{{short description|Tunisian footballer (born 1984)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Aymen Mathlouthi | full_name = Aymen Mathlouthi<ref name="FIFA 2022">{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce44/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Tunisia (TUN) |publisher=[[FIFA]] |page=29 |date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref> | image = PAN-TUN (4) (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Mathlouthi with [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1984|9|14}} | birth_place = [[Tunis]], Tunisia | height = 1.82 m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tournament.fifadata.com/documents/FWC/2018/pdf/FWC_2018_SQUADLISTS.PDF |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |date=4 June 2018 |access-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619164139/https://tournament.fifadata.com/documents/FWC/2018/pdf/FWC_2018_SQUADLISTS.PDF |archive-date=19 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | currentclub = [[Tunisia national under-20 football team|Tunisia U20]] (Assistant) | clubnumber = | position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]] | youthyears1 = 1995–2001 | youthclubs1 = [[Club Africain]] | years1 = 2001–2003 | clubs1 = [[Club Africain]] | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2003–2018 | clubs2 = [[Étoile Sportive du Sahel|Étoile du Sahel]] | caps2 = 302 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2018 | clubs3 = [[Al-Batin F.C.|Al-Batin]] | caps3 = 7 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2018–2019 | clubs4 = [[Club Africain]] | caps4 = 5 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2019 | clubs5 = [[Al-Adalah F.C.|Al-Adalah]] | caps5 = 10 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2020–2023 | clubs6 = [[Étoile Sportive du Sahel|Étoile du Sahel]] | caps6 = 38 | goals6 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2007–2022 | nationalteam1 = [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] | nationalcaps1 = 73 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | manageryears1 = 2025– | managerclubs1 = [[Tunisia national under-20 football team|Tunisia U20]] (Assistant) | pcupdate = 23:55, 25 November 2022 (UTC) | ntupdate = 23:50, 25 November 2022 (UTC) }} '''Aymen Mathlouthi''' ({{langx|ar|أَيْمَن الْمَثْلُوثِيّ}}; born 14 September 1984), also known as '''Balbouli''', is a Tunisian former professional [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]].

Regarded by pundits as the best Tunisian goalkeepers and one of the best African goalkeepers of all time, some of his highlighted traits apart from goalkeeping, is his smooth ball control, and dribbling inside the penalty area. Mathlouthi won the [[2011 African Nations Championship]] held in [[Sudan]]. The [[Confederation of African Football]] (CAF) chose Mathlouthi as the best goalkeeper in the [[2015 Africa Cup of Nations]] held in [[Equatorial Guinea]], being also included in the CAF Team of the Tournament. He was [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]]'s starting goalkeeper vs [[Panama national football team|Panama]] at the last group stage match of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 World Cup]], which also marked his World Cup debut. Called-up for the [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cup]], it was his second representing his country.

==Club career== From his earliest years, Mathlouthi joined the team's training center in his hometown (Djebel Lahmar in El Omrane), at [[JS El Omrane]], where he trained as a goalkeeper.

In 1995, he decided to join [[Club Africain]]. Later, he joined [[Étoile du Sahel]] based in [[Sousse]] in 1998 and achieved all possible national and continental glory at the club. He also participated at the [[2007 FIFA Club World Cup]] in Japan and finished in fourth place after defeating Mexican team [[CF Pachuca]] in the quarter-finals 1–0.

On 27 January 2018, he joined Saudi club [[Al-Batin F.C.|Al-Batin]] on a free transfer.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=957312306928586752|user=albatinclub|title=WELCOME أيمن المثلوثي 💙|date=27 January 2018}}</ref> On 23 July 2018, he returned to Club Africain, where he started his professional career, in a two-year deal. He later returned to Saudi Arabia, this time to Al-Adalah and then came back to Étoile du Sahel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2018/07/24/aymen-mathlouthi-signe-pour-deux-ans-au-club-africain/|title = Aymen Mathlouthi signe pour deux ans au Club africain|date = 24 July 2018}}</ref>

==International career== Mathlouthi received his first call-up with the [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia national team]] for the first time to replace [[Adel Nefzi]] in a [[2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification]] match against the [[Seychelles national football team|Seychelles]] on 23 March 2007. Since then, he has played constantly.<ref>{{FIFA player|212413|Aymen Mathlouthi}}</ref> He participated in all editions of [[Africa Cup of Nations]] since [[2010 Africa Cup of Nations|2010]] and [[2011 African Nations Championship]].

