{{short description|Maltese footballer (born 2000)}} <!--{{Use Maltese English}}--> {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Ilyas Chouaref | image = Ilyas Chouaref.jpg | caption = Chouaref with Sion in 2025 | full_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|12|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Châteauroux, France | height = 1.77 m | position = Winger | currentclub = Sion | clubnumber = 7 | youthyears1 = 2006–2018 | youthclubs1 = Châteauroux | years1 = 2017–2022 | clubs1 = Châteauroux II | caps1 = 28 | goals1 = 9 | years2 = 2018–2022 | clubs2 = Châteauroux | caps2 = 73 | goals2 = 4 | years3 = 2022– | clubs3 = Sion | caps3 = 142 | goals3 = 22 | nationalyears1 = 2019 | nationalteam1 = France U19 | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2025– | nationalteam2 = Malta | nationalcaps2 = 11 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | club-update = 16:26, 17 May 2026 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = 17:30, 1 June 2026 (UTC) }} '''Ilyas Chouaref''' (born 12 December 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Swiss Super League club Sion. Born in France, he plays for the Malta national team.
==Club career== Chouaref is a youth product of LB Châteauroux. He made his debut with them in a 2–1 Ligue 2 loss to Le Havre AC on 4 December 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2018/12/04/france/ligue-2/le-havre-athletic-club-football-associat/la-berrichonne-chateauroux/2792759/|title=Le Havre vs. Châteauroux - 4 December 2018 - Soccerway|website=Soccerway}}</ref> On 1 October 2019, he signed a professional contract with the club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maligue2.fr/2019/10/01/cette-fois-cest-officiel-ilyas-chouaref-passe-professionnel-a-chateauroux/|title=Cette fois c'est officiel, Ilyas Chouaref passe professionnel à Châteauroux !|date=1 October 2019|website=MaLigue2}}</ref>
On 12 June 2022, Chouaref transferred to Sion in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sion|url=https://www.fcsion.ch/fr/news/detail/2556/ilyas-chouaref-est-valaisan--|title=Ilyas Chouaref est valaisan !|date=12 June 2022|access-date=13 July 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
==International career== Born in France, Chouaref is of Moroccan and Maltese descent. He was a youth international for France.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afriquesports.net/afrique/une-pepite-marocaine-de-19-ans-dans-le-viseur-de-las-saint-etienne/|title=Une pépite marocaine de 19 ans dans le viseur de l'AS Saint-Etienne|first=Mouhamed|last=Diallo|date=12 June 2020}}</ref> On 18 February 2025, Bjorn Vassallo, president of the Malta FA confirmed that Chouaref had obtained Maltese citizenship.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.facebook.com/mfa1900/videos/610271981859731/ |title=Malta National Teams Press Conference 🇲🇹 ⚽ {{!}} Malta National Teams Press Conference 🇲🇹 ⚽ {{!}} By Malta Football Association – 1900 {{!}} Facebook |language=en |access-date=2025-02-18 |via=facebook.com}}</ref>
On 21 March 2025, Chouaref made his debut for Malta against Finland in a World Cup qualifying match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 loss.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malta-Finland | European Qualifiers 2026 | UEFA.com |url=https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/match/2044165--malta-vs-finland/ |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Club=== {{updated|match played 17 May 2026}}<ref> {{cite web |title=Ylyas Chouaref Stats |url=https://www.soccerway.com/player/chouaref-ylyas/bV1XwLf5/ |website=Soccerway |access-date=17 May 2026}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup{{efn|includes Coupe de France and Swiss Cup}} !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |- |rowspan="5"|LB Châteauroux |2018–19 |Ligue 2 |11||1||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||12||1 |- |2019–20 |Ligue 2 |22||2||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||23||2 |- |2020–21 |Ligue 2 |34||1||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||35||1 |- |2021–22 |National |6||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||6||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !73!!4!!3!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!76!!4 |- |rowspan="5"|FC Sion |2022–23 |Super League |32||1||4||1||colspan="2"|–||2{{efn|appearances in Swiss Super League Relegation play-off}}||0||38||2 |- |2023–24 |Challenge League |35||6||4||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||39||7 |- |2024–25 |Super League |37||6||3||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||40||6 |- |2025–26 |Super League |38||9||4||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||42||10 |- |colspan="2"|Total !142!!22!!15!!3!!colspan="2"|—!!2!!0!!159!!25 |- !colspan="3"|Total !215!!26!!18!!2!!colspan="2"|—!!2!!0!!235!!29 |}
===International=== {{Updated|match played 1 June 2026}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year |- !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="2"|Malta |2025||8||0 |- |2026||3||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!11!!0 |}
==Personal life== His elder brother Hamza Sakhi is also a footballer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leberry.fr/auxerre-89000/sports/avant-aja-chateauroux-sakhi-chouaref-sur-le-terrain-on-est-adversaires-avant-detre-freres_13903607/|title=Avant AJA-Châteauroux, Sakhi-Chouaref : "Sur le terrain, on est adversaires avant d'être frères"|work=Le Berry Républicain |trans-title=Before AJA-Châteauroux, Sakhi-Chouaref: "On the ground, we are adversaries before being brothers"|publisher=Le Berry (Groupe Centre-France)|date=16 January 2021|language=fr|access-date=1 August 2022 |last1=Bouali |first1=Julien Ben }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/chateauroux/auxerre-berrichonne-le-match-d-une-vie-pour-hamza-sakhi|title=Auxerre - Berrichonne : le match d'une vie pour Hamza Sakhi|trans-title=Auxerre - Berrichonne : le match d'une vie pour Hamza Sakhi|publisher=Le Nouvelle Republique|date=15 January 2021|language=fr|access-date=1 August 2022}}</ref>
== Notes == {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Soccerway|ilyas-chouaref/521486}} * {{FFF player|7999-chouaref-ilyas}} * {{FFF male player|2544141607<!-- -ilyas-chouaref -->}}
{{FC Sion squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chouaref, Ilyas}} Category:2000 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Châteauroux Category:Men's association football wingers Category:Maltese men's footballers Category:Malta men's international footballers Category:French men's footballers Category:France men's youth international footballers Category:Maltese people of Moroccan descent Category:Naturalised citizens of Malta Category:French sportspeople of Moroccan descent Category:French people of Maltese descent Category:LB Châteauroux players Category:FC Sion players Category:Ligue 2 players Category:Swiss Super League players Category:Championnat National players Category:Championnat National 3 players Category:Footballers from Indre Category:Maltese expatriate men's footballers Category:French expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Category:21st-century Maltese sportsmen Category:21st-century French sportsmen