Taha Benrhozil: Profile, playing style, scouting report

Morocco's U-17 Goalkeeper impressed with his agility in between the sticks for the runners-up

Taha Benrhozil is a Moroccan talent who plays as a goalkeeper for the Mohammed VI Football Academy. The youngster was born on June 18, 2006, and made a name for himself by taking his national side into the AFCON U-17 finals. 

Senegal's U-17 team lifted the recently concluded AFCON U-17. They won the final match of the competition after beating the Morocco U-17 team. Despite losing the final, Morocco took a few positives away from the tournament. One of them was their number one choice between the sticks. Taha Benrhozil was one of the best players in the competition, and his performances have made a name for the young keeper. Let's take a look at some of the stats of the player from the recently concluded tournament. 

Taha Benrhozil played five games for the Morocco U-17 team. The 16-year-old kept four clean sheets before conceding two goals in the final. His impressive save percentage and penalty shootout triumph labelled him as one of the upcoming talents in African football.

Back-to-back clean sheets

The young goalkeeper played the first two games in the group stage. He made some crucial saves and kept two clean sheets. Taha was rested for the final group match. Morocco faced Algeria in the first knockout stage match. The young goalkeeper added another clean sheet to his account.

Heroics in the semi-finals

Morocco's U-17 team faced Mali's U-17 team in the semi-final match. This game went goalless, and the match was decided on a penalty shootout. The 16-year-old saved three penalties and helped his side reach the finals.

Overall, Taha Benrhozil had an 89% save success rate. He saved 17 shots, took ten catches, and punched the ball six times. His xCG was also decent at 4.18 and prevented 2.18 goals. Despite keeping four clean sheets, the keeper failed to keep out Senegal. He conceded two goals in the final match. 

Taha Benrhozil was charismatic and agile between the sticks. His impressive performances mean that a few European clubs might scout the youngster. With the transfer window coming, big teams will look to add European talent to their squads.