| Mohamed Abarhoun | |
| Fullname: | Mohamed Abarhoun[1] |
| Birth Date: | 3 May 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Tétouan, Morocco |
| Death Place: | Turkey |
| Height: | 1.85m |
| Position: | Defender |
| Years1: | 2010–2017 |
| Clubs1: | Moghreb Tétouan |
| Caps1: | 164 |
| Goals1: | 7 |
| Years2: | 2017–2019 |
| Clubs2: | Moreirense |
| Caps2: | 37 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs3: | Çaykur Rizespor |
| Caps3: | 36 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Totalcaps: | 237 |
| Totalgoals: | 11 |
| Nationalteam1: | Morocco U20 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2012 |
| Nationalteam2: | Morocco U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2013–2014 |
| Nationalteam3: | Morocco |
| Nationalcaps3: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
Mohamed Abarhoun (; 3 May 1989 – 2 December 2020) was a Moroccan professional footballer who played as a defender. He played domestic football for hometown club Moghreb Tétouan, Portuguese club Moreirense, and Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor. Abarhoun also represented Morocco at under-20, under-23 and senior level. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 31.
Abarhoun was born in Tétouan and played as a centre-back for local club Moghreb Tétouan between 2010 and 2017. He was hailed as part of the club's "golden generation" that won the Botola Pro 1 league in 2012 and 2014 and took part in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.[2] He made 164 league appearances for the club and scored 7 goals.
Abarhoun joined Portuguese Primeira Liga club Moreirense in June 2017 after refusing to sign a new contract with Tétouan.[2] [3] Abarhoun was the eighth player brought to the club by new manager Manuel Machado.[3] He scored his only goal for the club on 10 September in a 2–0 win at Estroil Praia, their first win of the season.[4] Machado was sacked by the club in October following a run of poor results.[5] He went on to make 23 league and 5 cup appearances for the club in his first season, in which the club finished fourth from bottom in the league.[6] Abarhoun was the preferred starting centre-back for the club in the first part of the 2018–19 season, under new manager Ivo Vieira, and made 1 cup and 14 league appearances.[7]
Abarhoun joined Turkish club Çaykur Rizespor in January 2019 on an 18-month initial contract.[2] [8] [9] The transfer fee generated €200,000 for Moreirense.[7] Rizespor manager Okan Buruk stated that Abarhoun was brought in to bolster the club's defence during their fight to avoid relegation from the Süper Lig.[9] Abarhoun played in 16 league games for Rizespor that season and the club finished mid-table in 11th position.[10] Abarhoun made 20 league for Rizespor in the 2019–20 season before illness ended his career. His last match was a 2–1 defeat at home to İstanbul Başakşehir on 24 February 2020.[11] He also made one cup appearance, during a 2–1 loss away to Galatasaray in the second leg of the 8th round of the Turkish Cup on 23 January 2020.
Abarhoun played nine games for the Morocco under-20 team and eight for the under-23 team.[2] This included three appearances at the 2012 Summer Olympics where the team drew two games and lost one to finish third in Group D.[2] [12] He made his senior international debut in 2013 and went on to earn seven international caps.
In February 2020 Abarhoun reported feeling sick prior to a league match against Trabzonspor. He was taken to Istanbul's Acıbadem Hospital and was diagnosed with stomach cancer.[13] In June 2020 a Rizespor spokesman claimed that Abarhoun was seriously ill and expected that he would not return to playing football.[14] He was released by Rizespor at the end of the season, but continued to receive financial support from the club for his condition.[15] [16]
Abarhoun announced that he was recovering and feeling better in October 2020 and was hopeful of a return to football, but he died of the disease on 2 December 2020, at the age of 31.[2]