| Benjamin Bouchouari | |
| Birth Date: | 13 November 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Borgerhout, Belgium |
| Height: | 1.65 m |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Saint-Étienne |
| Clubnumber: | 6 |
| Youthyears1: | 2019–2020 |
| Youthclubs1: | Fortuna Sittard |
| Years1: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Roda JC |
| Caps1: | 65 |
| Goals1: | 3 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Saint-Étienne |
| Caps2: | 68 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam1: | Morocco U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 17 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 3 June 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 8 August 2024 (UTC) |
Benjamin Bouchouari (Arabic: بنيامين بوشواري; born 13 November 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Saint-Étienne. Born in Belgium, he represents Morocco at youth level.
Born in Borgerhout, Belgium, Benjamin began his career from the youth division of Fortuna Sittard and was a part of their under-19 setup.[1] [2] He then joined the youth division of Roda JC and was a part of their under-19 and under-21 squads.[3]
Benjamin signed his first senior contract with Dutch and current Eerste Divisie club Roda JC on 2020.[4] He would represent for the club in 2020–21 Eerste Divisie.[5] Benjamin played his maiden appearance for the club in the KNVB Cup match against Fortuna Sittard on 28 October 2020 as a substitute for Patrick Pflücke in the 77th minute of the match. The match ended 0–2 to Fortuna Sittard.[6] Benjamin made his debut league appearance against Jong FC Utrecht on 9 November 2020. Benjamin started as a substitute in the 81st minute of the game for Patrick Pflücke. The match ended 2–0 with Roda JC losing the match.[7] Benjamin scored his debut goal for the club against Excelsior on 15 February 2021 in the 83rd minute of the game, which they won 1-3.[8]
On 16 August 2022, Bouchouari signed a three-year contract with Saint-Étienne in France.[9] In his first season at the club, Bouchouari was named in the UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Year.[10]
Born in Belgium, Bouchouari holds Moroccan nationality by descent.[11] He opted to represent the Morocco U23s in 2021.[12]
In June 2023, he was included in the final squad of the under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco itself,[13] [14] where the Atlas Lions won their first title[15] [16] and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[17]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Roda JC | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 65 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 69 | 3 | |||
| Saint-Étienne | 2022–23 | Ligue 2 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 2 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[18] | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| Total | 68 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 70 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 133 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 139 | 4 | |||
Morocco U23
Individual