Mehdi El Moutacim

Finnish footballer (born 2000)

Mehdi El Moutacim
Personal information

Date of birth	(2000-08-04) 4 August 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	Espoo, Finland
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	EIF
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	EIF	31	(0)
2020	SJK	0	(0)
2020	→ SJK Akatemia (loan)	15	(0)
2021–2022	EIF	35	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mehdi El Moutacim (born 4 August 2000) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.^[1]^[2]

Early life

El Moutacim was born in Espoo, but moved to Ekenäs at the age of five.^[3] He later joined the EIF youth system when he was seven.^[3]

Club career

In 2017, El Moutacim spent time with both the under-17 squad and their reserve team, EIF Akademi.^[4] After making nine appearances on the bench as an unused substitute for the first team between 2015 and 2017,^[5] he signed his first professional contract with the club ahead of the 2018 Ykkönen season.^[4]^[6] He made his debut on 6 March 2018 during their Finnish Cup group stage victory over Honka Akatemia at home, playing the full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet.^[7] That year he appeared between the sticks in five league matches before becoming the full-time starter in 2019, playing in 26 of 27 games.^[8]

He signed with Veikkausliiga club SJK in December 2019.^[8]^[9] Two months later he made his club debut, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–3 defeat to Lahti in the Finnish Cup group stage. However, the signing of Finland national team keeper Walter Viitala turned him into the third-stringer at the position.^[10] He started the 2020 season with SJK Akatemia in Ykkönen, and in his first match with the reserves on 27 June he allowed three goals in a 0–3 defeat to his childhood team EIF.^[11]

In 2021, he received another contract extension with EIF.^[12]^[13]

Personal life

He is of Moroccan descent through his father.^[14]

References

^ Enlund, Lina. "Mehdi El Moutacim – EIF-målvakten som jobbar målmedvetet mot sina mål". www.vastranyland.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ "EIF utnyttjade sina chanser mot Jaro i fotbollsettan – seriepoängen stannade i Ekenäs". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Nuori maalivahtilupaus SJK:n riveihin" (Press release) (in Finnish). Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b Asplund, Bubi (4 December 2017). "Ung målvakt och målvaktstränare klara för Ekenäs IF". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ Mehdi El Moutacim at Soccerway
^ "Maalivahtilupaus sopimukseen EIF:n kanssa". Kymppipaikka (in Finnish). 5 December 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ "EIF 3-0 Honka Akatemia". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b Asplund, Bubi (1 December 2019). "Målvakten Mehdi El Moutacim lämnar Ekenäs IF för spel i ligaklubben SJK - "Jag är exalterad över den här chansen"". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
^ "Harjoitusten alku avannut SJK:n uuden maalivahdin silmät - "Näkee missä kunnossa pitää olla"". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ Kuparinen, Heikki (16 February 2020). "SJK iski jälleen siirtomarkkinoilla – nyt haaviin Veikkausliigan nollapeliennätyksen haltija". Suomi Futis (in Finnish). Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ Långkvist, Carl-Magnus (27 June 2020). "Glödhet minut bäddade för EIF:s premiärseger – Mehdi El Moutacim fick vittja nätet tre gånger mot moderklubben". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
^ "Mehdi El Moutacim stannar i EIF – trots erbjudanden från ligaklubbar". www.vastranyland.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ "Mehdi el Moutacim: "Mina nära och kära finns i Ekenäs"". EIF Fotboll (in Swedish). 22 November 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ Kuparinen, Heikki (1 December 2019). "SJK värväsi maalivahtilupauksen Ykkösestä – koko ura samassa seurassa". Suomi Futis (in Finnish). Retrieved 14 August 2020.