Tarik El Taib

Tariq Al Taib
طارق التايب
Personal information
Full name Tariq Ibrahim Mohammad Al Taib
Date of birth (1977-02-28) 28 February 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Tripoli, Libya
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1992–1994 Al Ahli Tripoli
1995 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–2001 Al Ahli Tripoli 26 (11)
1996–1997 → Beira-Mar (loan)
2001–2004 CS Sfaxien 65 (37)
2004–2006 Gaziantepspor 47 (5)
2006–2009 Al Hilal 45 (11)
2009–2010 Al Shabab 10 (3)
2010–2011 Al Ahli Tripoli
2011–2012 Al-Nasr Kuwait 13 (4)
2012–2013 Misr Lel-Makkasa 0 (0)
2013–2014 Suwaiq Club
2014 Muaither SC
2016 Al Ahli Tripoli
International career‡
1998–2011 Libya 77 (23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 December 2009
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 December 2009

Tarek Al Taib (Arabic: طارق التائب; born 28 February 1977) is a Libyan football midfielder.

Club career

Al-Taib began his career in Libya with Al Ahli Tripoli. In his first year, he played 26 matches and scored 11 goals, coming third in the 1997–1998 Libyan Player of the Year award. He then went on to win the award five times in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005. On 6 September 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Oman Professional League club Al-Suwaiq Club. El Taib played professionally in Turkey and Tunisia.[1]

Offers

In 1995, a scout sent from Juventus went to Libya to search for young potential, he chose Tariq Al Taib and he went with him to Italy and trained with Juventus for a month. Juventus were impressed and decided to buy him, but the Libyan Football Federation did not grant him a license to play in Italy. In 2000, he went to West Ham United and played with them in a friendly match against Arsenal which ended with Arsenal winning 2–1, in which Tariq Al Taib scored West Ham's goal. Arsenal were interested in buying him but again, he was unable to get a license to play in England. In 2003, after a friendly match against Argentina, in which Tariq Al Taib put in a strong performance and scored a remarkable goal, receiving a pass from a team-mate near the corner post, running down the wing past two players and then scoring at nearly a 180-degree angle. He then received an offer from the Spanish club Valencia but the Libyan authorities restricted his potential career at the highest level.

International career

El Taib captained the side during the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers and the African Nations Cup. He was Libya's captain during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but was exiled from the side after he spoke out against teammates who supported rebel groups fighting in the First Libyan Civil War in 2011.[2][3]

El Taib scored 23 goals in 78 appearances for Libya.[4]

In the Championship Manager video game, his name was rendered as "Tarek Ettayeb".

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League Al Hilal ACL Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Al Hilal 2006–07 14 4 4 5 2 4 4 0 2 23 6 10
2007–08 18 7 9 10 4 5 1 1 0 29 12 14
2008–09 8 0 5 6 0 0 4 2 2 18 2 7
Career total 40 11 18 21 6 9 9 3 4 70 20 31

Honours

Club

Al Hilal

References

  1. ^ "L'alibye démocratique" [Democratic Libya]. sofoot.com (in French). 21 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Through death, defection & destruction – the true story of war-torn Libya's miraculous qualification for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations". Goal. 26 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Libyan team captain: 'We are brothers. If we win now, it will be for". Independent.co.uk. 20 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Report: Al Ahly to face Al Hilal for Tarik Al-Taib's testimonial". kingfut.com. 26 November 2019.