At 37, Former Moroccan Prodigy Adel Taarabt Announces His Retirement After Nearly Two Decades

Adel Taarabt has announced his retirement at 37, ending a professional career spanning nearly two decades across France, England, Italy, Portugal and the Gulf.

Taarabt began his career with RC Lens in France before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. His most influential period came at Queens Park Rangers, where he played across two spells between 2009 and 2015, amassing 164 matches, 34 goals and between 28 and 42 assists depending on the source, while logging more than 11,600 minutes. During the 2010-2011 season, he scored 19 goals and provided 21 assists in 44 Championship appearances, a campaign that earned him the Championship Player of the Year award and helped QPR secure promotion to the Premier League.

A loan spell at AC Milan followed in 2013-2014, where he made 16 appearances, scoring four goals and recording two assists in Serie A. Taarabt then joined Benfica in 2015, spending four seasons with the Portuguese club and also featuring for Benfica B. He totaled 129 matches for Benfica, with two goals and roughly 13 to 14 assists across more than 7,000 minutes. His final years were spent in the Gulf region, first with Al-Nasr SC in Dubai and later Sharjah, from 2022 until his retirement. He shared the international stage with countrymen such as Romain Saïss, a fellow Moroccan football leader, during his time representing the national team.

Across all competitions, Taarabt’s career record stands at approximately 422 matches, 57 goals and 77 assists, according to one database. Internationally, he earned between 29 and 30 caps for Morocco, scoring four goals. He made his debut in February 2009 and scored his first international goal against Angola the following month.

Known primarily as an attacking midfielder, Taarabt built his reputation on technical skill, dribbling and creative passing rather than goal output. Over his career, he won eight titles, including the 2010-2011 Championship with QPR. His retirement marks the end of a career often defined by early hype as a Moroccan talent and later reinvention as a more disciplined playmaker.