{{short description|Tunisian footballer (born 2001)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Omar Rekik | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|12|20|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Helmond]], Netherlands | height = 1.88 m<ref>{{cite web |title=Omar Rekik – NK Maribor |url=https://www.nkmaribor.com/team/player/3e1e9c34-b937-4d7a-bf2d-d3c71e2077fd/profile?season=2024 |publisher=[[NK Maribor]] |access-date=3 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103151435/https://www.nkmaribor.com/team/player/3e1e9c34-b937-4d7a-bf2d-d3c71e2077fd/profile?season=2024 |archive-date=3 January 2025 |language=sl |url-status=live }}</ref> | position = [[Defender (association football)#Centre-back|Centre-back]] | currentclub = [[NK Maribor|Maribor]] | clubnumber = 44 | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2012 | youthclubs1 = [[Feyenoord]] | youthyears2 = 2012–2014 | youthclubs2 = [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy|Manchester City]] | youthyears3 = 2014–2015 | youthclubs3 = [[PSV Eindhoven|PSV]] | youthyears4 = 2015–2017 | youthclubs4 = [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] | youthyears5 = 2017–2021 | youthclubs5 = [[Hertha BSC]] | youthyears6 = 2021–2022 | youthclubs6 = [[Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy|Arsenal]] | years1 = 2020–2021 | clubs1 = [[Hertha BSC II]] | caps1 = 8 | goals1 = 1 | years2 = 2021–2024 | clubs2 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] | caps2 = 0 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2022–2023 | clubs3 = → [[Sparta Rotterdam]] (loan) | caps3 = 6 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2022 | clubs4 = → [[Sparta Rotterdam|Jong Sparta]] (loan) | caps4 = 1 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2023 | clubs5 = → [[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] (loan) | caps5 = 11 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2023–2024 | clubs6 = → [[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] (loan) | caps6 = 10 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2024 | clubs7 = → [[Servette FC|Servette]] (loan) | caps7 = 0 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2025– | clubs8 = [[NK Maribor|Maribor]] | caps8 = 44 | goals8 = 2 | nationalyears1 = 2018 | nationalteam1 = Tunisia U21 | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2018–2019 | nationalteam2 = [[Netherlands national under-18 football team|Netherlands U18]] | nationalcaps2 = 3 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | nationalyears3 = 2021– | nationalteam3 = [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] | nationalcaps3 = 4 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | club-update = 17 May 2026 | nationalteam-update = 2 April 2026 }} '''Omar Rekik''' ({{langx|ar|عمر رقيق }}; born 20 December 2001) is a professional [[association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[Defender (association football)#Centre-back|centre-back]] for [[Slovenian PrvaLiga]] club [[NK Maribor|Maribor]].<ref>{{Soccerway|id=omar-rekik/549221|accessdate=}}</ref> Born in the Netherlands, he represents the [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia national team]].
