Walid Birrou Essafi (born 6 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Philippines Football League club Kaya F.C.–Iloilo.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walid Birrou | ||
| Date of birth | September 6, 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kaya–Iloilo | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Gandía | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Oakland City University | 28 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | CD Teruel | ||
| 2018–2019 | Little Rock Rangers | ||
| 2019–2020 | Atlanta SC | ||
| 2020–2021 | Almagro | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | FC Wichita | ||
| 2021–2022 | Stade Marocain | ||
| 2022 | RB Keflavík | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Þróttur Vogum | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Njarðvík | 5 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Glacis United | 8 | (0) |
| 2024– | Kaya–Iloilo | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5:45, June 20, 2024 (UTC) | |||
Personal life
editBirrou was born in the city of Vilanova i la Geltrú in Spain and is of Moroccan heritage. He is the eldest of two brothers.[3][4]
Career
editYouth and college career
editUntil the age of 19, Birrou played for the youth team of Gandía, before playing for lower league side CD Teruel while pursuing his studies.[3] From 2017 to 2018, he played football for Oakland City University, making 27 appearances in 2 seasons before graduating.[5][6][7]
Early club career
editAfter graduating, Birrou left Oakland and Teruel and signed for USL League Two side Little Rock Rangers, where he played for two seasons.[8][9][10] He transferred to Atlanta SC in 2019[4] before returning to Spain and sign with Almagro CF.[11][12][13]
After two seasons, he returned to the US to play for FC Wichita.[14] A year later, he played in the second tier of Morocco football, playing for Stade Marocain.[3]
Iceland and Gibraltar
editIn 2022 he left Stade Marocain and played for Icelandic side RB Keflavík. [15] He stayed with them for a short while before transferring to Þróttur Vogum in the same year.[16] In 2023, he signed with second-tier side Njarðvík FC.[17][18][19]
In August that year, he transferred to the Gibraltar Football League, signing for Glacis United where he made 8 appearances and kept 2 clean sheets.[20]
Kaya
editIn 2024, Birrou left Glacis United to join Filipino club Kaya–Iloilo, who were defending champions of the Philippines Football League.[21] [22][23] He made his first appearance and got his first clean sheet for the club in the opening match against United City.
References
edit- ^ Walid Birrou at Soccerway
- ^ "Walid Birrou - Global Sports Archive". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Del Amor, Jose (March 9, 2023). "Walid Birrou, nuevo guardameta del UMF Njardvík de la Segunda División de Islandia". Vavel. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the Atlanta SC Soccer Players - Get to Know Walid Birrou #73". Atlanta SC on YouTube. October 16, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Roster: Walid Birrou Essafi". Oakland Mighty Oaks. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "OCU Men's Soccer Setting Up Well for 2018 Season". Oakland Mighty Oaks. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Elmore, Austin (August 25, 2017). "Norse win opener in extra time". The Northerner. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ryan's Weekend Wrap Up 7/10-7/12". Protagonist Soccer. July 16, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Peacock, Benjamin (July 8, 2019). "LITTLE ROCK RANGERS FALL 2-0 TO DEMIZE NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Kubena, Brooks (July 12, 2018). "With 1-0 win at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock Rangers advance in playoffs". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Cochero, Cruz José (October 14, 2020). "Cambio radical en el Almagro CF para esta nueva temporada". Lanza Digital. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Fernández, Raúl (July 19, 2020). "Así están las plantillas de los provinciales de Tercera División". Lanza Digital. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "EL MERCADO EN 3ª DIVISIÓN ACTUALIZADO". Deporte Castilla La Mancha. September 26, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "FC WICHITA FALLS TO KAW VALLEY". FC Wichita. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ ÁSGEIRSSON, GUÐMUNDUR AÐALSTEINN (November 2, 2022). "NJARÐVÍK FÆR SPÆNSKAN MARKVÖRÐ (STAÐFEST)". Fotbolti. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Karlar: Félagaskiptin í íslenska fótboltanum - lokadagur". April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Spænskur markvörður til Njarðvíkur". Iceland Monitor. March 11, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Professional Rangers". Little Rock Rangers. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Þórhallsson, Runólfur Trausti (July 12, 2023). "Afturelding áfram taplaust". Visir. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "KOMNIR/FARNIR OG SAMNINGSLAUSIR Í LENGJUDEILDINNI". Fotbolti. April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kaya FC - Team Roster". pfl.org.ph. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Kaya-Iloilo 3-1 Manila Digger". Kaya FC. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Malihan, Drew (April 22, 2024). "Komaki lists hat-trick as Kaya blasts Maharlika, 10-1". Dugout PH. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
External links
edit- Walid Birrou at Soccerway