Abdelilah Saber
Encyclopedia
Abdelilah Saber is a retired Moroccan
footballer who played as a right defender.
, Saber played his first professional years with local Wydad Athletic Club. In January 1997, he began an Europe
an adventure that would last the following seven 1/2 years, signing with Sporting Clube de Portugal.
With the Lisbon
club, Saber struggled initially, but eventually became first-choice. In January 2000, however, he lost his place to newly arrived Brazil
ian César Prates, as the Lions eventually won the national championship, the first in 18 years - he still contributed to the feat with 18 matches.
Saber would play the next four years in Italy
, initially being loaned to S.S.C. Napoli
, moving to that club alongside Sporting teammates Facundo Quiroga
and Luís Vidigal
. The move was made permanent at the end of the season, as Napoli relegated from the Serie A
, and the player played the remainder of his career in the country in the second division
- two more years at Naples
and one with Torino FC
- retiring at only 30.
for Morocco
, the first arriving in 1997. In the following year
's FIFA World Cup
, he started in all three group stage matches as the national side exited with one win, one loss and one draw.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
footballer who played as a right defender.
Club career
Born in CasablancaCasablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, Saber played his first professional years with local Wydad Athletic Club. In January 1997, he began an Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an adventure that would last the following seven 1/2 years, signing with Sporting Clube de Portugal.
With the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
club, Saber struggled initially, but eventually became first-choice. In January 2000, however, he lost his place to newly arrived Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian César Prates, as the Lions eventually won the national championship, the first in 18 years - he still contributed to the feat with 18 matches.
Saber would play the next four years in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, initially being loaned to S.S.C. Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, moving to that club alongside Sporting teammates Facundo Quiroga
Facundo Hernán Quiroga
Facundo Hernán Quiroga is an Argentine footballer who plays for Club Atlético All Boys in the Argentine first division. Mainly a central defender, he can also play in the right flank.-Club career:...
and Luís Vidigal
José Luís Vidigal
José Luís da Cruz Vidigal is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.During his extensive professional career, the no-nonsense midfield battler played more years abroad than in his country of adoption , where he represented mainly Sporting.A Portuguese international...
. The move was made permanent at the end of the season, as Napoli relegated from the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, and the player played the remainder of his career in the country in the second division
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
- two more years at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and one with Torino FC
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
- retiring at only 30.
International career
Saber gained 39 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
, the first arriving in 1997. In the following year
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
's FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, he started in all three group stage matches as the national side exited with one win, one loss and one draw.