== Early life == Born in [[Helmond]], Netherlands<ref name=":3" /> to a Tunisian father and a Dutch mother,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Jerbi|first=Rania|date=27 May 2021|title=Equipe nationale –Tunisie: Omar Rekik officiellement " Aigle de Carthage "|url=https://africafootunited.com/equipe-nationale-tunisie-omar-rekik-officiellement-aigle-de-carthage/|access-date=16 June 2021|website=Africa Foot United|language=fr-FR|archive-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612225042/https://africafootunited.com/equipe-nationale-tunisie-omar-rekik-officiellement-aigle-de-carthage/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Jerbi|first=Rania|date=31 May 2021|title=Tunisie: Karim Rekik sur les traces de son frère Omar ?|url=https://africafootunited.com/tunisie-karim-rekik-sur-les-traces-de-son-frere-omar/|access-date=15 June 2021|website=Africa Foot United|language=fr-FR|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623092749/https://africafootunited.com/tunisie-karim-rekik-sur-les-traces-de-son-frere-omar/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rekik was part of several big European clubs during his youth career, following his brother [[Karim Rekik|Karim]] from [[Feyenoord]] to [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], then [[PSV Eindhoven|PSV]] and [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]], before joining [[Hertha BSC|Hertha Berlin]] in 2017.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=18 October 2018|title=Omar Rekik: talento tunisino classe 2001|url=https://www.worldfootballscouting.com/scheda-giocatore/omar-rekik-talento-tunisino-classe-2001/|access-date=15 June 2021|website=World Football Scouting|language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Rault|first=Mathieu|date=19 November 2020|title=Arsenal veut l'ancien Marseillais Omar Rekik|url=https://www.footmercato.net/a9202567754292505247-arsenal-veut-lancien-marseillais-omar-rekik|access-date=15 June 2021|website=Foot Mercato|language=fr}}</ref> However, their careers eventually split during the [[2020–21 Hertha BSC season|2020–21 season]], as Omar was transferred from the [[Bundesliga]] side to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in January 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Omar Rekik signs professional contract|url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/omar-rekik-signs-professional-contract|access-date=15 June 2021|website=Arsenal F.C.}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=7 January 2021|title=Arsenal sign Omar Rekik|url=https://www.besoccer.com/new/arsenal-sign-omar-rekik-936923|access-date=15 June 2021|website=BeSoccer}}</ref> while Karim joined Spanish side [[Sevilla FC|Sevilla]] a few months earlier.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
== Club career== On 31 January 2023, Rekik joined [[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] in the [[EFL Championship]] on loan until the end of the season.<ref>{{cite web|website=Sparta Rotterdam|url=https://www.sparta-rotterdam.nl/sparta-huurt-omar-rekik-arsenal/|title=Sparta huurt Omar Rekik van Arsenal|date=20 June 2022|access-date=20 July 2022|language=nl}}</ref> On 1 September 2023, he re-joined Wigan Athletic in [[EFL League One]] on a short-term loan deal until January 2024.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Arsenal|url=https://www.arsenal.com/omar-rekik-joins-wigan-athletic-loan-league-one-deal/|title=Omar Rekik joins Wigan Athletic on loan|date=1 September 2023|access-date=2 September 2023|website=Arsenal F.C.}}</ref>
On 2 February 2024, Rekik moved on a new loan to [[Servette FC|Servette]] in Switzerland, with an option to buy.<ref>{{cite web|website=Servette FC|url=https://servettefc.ch/omar-rekik-rejoint-les-grenat/|title=Omar Rekik rejoint les Grenat|trans-title=Omar Rekik joins The Garnets|date=2 February 2024|access-date=3 February 2024|language=fr}}</ref>
== International career == While his brother [[Karim Rekik|Karim]] was already capped for the senior [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands national team]], Omar was first selected in the [[Tunisian Football Federation|Tunisia]] under-21 selection in October 2018, aged just 16,<ref name=":3" /> before joining the [[Netherlands national under-19 football team|Netherlands under-18]] a month later.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Elfrink|first=Rik|date=15 November 2018|title=KNVB maakt werk van Omar Rekik, die bij Oranje onder 18 in de basis staat|url=https://www.ed.nl/psv/knvb-maakt-werk-van-omar-rekik-die-bij-oranje-onder-18-in-de-basis-staat~a979f3f4/|journal=[[Eindhovens Dagblad]]}}</ref>