In June 2018 he was named in Tunisia’s 23-man squad for the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] in Russia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crawford |first1=Stephen |title=Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists |url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/revealed-every-world-cup-2018-squad-23-man-preliminary-lists/oa0atsduflsv1nsf6oqk576rb |website=Goal |access-date=16 July 2019 |date=4 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Okeleji |first1=Oluwashina |title=Tunisia World Cup squad: Leicester City's Benalouane in 23-man squad |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44342860 |access-date=17 July 2019 |work=BBC Sport |date=2 June 2018}}</ref> After sitting on the bench of two matches, he was finally given the chance to make his historic World Cup debut in the final game against [[Panama national football team|Panama]] due to injuries of [[Mouez Hassen]] and [[Farouk Ben Mustapha]].

==Personal life== Mathlouthi married on 13 May 2016. He celebrated his wedding in [[Sousse]] surrounded by his family and friends from Étoile du Sahel and the Tunisian team.

==Career statistics== ===International=== {{updated|17 July 2019|<ref>{{NFT player|21456|Aymen Mathlouthi|accessdate=14 July 2018}}</ref>}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year |- !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="13"|[[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] |2007||1||0 |- |2008||7||0 |- |2009||3||0 |- |2010||7||0 |- |2011||6||0 |- |2012||11||0 |- |2013||1||0 |- |2014||4||0 |- |2015||9||0 |- |2016||5||0 |- |2017||10||0 |- |2018||2||0 |- |2019||1||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!67!!0 |}

==Honours== '''ES Sahel''' *[[Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1]]: [[2006–07 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1|2007]], [[2015–16 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1|2016]] *[[Tunisian Cup]]: 2012, [[2013–14 Tunisian Cup|2014]], [[2014–15 Tunisian Cup|2015]] *[[CAF Champions League]]: [[2007 CAF Champions League|2007]] *[[CAF Confederation Cup]]: [[2006 CAF Confederation Cup|2006]], [[2015 CAF Confederation Cup|2015]] *[[CAF Super Cup]]: [[2008 CAF Super Cup|2008]] *[[African Cup Winners' Cup]]: [[2003 African Cup Winners' Cup|2003]]

'''Tunisia''' *[[African Nations Championship]]: [[2011 African Nations Championship|2011]]

'''Individual''' * Mathlouthi was named in the substitutes of the 2016 CAF Team of The Year, but was the First-Choice Goalkeeper in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Award Winners |url= http://www.cafonline.com/Portals/0/CAF%20Finest%20XI%20vote%20result.pdf |publisher=CAF |date= 4 January 2018 |access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Navboxes colour |title=Tunisia squads |bg=white |fg=#E70013 |bordercolor = #E70013 |list1= {{Tunisia squad 2008 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2010 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2012 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2013 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2015 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2017 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2018 FIFA World Cup}} {{Tunisia squad 2022 FIFA World Cup}} }} {{2017 CAF Team of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathlouthi, Aymen}} [[Category:1984 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Footballers from Tunis]] [[Category:Tunisian men's footballers]] [[Category:21st-century Tunisian sportsmen]] [[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]] [[Category:Tunisia men's international footballers]] [[Category:2008 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2010 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:Étoile Sportive du Sahel players]] [[Category:Al Batin FC players]] [[Category:Al Adalah Club players]] [[Category:2011 African Nations Championship players]] [[Category:2012 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2013 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2015 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2017 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in India]] [[Category:Saudi Pro League players]] [[Category:Club Africain players]] [[Category:2018 FIFA World Cup players]] [[Category:Mohun Bagan Super Giant players]] [[Category:I-League players]] [[Category:Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players]] [[Category:Tunisia men's A' international footballers]] [[Category:2022 FIFA World Cup players]] [[Category:CAF Champions League–winning players]]