Talal El Karkouri
Talal El Karkouri, born 8 July 1976 in Casablanca, Morocco, is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back and later coached in Qatar. He stands 1.86 meters tall.
He began his career with Raja Casablanca and spent time on loan at Ittihad Tanger. He moved to Servette in Switzerland in 1999, then to Paris Saint-Germain in 2000, with loan spells at Aris in Greece and Sunderland in England. In 2004 he joined Charlton Athletic, scoring five goals in his first season, including the late winner against Blackburn Rovers and a notable goal against Arsenal. In 2006 he was loaned to Al-Gharafa in Qatar. He signed for Qatar SC in 2007, then moved to Umm-Salal in 2011 before retiring in 2012. Across his club career he made about 364 league appearances and scored 23 goals.
Internationally, El Karkouri earned 53 caps for Morocco and scored five goals between 2000 and 2009. He played in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and was part of the team that finished as runners-up in 2004. He briefly retired from international football in January 2008 but returned in March 2009 for World Cup qualifying matches.
After retiring, he coached Umm Salal SC from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2023. He was involved in a few controversial moments, including a yellow card for simulation in a 2006 Premier League match and a 2007 incident with Leroy Lita that led to Lita’s suspension.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:46 (CET).