Abdelaziz Barrada

Abdelaziz Barrada (Arabic: عبد العزيز برادة; 19 June 1989 – 24 October 2024), sometimes known as Abdel, was a professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in France, he represented Morocco at international level.

Abdelaziz Barrada

Barrada playing for Morocco in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1989-06-19)19 June 1989
Place of birth	Provins, France
Date of death	24 October 2024(2024-10-24) (aged 35)
Place of death	Paris, France
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Sénart-Moissy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2007	Sénart-Moissy	11	(3)
2007–2010	Paris Saint-Germain B	43	(2)
2010–2011	Getafe B	32	(4)
2011–2013	Getafe	64	(8)
2013–2014	Al Jazira	22	(10)
2014–2016	Marseille	33	(2)
2016–2018	Al Nasr	33	(9)
2018–2019	Antalyaspor	5	(0)
2019	→ Gimnàstic (loan)	4	(0)
2019–2020	Al Shahania	5	(0)
2020–2021	Lusitanos Saint-Maur	0	(0)
Total		252	(38)
International career
2011–2012	Morocco U23	11	(4)
2012–2015	Morocco	26	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played in Spain's La Liga for Getafe and France's Ligue 1 for Marseille, in addition to spells in top-flight football in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar. He earned 26 caps for Morocco, and was chosen for the 2012 Olympic football tournament and the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club career

Early career

Barrada was born on 19 June 1989 in Provins, France. He played for three years with Paris Saint-Germain's reserves, and in 2007 he was the inaugural winner of the Titi d'Or for the club's best youth player.

Getafe

Barrada moved to Spain in 2010 and joined Getafe, initially being assigned to the reserves which were playing for the first time ever in Segunda División B. On 14 March 2011, he signed his first professional contract with the Madrid outskirts club.

On 28 August 2011, Barrada made his La Liga debut with Getafe, starting and playing 60 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Levante. He was immediately propelled into manager Luís García's starting XI. He scored his first goal for Getafe's main squad on 6 November, helping the hosts – who played more than 60 minutes with ten players – to a 3–2 home win against Atlético Madrid. In the following month, on the 17th, he netted twice in a 2–1 success at Mallorca.

Barrada scored four goals in 32 matches in both of his seasons with the team, helping it to consecutive midtable positions (11th and tenth).

Al Jazira and Marseille

On 6 July 2013, Barrada joined UAE Pro League side Al Jazira, signing a four-year contract. The following summer, he agreed to a four-year deal with Marseille for a reported €4.5 million.

In only his second appearance in Ligue 1, Barrada scored his first goal in the competition, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute in the home fixture against Nice and scoring for a 4–0 victory. His second arrived early into the 2015–16 season, as he contributed to a 6–0 demolition of Troyes also at the Stade Vélodrome.

Later career

In July 2016, Barrada returned to the UAE, signing for Al-Nasr of Dubai. He signed a three-year deal and Marseille received €2 million for the player who had contributed six assists in his final season.

Barrada signed a two-year deal with Antalyaspor of the Turkish Süper Lig in August 2018. The following January, he returned to Spain for the first time in over five years, being loaned to Gimnàstic Tarragona for the remainder of the Segunda División season. At the start of April, the Catalan club cancelled his contract after 145 minutes of play and concerns over his professionalism; manager Enrique Martín said "the Barrada I knew is not here".

In September 2019, Barrada went back to the Arabian Peninsula, signing a one-year deal at Al Shahaniya in the Qatar Stars League. Four months later he returned to his native Île-de-France, signing for Lusitanos Saint-Maur in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of French football.

International career

Barrada on the ball against Mozambique in October 2012

Barrada earned his first cap for Morocco on 29 February 2012, playing 86 minutes in a 2–0 friendly win over Burkina Faso. Also that year, he was part of the under-23 squad at the Summer Olympic Games, scoring in a 2–2 draw against Honduras in an eventual group stage exit.

Barrada started all three of Morocco's games at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, as the Atlas Lions again did not advance. In the second game, he assisted the late equaliser by Youssef El-Arabi in a 1–1 draw with Cape Verde.

Death

Barrada died of a heart attack in France on 24 October 2024, at the age of 35. His funeral took place at his birthplace of Provins in France, followed by burial in his family's village of Douar Aït Abdallah in Souk Lakhmis Dades in Tinghir Province, Morocco.

Career statistics

Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barrada goal.

