Benjamin Bouchouari

Biography

Benjamin Bouchouari (Arabic: بنيامين بوشواري; born 13 November 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 2 club Saint-Étienne. Born in Belgium, he represents Morocco at youth level. Club career Early life and youth career Born in Borgerhout, Belgium, Benjamin began his career from the youth division of Fortuna Sittard and was a part of their under-19 setup. He then joined the youth division of Roda JC and was a part of their under-19 and under-21 squads. Roda JC Benjamin signed his first senior contract with Dutch and current Eerste Divisie club Roda JC on 2020. He would represent for the club in 2020–21 Eerste Divisie. Benjamin played his maiden appearance for the club in the KNVB Cup match against Fortuna Sittard on 28 October 2020 as a substitute for Patrick Pflücke in the 77th minute of the match. The match ended 0–2 to Fortuna Sittard. Benjamin made his debut league appearance against Jong FC Utrecht on 9 November 2020. Benjamin started as a substitute in the 81st minute of the game for Patrick Pflücke. The match ended 2–0 with Roda JC losing the match. Benjamin scored his debut goal for the club against Excelsior on 15 February 2021 in the 83rd minute of the game, which they won 1-3. Saint-Étienne On 16 August 2022, Bouchouari signed a three-year contract with Saint-Étienne in France. In his first season at the club, Bouchouari was named in the UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Year. International career Born in Belgium, Bouchouari holds Moroccan nationality by descent. He opted to represent the Morocco U23s in 2021. In June 2023, he was included in the final squad of the under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco itself, where the Atlas Lions won their first title and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.