Ayoub El Hmidi

Ayoub El Hmidi
Personal information
Full name	Ayoub El Hmidi
Date of birth	30 September 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth	Gibraltar
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder, forward
Youth career
	Lions Gibraltar
Senior career*
Years	Team
2016–2017	Lions Gibraltar
2017–2018	Glacis United
2018–2022	Mons Calpe
2022	Europa
2022–2023	St Joseph's
2023	Torrijos
2024	KAC Marrakech
2024	FCB Magpies
2024	AS Gabès
2025	USM d'Oujda
International career‡
2018	Gibraltar U19
2019–2022	Gibraltar U21
2023–	Gibraltar
	* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2025; ‡ National team caps and goals as of 4 September 2025

Ayoub El Hmidi (Arabic: أيوب الحميدي; born 30 September 2000) is a Gibraltarian footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward, most recently for Botola 2 side USM d'Oujda and the Gibraltar national team.

Club career

El Hmidi began his career with Lions Gibraltar, as a youth product. He made 2 appearances during his debut season before signing for Glacis United in 2017. Chances were limited at Glacis and he didn't play a league game, so in 2018 he joined Mons Calpe, where he quickly begame a regular in the team, playing 56 games and scoring 17 goals across 4 seasons with the Calpeans.

In 2022 El Hmidi signed for Europa for their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign, and after the Greens' exit from the competition he joined St Joseph's.^[1] After one season he signed for CD Torrijos in Spain on 13 July 2023. However, paperwork issues delayed his debut for the club.^[2] After terminating his contract in December due to these registration issues, he relocated to Morocco in January 2024, joining KAC Marrakech on a 2+1⁄2-year contract and becoming the first Gibraltarian footballer to play in Africa.^[3] Despite this, after only a month at the club where he only played in friendlies, he terminated his contract at the end of the winter 2024 window and returned to Gibraltar, joining FCB Magpies.

At the end of the season, El Hmidi returned to North Africa, joining newly promoted Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 side AS Gabès. His contract was terminated by the club in January 2025 following an alleged dispute with coaching staff.^[4] He instead returned to Morocco to join USM d'Oujda on 24 January 2025. He scored his first goal in Morocco on 5 April 2025, netting the winner in extra time against top flight side Raja CA in the 2024–25 Moroccan Throne Cup Round of 16.^[5]

International career

El Hmidi was previously the record caps holder for Gibraltar U21 with 18 caps, broken by Dylan Borge in November 2023. He made his senior debut on 16 June 2023, in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against France, which finished as a 0–3 loss.^[6]

References

^ Breaking: Saints sign El Hmidi St Joseph's FC. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
^ Ayoub podría debutar contra el Atlético Tomelloso La Tribuna de Toledo. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
^ El gibraltareño Ayoub firma por el KAW Marrakech Al Sol de la Costa. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
^ AS Gabès: Termination of player Ayoub El Hmidi's contract Mosaique FM. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
^ Match Report Kooora. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
^ Gibraltar vs France UEFA.com. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.