List of international goals scored by Abdelaziz Barrada

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Reference
1	13 October 2012	Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco	Mozambique	1–0	4–0	2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2	15 June 2013	Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco	Gambia	1–0	2–0	2014 World Cup qualification
3	14 August 2013	Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier, Morocco	Burkina Faso	1–2	1–2	Friendly
4	7 September 2014	Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco	Libya	2–0	3–0	Friendly

Honours

Morocco U23

• U-23 Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2011

References

1. "Foot : PSG, OM, consultant...Qui était Abdelaziz Barrada ?". Le Figaro (in French). 25 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
2. "🕊️[News-Anciens] Le premier Titi d'Or Abdelaziz Barrada est décédé" [🕊️[News-Former players] The first Titi d'Or Abdelaziz Barrada has died] (in French). Les Titis du PSG. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
3. Abdelaziz Barrada passe pro à Getafe (Abdelaziz Barrada turns pro at Getafe) Archived 5 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Maroc Football, 14 March 2011 (in French)
4. Juanlu saves Levante; ESPN Soccernet, 28 August 2011
5. Abdel Barrada, la joya de la cantera del Getafe (Abdel Barrada, Getafe youth system's gem); ABC, 7 November 2011 (in Spanish)
6. Getafe 3–2 Atlético Madrid; ESPN Soccernet, 6 November 2011
7. Getafe fight back for vital win; ESPN Soccernet, 17 December 2011
8. "El Getafe traspasa a Barrada, el Zaragoza ficha a Barkero y Bojan, cedido al Ajax" [Getafe transfer Barrada, Zaragoza sign Barkero and Bojan, loaned to Ajax] (in Spanish). RTVE. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
9. "Al Jazira sign Abdelaziz Barrada from Getafe". Pro League. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
10. "Al Jazira sell off Barrada to Marseille". The National. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
11. "Marseille-Nice: l'OM écrase Nice et fait le spectacle au Vélodrome" [Marseille-Nice: OM crush Nice and put on a show at the Vélodrome] (in French). RTL. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
12. Scott, A (23 August 2015). "Michel's Marseille hit Troyes for six". Ligue 1. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
13. "Barrada quitte l'OM" [Barrada leaves OM] (in French). So Foot. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
14. "Abdelaziz Berrada [sic] rejoint le club turc Antalyaspor" [Abdelaziz Barrada joins Turkish club Antalyaspor]. Le Matin (in French). 30 August 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
15. Suelves, Marc Bernard (17 January 2019). "Oficial: el Nástic ficha a Barrada" [Official: Nàstic sign Barrada]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
16. Biescas, Álex (2 April 2019). "Barrada decepciona y el Nàstic le rescinde el contrato" [Barrada disappoints and Nàstic cancel his contract]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
17. Hatim, Yahia (3 September 2019). "Moroccan Player Abdelaziz Barrada Joins Qatari Club". Morocco World News. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
18. Corby, Stéphane (24 January 2020). "Mercato : Barrada, de l'OM aux Lusitanos Saint-Maur !" [Transfer market: Barrada, from OM to Lusitanos Saint-Maur!]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
19. "Morocco 2–0 Burkina Faso: Abdelaziz Barrada orchestrates Atlas Lions win in dream debut". Maktoob News. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
20. "Honours even for Honduras, Morocco". FIFA. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
21. Fottrell, Stephen (19 January 2013). "Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Angola 0–0 Morocco". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
22. Fottrell, Stephen (23 January 2013). "Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Morocco 1–1 Cape Verde Islands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
23. "South Africa force draw and send Morocco out". Morocco World News. 27 January 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
24. "Ex-Morocco and Marseille midfielder Barrada dies aged 35". BBC. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
25. "Les obsèques d'Abdelaziz Barrada, une émotion partagée de Provins à Tinghir" [Funeral services of Abdelaziz Barrada, a shared emotion from Provins to Tinghir]. Bladi (in French). 29 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
26. "Morocco beats Mozambique 4–0 to qualify for African Cup of Nations". Alarabiya News. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
27. Tomlinson, Henry (26 October 2024). "Former Morocco international Abdelaziz Barrada dies suddenly at 35". News.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
28. Tajedd, Abdou (15 August 2013). "North Africa: Maghreb Sides Prep for World Cup". All Africa. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
29. "2015 AFRICA CUP – Hosts Morocco beat Libya in friendly – 2:0". AfroFootball. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
30. "Relive 2011 U-23 AFCON: When Gabon stunned the entire continent | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019". cafonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 5 November 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abdelaziz Barrada.

• Abdelaziz Barrada at IMDb
• Abdelaziz Barrada at L'Équipe Football (in French)
• Abdelaziz Barrada at BDFutbol
• Abdelaziz Barrada at National-Football-Teams.com
• Abdelaziz Barrada – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Abdelaziz Barrada at Soccerway