Rekik eventually decided to join the [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia national team]] in May 2021, as he was selected by [[Mondher Kebaier]] along with other young players such as [[Hannibal Mejbri]].<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=30 May 2021|title=Cérémonie de présentation des deux néo-internationaux, Hannibal Mejbri et Omar Rekik|url=https://www.mosaiquefm.net/fr/video/602996/ceremonie-de-presentation-des-deux-neo-internationaux-hannibal-mejbri-et-omar-rekik|access-date=16 June 2021|website=[[Mosaïque FM]]|language=fr}}</ref> He made his international senior debut on 15 June 2021, starting as a midfielder in a 1–0 [[Exhibition game#Association football|friendly]] win against [[Mali national football team|Mali]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 June 2021|title=Amical: Formation rentrante de la Tunisie face au Mali|url=https://www.kawarji.com/actu-66449-amical-formation-rentrante-de-la-tunisie-face-au-mali.html|access-date=15 June 2021|website=kawarji.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=15 June 2021|title=Amical, Tunisie –Mali : La victoire et c'est tout pour les Aigles de Carthage {{!}} Africa Foot United|url=https://africafootunited.com/amical-tunisie-mali-la-victoire-et-cest-tout-pour-les-aigles-de-carthage/|access-date=15 June 2021|website=africafootunited.com|language=fr-FR|archive-date=1 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801141842/https://africafootunited.com/amical-tunisie-mali-la-victoire-et-cest-tout-pour-les-aigles-de-carthage/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {{updated|22 January 2024}}
{| 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 !colspan="2"|League cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |[[Hertha BSC II]] |[[2020–21 Regionalliga#Regionalliga Nordost|2020–21]] |[[Regionalliga Nordost]] |8||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||8||1 |- |rowspan="4"|[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] |[[2020–21 Arsenal F.C. season|2020–21]] |[[Premier League]] |0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||0||0 |- |[[2021–22 Arsenal F.C. season|2021–22]] |Premier League |0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0 |- |[[2022–23 Arsenal F.C. season|2022–23]] |Premier League |0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||0||0 |- |[[Arsenal F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Arsenal U23]] |[[2021–22 EFL Trophy|2021–22]] |colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||2{{efn|name=EFT|Appearances in [[EFL Trophy]]}}||0||2||0 |- |[[Sparta Rotterdam]] (loan) |[[2022–23 Sparta Rotterdam season|2022–23]] |[[Eredivisie]] |6||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||6||0 |- |[[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan Athletic]] (loan) |[[2022–23 Wigan Athletic F.C. season|2022–23]] |[[EFL Championship|Championship]] |11||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||11||0 |- |Wigan Athletic (loan) |[[2023–24 Wigan Athletic F.C. season|2023–24]] |[[EFL League One|League One]] |10||0||2||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||2{{efn|name=EFT}}||0||14||0 |- |[[Servette FC|Servette]] |[[2023–24 Swiss Super League|2023–24]] |[[Swiss Super League]] |0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !35!!1!!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!4!!0!!41!!1 |} {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerway|omar-rekik/549221}} *[https://www.onsoranje.nl/teams/185190/speler/25640 Omar Rekik] [[Royal Dutch Football Association|KNVB]] profile
{{NK Maribor squad}} {{Navboxes | title= Tunisia squads | bg = #E70013 | fg = white | bordercolor = white | list1 = {{Tunisia squad 2021 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2026 FIFA World Cup}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rekik, Omar}} [[Category:2001 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Footballers from Helmond]] [[Category:Tunisian men's footballers]] [[Category:Tunisia men's youth international footballers]] [[Category:Tunisia men's international footballers]] [[Category:Netherlands men's youth international footballers]] [[Category:21st-century Tunisian sportsmen]] [[Category:21st-century Dutch sportsmen]] [[Category:Tunisian people of Dutch descent]] [[Category:Dutch people of Tunisian descent]] [[Category:Men's association football central defenders]] [[Category:Feyenoord players]] [[Category:Manchester City F.C. players]] [[Category:Olympique de Marseille players]] [[Category:Hertha BSC players]] [[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]] [[Category:Sparta Rotterdam players]] [[Category:Jong Sparta players]] [[Category:Wigan Athletic F.C. players]] [[Category:Servette FC players]] [[Category:NK Maribor players]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in England]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in France]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Germany]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Slovenia]] [[Category:Regionalliga players]] [[Category:Eredivisie players]] [[Category:Tweede Divisie players]] [[Category:English Football League players]] [[Category:Slovenian PrvaLiga players]] [[Category:2021 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2026 FIFA World Cup players]]