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Yassine BounouMoroccan footballer, goalkeeper
Date of Birth: 05.04.1991
Country:  Morocco |
Content:
- Yassine Bounou: The Moroccan Goalkeeper
- Move to Atlético Madrid and Zaragoza
- Breakthrough at Girona
- Establishment in La Liga
- International Career
Yassine Bounou: The Moroccan Goalkeeper
Early Life and Club CareerYassine Bounou was born in Montreal, Canada, but moved to Morocco at a young age. He began playing soccer at the age of eight, joining the Wydad Casablanca club. At 17, he moved to OGC Nice in France, but bureaucratic issues led to his return to Morocco. In 2010, he was promoted to Wydad's first team, becoming the backup to Nadir Lamyaghri. Bounou made his club debut in 2011 in the second leg of the 2011 CAF Champions League final against Espérance de Tunis due to the first-choice goalkeeper's injury. Despite Espérance winning 1-0 and claiming the trophy, Bounou was named man of the match for Wydad.
Move to Atlético Madrid and Zaragoza
On June 14, 2012, Bounou joined Spanish club Atlético Madrid, initially playing for the reserve team in Segunda División B. He became a regular for the B team and signed a new four-year contract on May 31, 2013. Following the departures of Thibaut Courtois and Daniel Aranzubia from Atlético in the summer of 2014, Bounou was promoted to the first team. He made his debut for the team on July 24, 2014, in a pre-season friendly against CD Numancia (1-0). On September 1, he was loaned out for the season to second-division club Real Zaragoza.
Breakthrough at Girona
After competing with Oscar Whalley for playing time in the first half of the season, Bounou made his first appearance of the season on January 11. He conceded three goals in Zaragoza's 3-5 loss to UD Las Palmas. Despite the disappointing result, Bounou played a pivotal role in Zaragoza's promotion play-off campaign, replacing Whalley and starting in the second leg of the semi-final against Girona. Zaragoza lost the final to Las Palmas on aggregate.
Bounou returned to Zaragoza on loan for the 2015-16 season. Following Zaragoza's relegation, he signed a two-year contract with fellow second-division club Girona on July 12, 2016. He made his debut for Girona on August 26, 2016, against Sevilla Atlético (3-3). Girona achieved promotion to La Liga at the end of the season, with Bounou playing in 21 matches.
Establishment in La Liga
On October 23, 2017, Bounou made his La Liga debut against Deportivo La Coruña (2-1). He quickly established himself as Girona's starting goalkeeper, displacing Gorka Iraizoz. Bounou has been a key player for Girona, helping the club maintain its status in the top flight of Spanish football.
International Career
Despite being eligible to represent both Canada and Morocco, Bounou chose to play for the latter. He represented Morocco at the under-20 level in the Toulon Tournament and at the 2012 Summer Olympics with the under-23 team. Bounou made his debut for the senior team on August 14, 2013, in a 1-2 friendly loss to Burkina Faso. He became a regular member of the squad under Hervé Renard, serving as the backup goalkeeper to Munir for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
