Achraf Lazaar
Birth date22 January 1992 (age 34)
Birth placeCasablanca, Morocco
Height184 cm
PositionLeft back
Youthclubs 1Raja Casablanca
Youthclubs 2Varese
Youthyears 22009–2012
Years 12012–2014
Clubs 1Varese
Caps 137
Goals 10
Years 22014–2016
Clubs 2Palermo
Caps 266
Goals 23
Years 32016–2021
Clubs 3Newcastle United
Caps 34
Goals 30
Years 42017–2018
Clubs 4→ Benevento (loan)
Caps 49
Goals 41
Years 52019
Clubs 5→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)
Caps 54
Goals 50
Years 62019–2020
Clubs 6→ Cosenza (loan)
Caps 69
Goals 61
Years 72021
Clubs 7Watford
Caps 75
Goals 70
Years 82021–2022
Clubs 8Portimonense
Caps 84
Goals 80
Years 92023
Clubs 9Novara
Caps 96
Goals 90
Years 102024
Clubs 10Al-Ittifaq
Years 112024
Clubs 11→ Dubai City (loan)
Years 122025
Clubs 12Preston Lions
Caps 120
Goals 120
Nationalyears 12014–2018
Nationalteam 1Morocco
Nationalcaps 119
Nationalgoals 10
Club-update28 July 2024

Achraf Lazaar (Arabic: أشرف لزعر; born 22 January 1992) is a Moroccan international footballer who last played as a left midfielder or left back for National Premier Leagues Victoria club Preston Lions.

Club career

Born in Casablanca, Lazaar moved to Italy with his parents in 2003. He began his football career with Varese's youth system, at the age of fifteen. He went on to make his senior debut with the team in Serie B, in 2012, immediately emerging as one of the most interesting prospects from the small Lombardian team.[1]

In January 2014, he was signed by top of Serie B Palermo, on loan with the option to make the move permanent by the end of the season. Initially signed as an understudy to the more experienced Fabio Daprelà, Lazaar immediately gained a starting spot thanks to his impressive performances. He was later permanently signed by Palermo and confirmed as part of the club's 2014–15 squad.

On 28 August 2016, Lazaar joined Newcastle United on a five-year deal.[2] He made his debut in a 2–0 win in the EFL Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 20 September 2016.[3] His league debut took place when he came on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Yoan Gouffran against Brentford on 15 October 2016.[4] On 31 August 2017 Lazaar returned to Italy with a loan to Benevento.[5] On 31 January 2019 Lazaar joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan until the end of the season.[6]

On 2 September 2019, he joined Italian Serie B club Cosenza on loan.[7]

On 4 February 2021, Lazaar and Newcastle United mutually agreed to terminate his contract.[8]

On 11 February 2021, Lazaar signed for Watford on a deal until the end of the season, with an option to extend a further year.[9] He left Watford at the end of the 2020–21 season following the expiration of his contract.[10] Following his release from Watford, Lazaar went on trial with Reading in July 2021.[11]

On 26 August 2021, he joined Portimonense in Portugal on a two-year contract.[12]

On 2 February 2023, he signed for Serie C club Novara until the end of the 2022–23 season.[13]

International career

Having been born in Morocco, Lazaar is eligible to play for Morocco by birth, but until 2015 was ineligible to play for Italy despite having been raised there. He holds Italian citizenship since April 2015.[14][15] He had originally never stated a clear preference to represent Morocco or Italy, instead declaring he would play for the first international team that showed a genuine interest in calling him up.[1] His impressive Serie B performances with Palermo brought interest from the Moroccan national team, who called him up for a friendly match against Mozambique on 23 May 2014 and ended in a 4–0 win, during which he made his first senior international appearance.

Career statistics

[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Varese2012–13Serie B20021——221
2013–1417030——200
Total37051——421
Palermo2013–14Serie B14000——140
2014–15Serie A29210——302
2015–1630110——311
2016–170010——10
Total73330——763
Newcastle United2016–17Championship403020—90
2017–18Premier League001000—10
2020–21000000—00
Total40402000100
Newcastle United U212020–21————1[a]010
Benevento (loan)2017–18Serie A91———91
Sheffield Wednesday (loan)2018–19Championship400000—40
Cosenza (loan)2019–20Serie B9100——91
Watford2020–21Championship500000—50
Career total141512120101566
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

  1. ^ "Lazaar corre per realizzare il suo sogno: "In A con il Varese"" [Lazaar runs to realize his dream: "Serie A with Varese"] (in Italian). Varese News. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-01-19. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Lazaar Arrives At St. James' Park". nufc.co.uk. 28 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Newcastle 2–0 Wolves". BBC Sport. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Newcastle United 3–1 Brentford". BBC Sport. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Lazaar a Benevento". goal.com. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Newcastle Trio Leave On Loan". Sky Sports. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ "ACHRAF LAZAAR È UN NUOVO CALCIATORE DEL COSENZA!" (in Italian). Cosenza. 2 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Lazaar leaves the Magpies". Newcastle United FC. 4 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Lazaar joins Hornets". Watford FC. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  10. ^ "News: Retain & Release List Confirmed". Watford FC. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Ex Newcastle United defender on trial with Reading FC". readingchronicle.co.uk/. Reading Chronicle. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  12. ^ "APRESENTAÇÃO DE ACHRAF LAZAAR" (in Portuguese). Portimonense. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Achraf Lazaar è un calciatore azzurro" (in Italian). Novara F.C. 2 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Palermo: Achraf Lazaar acquisisce cittadinanza italiana" (in it-IT). Mediagol. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  15. ^ "Lazaar diventa cittadino italiano" (in it-IT). VareseNews. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  16. ^