Mhamed Fakhir’s career as a player

Born in the old Medina of Casablanca, Mhamed Fakhir spent his childhood in the Maarif neighbourhood, near the Mohamed V Stadium. It was on the neighbourhood’s empty plots of land that Fakhir took his first steps in football before joining his favourite club, Raja Club Athletic. Spotted by Raja’s legendary scout, Abdelkader Jalal, Fakhir joined the club’s academy, where he was trained under the guidance of several youth coaches, including the Spaniard Paco Fortes and Maître Ghoulam.

Career with the National Youth Team

At a young age, Fakhir made a name for himself by being selected for the Morocco U17 team, taking part in an international tournament in Can where his outstanding performances earned him the title of best player of the tournament. Shortly afterwards, he also won the title of best player at the Arab Maghreb Under-18 tournament. Despite attractive offers, notably from OGC Nice, the management at Raja Casablanca chose to keep him at the club.

Promotion to Raja’s First Team

Starting out as an attacking midfielder, Fakhir worked his way up through the various youth ranks at Raja. It was thanks to the Hungarian coach Pàl Orozc that he made it into the first team. His first competitive match took place in 1972 against FUS Rabat, where he came on as a substitute in the second half whilst his team were 2–0 down. Fakhir made his debut in defence as a left-back and played a part in Raja’s ‘Remuntada’, with the match ending in a 2–2 draw.

Success with Raja Casablanca

During his career with Raja Casablanca, Fakhir won the Throne Cup twice. The first victory came in the 1973–74 season against Moghreb Fez (MAS), with a final score of 1–0 to Raja. The second victory came in the 1976–77 season against Difaâ El Jadida, also with a 1–0 scoreline. These triumphs marked key moments in his career and cemented his status as a key player in the club’s history.