manchester City on 21 September 2011 against

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

in the third round of the League Cup, coming on as a substitute for Wayne Bridge in the last 12 minutes of the game. His debut against Birmingham City saw him become the youngest overseas player to appear in a senior game for City, just 16 years and 294 days old. He also made a 73rd-minute substitute appearance in the fourth round of the competition against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

at Molineux, in place of Luca Scapuzzi. Rekik returned to Manchester City at the end of the 2011–12 season. On 5 December 2012, it was announced that Rekik signed a long term contract with the club. He would go on to start in his Premier League debut, a 1–0 win at home to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

on 22 December 2012, and was substituted for

James Milner James Philip Milner (born 4 January 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Brighton & Hove Albion. A versatile player, Milner has played in multiple positions, including on either wing, in midfield and ...

in the 84th minute. Reading claimed that they deserved a penalty for Rekik's challenge on

Jay Tabb Jay Anthony Tabb (born 21 February 1984) is a retired professional footballer. He began his career at Crystal Palace but was released as a junior and joined Brentford in 2000. He moved to Crawley Town in 2003 on a loan which was ultimately cut s ...

, which was not given by referee Mike Dean. On 10 August 2014, Rekik was an unused substitute as City lost the Community Shield 3–0 to

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

Loan spells in England

On 22 March 2012, it was confirmed that

Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...

was to take Scapuzzi and Rekik on a month's loan at

in the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

. He made his debut for

on 27 March, in a 2–0 home win against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

. This was also Rekik's first senior league appearance in club football. Unlike Scapuzzi, Rekik became a regular starter as Portsmouth struggled to fight relegation. He was an ever-present figure in the Portsmouth defence as the league came to an end. Nevertheless, Portsmouth were relegated at the end of the season. On 15 February 2013, it was confirmed that Rekik would join

in the Championship until the end of the season. The move reunited him with his former Portsmouth manager Appleton. Rekik made his Blackburn Rovers debut, playing as a left-midfield, in a 2–0 loss against Hull City on 19 February 2013. Rekik went on to make five appearances for the club.

PSV Eindhoven (loan)

On 8 July 2013, it was confirmed that Rekik would join

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

on loan for the 2013–14 season, wearing number 3. Rekik made his PSV Eindhoven debut, in the first leg of third round of Champions League, in a 2–0 win over Zulte Waregem on 30 July 2013. Three days later, Rekik made his league debut, in the opening game of the season, in a 3–2 win over

ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...

. Rekik played the remaining three matches in the Champions League play-off, as PSV were knocked out by

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. However, Rekik suffered an ankle injury, while in international duty. As a result, Rekik would be out for four weeks, though he would need to undergo surgery. The surgery was successful, resulting him out for another four weeks. After two months on the sidelines, Rekik made his return from the first team on 2 November 2013, in a 1–1 draw against

PEC Zwolle Prins Hendrik Ende Desespereert Nimmer Combinatie Zwolle, commonly known as PEC Zwolle, is a Dutch professional football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football. They have played in the Ered ...

. He then scored his first

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

goal for PSV on 7 December in a 2–6 home defeat to Vitesse. Rekik went on to captain two games in absence of

Georginio Wijnaldum Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum (; born 11 November 1990) is a Dutch professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq FC, Al-Ettifaq, whom he captain (association football), captains, ...

against

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

and ADO Den Haag. Later in the 2013–14 season, Rekik became a regular starter at PSV, as he made twenty-five appearances for the club. Karim Rekik 2020

Because of his good performance at PSV, Rekik was keen to re-join PSV for the second time next season, though he could return to Manchester City for next season. However, Rekik said he would not return to Manchester City next season unless he was given first team chances. As his loan spell with PSV came to an end, Rekik was linked with a move to Marseille. Instead on 14 August 2014, it announced that Rekik returned to PSV until the end of the season. Rekik's first game after signing for the club on a loan for the second time came, in a 6–1 win over

NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eredivisi ...

on 16 August 2014. Rekik then scored his second goal of his PSV career on 9 November 2014, in a 2–1 win over

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

. Since making his second debut for PSV, Rekik continued to be in the first team in straight matches until he suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted during a match against

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...

on 13 February 2015. After making his return to training, Rekik made his return to the first team on 22 March 2015, in a 2–1 loss against Feyernood. Despite this, Rekik later helped PSV win their first league since 2008. Rekik later spoke out about the club's winning the league. Like his first season at PSV, Rekik established himself in the first team with twenty-nine appearances and formed a strong central-defense partnership with

Jeffrey Bruma Jeffrey Kevin van Homoet Bruma (; born 13 November 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Club career Chelsea Bruma joined Chelsea's youth setup from Feyenoord at the age of 15 for a fee of £100,000, and was ...

. Following the 2014–15 season came to an end, PSV was keen to sign Rekik for the third time. However, PSV decided not to sign him after Rekik made it clear that he wanted to play in a bigger league than the Eredivisie.

Marseille

On 30 June 2015, Rekik joined

for an undisclosed fee after making just two appearances for

in four years. The move was later confirmed on 2 July 2015 and the player was unveiled, along with

Lucas Ocampos Lucas Ariel Ocampos (; born 11 July 1994) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Winger, winger or forward (association football), forward for Liga MX club C.F. Monterrey, Mo ...

. Rekik scored his first goal for Marseille in a 1–1

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

draw with rivals

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

on 20 September.

Hertha BSC

On 16 June 2017, he signed for

for a reported fee of €2.5 million as a long term replacement for the departing John Anthony Brooks to

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...

Sevilla

On 5 October 2020, Rekik signed for Spanish club

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, that competes in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. The club was formed on 25 January ...

until 2025.

Al Jazira

On 30 July 2023, Rekik signed for

club

International career

Rekik was eligible to play for

, through his birthplace, and

, through his father. Rekik was called up by Netherlands U17 in September 2010 and made his Netherlands U17 debut, in a 0–0 draw against Italy U17. Rekik was then called up into the squad by Netherlands U17 for the

UEFA European Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual Association football, football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain national under-17 football team, ...

and scored the opening game of the season, in a 2–0 win over Germany U17. Rekik went on to help the club reach the final, where Netherlands U17 beat Germany U17 5–2. Rekik was then called up by Netherlands U19 in October 2011 and made his Netherlands U19 debut, in a 3–0 win over Moldova U19. Rekik then captained his first Netherlands U19 game, in a 2–0 win over Norway U19. Rekik went on to captain five times in his eleven appearances. In August 2013, Rekik was first called up Netherlands for the two matches in the World Cup Qualifying, but was never used. Rekik made his debut for the Netherlands national team in a 2–0 friendly defeat to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at the

Stade de France Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the List of football stadiums in France, largest stadium i ...

6 March 2014. In May 2014, he was named in manager

Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...

's provisional 30-man squad for the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

. However, on 31 May 2014, van Gaal announced his final squad, which saw Rekik left out of the 23 man squad.

Career statistics

Club

;Notes

International

Honours

PSV *

: 2014–15 Marseille *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

runner-up: 2015–16 Sevilla *

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Al Jazira *

UAE League Cup The UAE League Cup () is a knockout tournament for clubs in the UAE Pro-League. The first edition of the tournament was played in the 2008–09 Etisalat Emirates Cup, 2008–2009 season. In the 2008–09 season, UAE League Cup replaced the UAE Fed ...

2024-25 A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

Netherlands U17 *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...