Abdeslam Ouaddou took over at Marumo Gallants when they were in a spot of bother, but he excelled and earned a big move to Orlando Pirates.
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Ouaddou used a 4-2-3-1 with Marumo Gallants and made his side difficult to beat. In 10 Betway Premiership matches in charge, he won four, drew four and lost just two. With 1.6 points per game, his average tally was far superior to that of Kaizer Chiefs, who only scraped together 1.14 points per game. Some fans say Ouaddou would finish higher than Chiefs while coaching a relegation-threatened side.
Ouaddou had a solid playing career
Abdeslam Ouaddou was a key figure for Morocco, winning an impressive tally of 68 caps for his country. A late bloomer, he only made his debut aged 21 and earned his first massive move in 2001 when he moved to newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham. Back then, €3.3 million was a lot of money. Today it’s equivalent to R69 million.
He also courted controversy
Abdeslam Ouaddou’s first professional club was Ligue 1 side Nancy. During his second spell there, the board claimed that his refusal to train was sufficient under French labour law to constitute gross misconduct. Although his deal at the time ran until 2012, he left immediately. The story, however, had a happy ending as the imposing central defender returned to Nancy in January 2013 for a third stint. However, he retired two weeks later without playing a match. Ouaddou won the 2007 Greek League with Olympiacos and the 2002-2023 UEFA Intertoto Cup with Fulham. He holds French citizenship and won 68 caps for Morocco’s Atlas Lions.
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