THE goal-den boot of ace striker Khalid Boutaib is aiming to power the French capital’s ‘other club’, Victorious Bahrain’s Paris FC, to glorious heights and the chance to rub shoulders next season with their star-studded neighbours and former partners, Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Football Club are currently flying high in the French Second Division, just three points behind leaders Toulouse knowing that the top two sides will win automatic promotion to the promised land of Ligue 1.
When big, bustling World Cup hero Boutaib arrived at Paris FC at the end of January, supporters rejoiced knowing he had a reputation for not only putting the ball in the net and leading the line but, more importantly, he had experience of dealing with the pressure surrounding the tail end of the season.
The 6’4” French-Moroccan talisman has a solid reputation as a striker with his goal-scoring ability highly-lauded on both the club and international stage. He would, Paris FC fans felt, be able to help finally elevate the club from Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, to Ligue 1 – where Paris FC has not featured since relegation at the end of the 1978-79 season.
Boutaib celebrated joining Paris FC too, although his reasons were a bit more personal.
“Paris FC, and the high standards it sets, attracted me,” the 34-year-old told GDN in an exclusive interview. “It’s a great opportunity. The fact that I know Thierry Laurey, the Paris FC coach, helped me make my decision.”
Partnership
Boutaib, 34, was born in France to Moroccan parents and chose to represent the country of his parents’ descent. His spectacular goal for Morocco against Spain in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals has received more than 50,000 views on YouTube.
This is the third time Boutaib and Laurey have combined their talents, after sharing stints together at Gazelec Ajacio and Racing Club de Strasbourg. Their partnership at Strasbourg resulted in the club being elevated to Ligue 1 after nine years with Boutaib playing a starring role in the Ligue 2 championship success.
Boutaib hopes to do the same for Paris FC, part-owned by Bahrain which acquired a 20 per cent stake in the club in 2020.
Boutaib waxed eloquent about Laurey, saying there was a lot of mutual respect between the two. “That’s why we’re at a third club together,” he said. “Thierry Laurey is a great coach and I’m delighted to work with him again.”
Boutaib, who played 20 times for Morocco between 2016 and 2019, has played for several clubs in different countries since making his professional debut for Istres in the Coupe de la Ligue in 2012.
“I think all experiences are important during a football career,” he said, referring to his international stint with Morocco, as well as the Turkish Super Lig side Yeni Malatyspor – where he played from 2017 to 2019 – and Egyptian club Zamalek from 2019 onwards.
In October 2020, Boutaib returned to France to play for Le Havre.
“Whether it’s at club level or with the national team, you have to take the experience that you can get,” he continued. “I had a great time with the Moroccan national team. Today, I want to concentrate on the Paris FC project.”
Considered a high-impact striker, Boutaib also has a reputation for creating scoring opportunities for his teammates, affording them chances to make their own impact on a game as well. He looks forward to being able to share his experiences with young Paris FC players and mentoring them.
“When you are a striker, your role is to score,” he explained. “I will do everything to score as many goals as possible here.
“Paris FC is a club that is growing. There are many very good young players. I am happy to be able to bring my experience to all these young players.
“It’s always difficult to talk about yourself. I think my height is hard for defenders to deal with. I like to open up situations with my back to the goal. For example, earlier this month, in a game against Ajaccio, I didn’t score a goal myself but I’m happy to have made an assist to Alimami Gory for our first goal.”
As he talked about travelling to different parts of the world as a player, Boutaib said he hoped to visit Bahrain soon, where, he understood, there is a massive following for football with Bahraini fans enjoying the impact he has made with Paris FC.
“We are proud to carry the name of our partner and supporter through success at Paris FC, which is ‘Victorious Bahrain’,” Boutaib said.
“We understand how fond Bahrainis are of football and the support of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to all kinds of sports and his encouragement towards creating healthier communities is also a motivation for us to convey the name of Bahrain Victorious.
“And, of course, it would be an absolute pleasure to be able to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain, ideally in a training camp soon.”
Spanish side Cordoba CF, also owned by Bahrain, visited the kingdom in January, trained and played friendly games against top teams, including national champions Riffa.
The current incarnation of Paris FC came into being in 1972 when the club split from Paris Saint-Germain after coming under pressure from the capital city’s mayor, who refused to support a non-Parisian club – the club had originally been situated in nearby Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
The owner of PSG is a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, which became the club’s majority shareholder in 2011 and consequently the sole shareholder in 2012.
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