Adel Taarabt has retired from professional football at the age of 37, bringing to an end a 20-year career that took him from Lens to Sharjah via Tottenham, AC Milan and Benfica.
The Morocco international leaves behind the image of a gifted footballer whose dazzling ability was never consistently reflected in his career. His dribbling, inventive tricks and ability to produce skills few others could even imagine made him one of the most entertaining players of his generation.
But alongside those memorable flashes came a lingering sense of what might have been. Taarabt appeared to be a natural star, yet he never established himself over a sustained period at the biggest clubs he represented.
Martin Jol, his manager at Tottenham, called him “a magician” and believed no other player in England possessed comparable ability with the ball at his feet. At Spurs, Luka Modric – who would later win the Ballon d’Or – reportedly gave Taarabt the nickname “Zizou”.
Neil Warnock later captured the contradictions in Taarabt’s career in three words: “talented, exciting and frustrating”.
QPR brilliance
It was at Queens Park Rangers that Taarabt delivered the clearest evidence of his potential. He was named the Championship’s best player in 2011 after inspiring QPR to promotion to the Premier League.
The team was built around his creativity and freedom. Taarabt was given the responsibility of providing the inspiration, and his performances made him one of the most influential players in the division.
The expected higher-level breakthrough, however, never fully arrived. Taarabt later admitted that he had joined Tottenham too young and that the attractions of London had offered too many distractions.
His defensive work, fitness, nightlife, mood swings and inconsistency became as much a part of the conversation as his technical brilliance. There were occasional revivals, particularly during spells at Fulham and AC Milan, but they did not lead to the sustained impact many had expected.
By the time he joined Benfica, Taarabt was carrying eight kilos of excess weight. It took almost four years before he finally made his first-team appearance for the Portuguese club.
At Benfica, he eventually found a late form of redemption. Bruno Lage reshaped him into a more complete midfielder, capable of running and defending, suggesting that the artist had finally accepted the demands of modern football.
“It’s not the fault of others, it’s my fault,” Taarabt said when reflecting on his career.
Morocco career also fell short
His international record adds to the feeling of unfulfilled promise. Taarabt won 30 caps and scored four goals for Morocco – a modest return for a player of such natural quality.
His relationship with the Morocco national team was seriously damaged in 2011 when he left a training camp after learning that he would not start. The connection had to be repaired months later, and he returned to international football only after sending a letter of apology.
The wider circumstances did not always work in his favour. Taarabt’s peak came during a period of instability in Moroccan football, long before the organised and ambitious generation that emerged towards the end of the 2010s.
Even after his final appearances, he remained closely connected to the national team and continued to comment regularly on the development of the Morocco national team.
Taarabt cannot be ranked alongside Morocco’s greatest footballing legends in terms of achievement. Among the country’s most naturally gifted players, though, he retains a distinctive place. That contrast is what makes his career both compelling and frustrating.
By Naim Beneddra
Football has been part of my life since childhood, and I have been fortunate enough to make it my profession for more than 20 years. Since then, I have written, analysed, complained occasionally while watching matches and, above all, continued to enjoy telling the stories of the people who make the sport. An unconditional supporter of Algeria’s national team, I naturally follow everything connected to Algerian football closely. If you love football with passion, curiosity and a little openly acknowledged bias, we should get along.