Khalid Boutaib retires from football after final season with Kawkab Marrakech

Sunday 20 September 2026 - 11:55

Khalid Boutaib has officially brought his professional football career to an end, closing a journey that took him through clubs in France, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco before his final season with Kawkab Marrakech.

The former Morocco international announced his decision on Saturday, September 19, through a video shared on Instagram. Looking back on his career, Boutaib thanked the people who supported him throughout the different stages of his sporting life before confirming that he would no longer continue as a professional player.

His retirement marks the end of a career built through persistence and several important chapters across different football environments.

A career shaped by several clubs

Boutaib established himself in French football before earning opportunities abroad. Among the clubs represented by the striker were Gazélec Ajaccio and RC Strasbourg, followed by a move to Turkey, where he played for Yeni Malatyaspor.

His career subsequently took him to Egypt with Zamalek before returning to France, where he featured for Le Havre and Pau FC, alongside other clubs during his professional journey.

Each move added a different experience to a career that ultimately led him to the international stage with Morocco.

A World Cup appearance with Morocco

Boutaib's most prominent international achievement came with the Moroccan national team.

He was part of the squad that travelled to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, giving him the opportunity to compete on football's biggest international stage.

Across his Morocco career, the striker accumulated 26 appearances and scored nine goals. His international period coincided with a generation of Moroccan players seeking to establish the national team among the continent's leading sides.

Representing Morocco also gave Boutaib a defining chapter in a career that had largely been developed in European club football.

A final season in Marrakech

Before announcing his retirement, Boutaib returned to Morocco to join Kawkab Marrakech, giving him the chance to finish his professional career in the country's domestic championship.

The striker made 15 appearances for the Marrakech club during the season and scored once.

Although his final statistics were modest compared with some of the most productive periods of his career, the move provided a symbolic closing chapter: after years spent between European and Middle Eastern clubs, Boutaib ended his professional journey in Moroccan football.

Closing the chapter

Boutaib's retirement brings to a close a career that crossed several leagues and included both club and international milestones.

From his early development in French football to his spells in Turkey and Egypt, his return to France and eventual move to Kawkab Marrakech, the striker experienced a wide range of football environments.

His appearance at the 2018 World Cup remains one of the most notable moments of his international career, while his final season in Marrakech offered a natural conclusion to his playing days.

At 38, Boutaib now leaves professional football behind, with a career that includes 26 Morocco caps, nine international goals and a place in the country's 2018 World Cup squad.