How TotalEnergies CAF CHAN catapulted Morocco's El Kaabi to global stardom
Morocco striker Ayoub El Kaabi emerged from the competition reserved exclusively for players active in their domestic leagues in Africa, igniting a career that would see him become one of Europe's most prolific finishers, earning him the Best Player and Top Scorer of the Greek top-flight as well as winning UEFA Europa Conference League Best Player award.
His performance at the TotalEnergies CHAN 2018 in Morocco as the Top Scorer and Best Player transformed him from a domestic unknown into a sought‑after striker, launching a journey through China, Turkey and finally to European glory at Greek giants Olympiacos.
His story proves that CHAN is more than a continental competition, it is a player's gateway to the world stage.
TotalEnergies CAF CHAN 2018: The explosive breakthrough
El Kaabi's breakthrough came in January 2018 when Morocco hosted the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN. He lit up the tournament with an astounding nine goals in just six matches, becoming the all‑time single‑edition top scorer in the competition's history and earning both the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards.
Morocco won the title with a 4–0 final victory over Nigeria, and El Kaabi capped the night with his goal in the 73rd minute, sealing debut glory at home.
'I scored nine goals in the tournament, and that moment changed everything for me,' El Kaabi recalled, reflecting on his breakthrough. His nine-goal haul remains the highest by any player in a single TotalEnergies CAF CHAN edition.
El Kaabi's rise began far from the glitz of football academies. Born in Casablanca in 1993, he left school at 15 and worked as a carpenter, juggling labour and weekly amateur matches.
His big domestic chance came with Racing Casablanca, where his natural goalscoring ability – 25 goals in 33 second‑division matches – earned him a move to RS Berkane in Morocco's top flight.
But it was at TotalEnergies CAF CHAN 2018 that El Kaabi announced himself to the world with the global football lens focused on Africa's competition designed for just home-based players.
Scoring nine in six games, including a hat‑trick against Guinea and the winner in the 4–0 final over Nigeria, earned him the competition's best personal awards. 'I learned that one can only reach success through hard work,' El Kaabi said afterwards.
Scouts circle after CHAN triumph
The Moroccan striker's performances proved that TotalEnergies CAF CHAN could be a showcase for unheralded talent to break through, and El Kaabi was the poster child.
His exploits immediately attracted international attention. Spanish media reported interest from Atlético Madrid, while clubs across Europe began monitoring the Moroccan striker.
Indeed, the interest was not just focused in Europe but several clubs in the Middle East and other parts of Asia also expressed interest in the budding attacker.
The domestic league in China was then on the rise with several clubs in the top-flight also active in the transfer market by competing with European clubs for the best talent in the world.
Career path: Domestic rise to Continental acclaim
El Kaabi's club career was destined to accelerate following the interest from clubs across the globe. He subsequently moved from Morocco's RS Berkane to Hebei China Fortune on a lucrative deal. Though the move proved mixed for development, it established him financially.
He returned to Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca in 2019 and topped the domestic scoring charts in 2020-21 before moving to Turkey's Hatayspor, where he scored 26 goals in 53 matches.
In summer 2023 came a turning point: his transfer to Olympiacos in Greece. Since then, his impact has been seismic. In the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League, El Kaabi scored 11 goals in nine matches, including a remarkable hat‑trick against Aston Villa in the semi-final , the first ever in that round of the competition, and then the winning goal in extra time of the final versus Fiorentina. It was Olympiakos' first major European title.
El Kaabi's 11 knockout goals set a UEFA record, surpassing legends like Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao and finishing as the Conference League Top Scorer and Player of the Competition. He also set other records: the first African to hit double-digit goals in that UEFA tournament, and most knockout‑stage goals in a single European season.
Over the entire European campaign, the Moroccan finished with 14 goals (combining Europa League and Conference League), becoming the most prolific African in a single UEFA club season, and the first non‑European to score 14 goals or more in a campaign since Lionel Messi in 2011-12.
Present day: Olympiacos icon, European star
By early 2025, El Kaabi had become Olympiacos's all‑time leading European competition scorer, reaching 21 goals in just 26 matches, surpassing the mark previously held by Youssef El Arabi.
The Moroccan continued his fine form: he won the Greek Super League with Olympiacos and finished the season as Super League top scorer, also named Best Foreign Player and Player of the Season, and firmly established himself among Africa's elite forwards.
Olympiacos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar described him as: 'He's a special player. His hunger and focus drive this team forward.'
And while the World Cup eluded him in 2022, he responded by bagging a World Cup qualifying hat‑trick in June 2024, taking his national team goals to 16 in 42 caps.
CHAN as a platform: Opening doors for others
Today, aged 32, El Kaabi is firmly among Europe's elite strikers, with records, titles and accolades to prove it, but the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN remains the springboard that launched his legend.
His journey remains a testament to the competition's transformative power. A competition reserved for players in local leagues, it offered him a global platform at age 24.
As TotalEnergies CAF CHAN PAMOJA 2024 approaches in East Africa, nations across Africa will look to replicate that narrative. Players currently competing in the competition have similar aspirations, use the tournament to shine, attract interest, and launch careers to become global superstars.
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