Larbi Benbarek

Benbarek was born on 16 June 1917 in Casablanca, He grew up playing football in the Ferme-Blanche quarter of Casablanca alongside classmates including future professional boxer Marcel Cerdan and fellow future professional footballer Abdelkader Hamiri, despite initial objections from his mother and his eldest brother. At the age of 14, whilst working locally as a carpenter, he began playing with a local amateur football team by the name of FC El Ouatane, initially as an inside forward before being moved to the position of winger. ==Career==

Early career In 1934, aged 17, Benbarek made his debut for Casablanca-based side Idéal Club Marocain, who competed in the second division of Moroccan football. His first match would be a friendly against fellow Casablanca side US Marocaine, who were three-time champions of North Africa, in a fixture in which Benbarek scored twice. Benbarek had a strong impact on the side, helping them reach 3rd in the league, and helping them reach the final of the 1935 Coupe du Maroc, which they narrowly lost to RC Marocain. These successes led to him being selected for the Morocco national team for the first time. US Marocaine In the summer of 1935, Benbarek was signed by US Marocaine, who offered him a job as a petrol station attendant for twenty francs a day, though rules of the time meant that he could only play for the club's reserve team for his first year. Marseille Marseille were finally successful in signing Benbarak the following summer, beating off competition from Red Star, and he arrived by ship to Marseille on 28 June 1938 as a relatively unknown 20-year old. Benbarek made his first appearance for the club at centre-forward in a friendly against English third division side Southend United, scoring eight times in the match, before making his official debut on 24 November at the Vélodrome against Parisian side Racing Club de France. Facing up against France national team centre-back Auguste Jordan, Benbarek scored twice as his side ran out 5-2 victors. In future matches, he dropped into the position of inside left alongside Hungarian Vilmos Kohut, whilst Emmanuel Aznar led the line. Despite having been initial favourites to win the Championship, Marseille ultimately lost out in June due to a 1—0 defeat on the final day of the season to Strasbourg, resulting in the title instead going to SC Sétois. In his first season at Marseille, Benbarek had scored 12 goals. The following summer, he returned to Marseille before the start of the anticipated 1939/40 season, playing four friendly matches in preparation. However, the league was cancelled due to the outbreak of war, which halted Benbarek's career, even if he himself was not called up to serve in the army as he was not a French citizen. however, with Benbarek netting double figures in both seasons, as he would proceed to do in the following two seasons as well. In total, Benbarek scored over 60 goals in 120 games for the club, forming a front line known as the 'Crystal Attack' alongside teammates Henry Carlsson and Adrián Escudero. He also earned a new nickname for himself with les Colchoneros: "the Foot of God". To this day, he remains one of Atlético Madrid's most legendary players, and is fondly remembered by fans of the club. Late career Return to Marseille Benbarek returned to Marseille in December 1953, and went on to score 5 goals in the league and 5 more in the Coupe de France as his side reached the final, which they lost 2—1 to a Just Fontaine-led OGC Nice. USM Bel Abbès In 1955, Benbarek signed with USM Bel Abbès, in an Algeria in the midst of a war for liberation. His new side finished runners-up of the Oranie football league and reached the final of the North African Cup, where they were set to play SC Bel Abbès. The final was called off, however, due to the competition being suspended after the withdrawal of sides from Morocco, Constantine, and Tunisia. FUS Rabat The following season, he received a request from Crown Prince Moulay El-Hassan to return to his home country in order to lend his services and expertise to the improvement of Moroccan football. He thus signed for FUS Rabat in the capacity of player-coach, and after one season with the club, he officially called an end to his professional football career at the age of 40, committing instead to his coaching career. == International career ==

Morocco in 1942 Benbarek was first called up to represent the Morocco national team in 1935 for a game against Oran, but was an unused substitute. Consequently, he was able to make his debut for France on the 4 December 1938 in a 1—0 defeat against recent world champions Italy in Naples, where he, alongside fellow French player of African descent Raoul Diagne, was subjected to racist abuse. Around this time, French sporting newspaper ''L'Auto'' launched an appeal to find a sobriquet for Benbarek, resulting in the name "the Black Pearl". Benbarek's performance in the match and his prestige were such that the French public successfully demanded his re-inclusion in the national team. He was included, aged 37, in the French squad to play West Germany in Hanover on the 16 October 1954, == Style of play ==

Benbarek played as a striker and as a sort of attacking midfielder, and was described as lively and powerful, as well as having exceptional technique and above-average stamina. In Morocco, he also played as a wing-half and as a centre-half. For nearly two decades, Benbarek captivated crowds with his jumping ability, passing skills, and dribbling, who was set apart by his elegance, fluidity, balance, and sense of showmanship. Fellow France legend Just Fontaine described Benbarek as having been in the same league as Pelé and Di Stefano, and attributes his lesser reputation to the fact that Benbarek largely played before television, and thus could not be watched by everyone as could latter players. == Coaching career ==

After his retirement from playing, Benbarek continued managing FUS Rabat, and in 1957 was charged with preparing the Morocco national team for the second edition of the Arab Games in Beirut, Lebanon. At the games, Morocco managed to hold Iraq to a draw and defeat Libya and Tunisia, which earned them the gold medal. Benbarek was then dismissed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. In 1958, he accepted the position of coach at his former club USM Bel Abbès for one season. In 1960, Benbarek returned to coach Morocco for one final time. ==Later life==

Larbi Ben Barek died in his hometown on 16 September 1992, alone and in dire poverty, with his body only discovered three days after his death. == Legacy ==

Six years after his death, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, FIFA's highest honour, and King Hassan II renamed the Stade Philip to the Larbi Benbarek Stadium in his honour. In December 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron named Benbarek as one of the prominent figures from overseas territories, former colonies, or immigrant backgrounds who had helped shape France, in an effort to encourage honouring such figures by naming streets and public buildings after them. ==Honours==

US Marocaine • Moroccan League: 1937–38, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43 • Moroccan Cup: 1936, 1941, 1944 • North African Championship: 1941–42 Atlético de Madrid • La Liga: 1949–50, 1950–51 • Copa Eva Duarte: 1951 Morocco (LMFA) • Morocco-Oranie inter-leagues: 1936 Recognitions • FIFA Order of Merit: 1998 • IFFHS All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team • So Foot Top 1000 Best Players of the French First Division: 285th ==References==