Ayoub El Kaabi Biography: Wife, Parents, Age, Net Worth, Children, Religion, Salary, Stats

Biography

Ayoub El Kaabi (Arabic: أيوب الكعبي) is a creative Moroccan professional footballer born on June 25, 1993, in Casablanca, Morocco.

Now 32 years old, he plays as a striker for Greek Super League club Olympiacos and represents the Morocco national team.

Known for his perseverance and remarkable journey, El Kaabi left school at 15 to work as a carpenter in a working-class neighborhood, taking on various manual jobs before turning professional relatively late.

He began his career with Racing de Casablanca and rose through Moroccan clubs like RS Berkane and Wydad Casablanca, with brief stints in China (Hebei), Turkey (Hatayspor), and Qatar (Al Sadd). Since joining Olympiacos in 2023, he has excelled in European competitions, notably topping the scoring charts in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League (11 goals) and performing strongly in the UEFA Europa League.

Renowned for his acrobatic finishes—especially bicycle kicks—El Kaabi remains a key player for Morocco, including standout performances in tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations.

Moroccan footballer
Ayoub El Kaabi
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Ayoub El Kaabi
Born:	25 June 1993 (age 32 years old)
Place of Birth:	Casablanca, Morocco
Nationality:	Moroccan
Education:	N/A
Height:	1.82 m
Parents:	Mohamed El Kaabi, Fatima Zahra El Kaabi
Siblings:	Youness El Kaabi
Spouse:	Chaimae El Kaabi (m. 2018)
Girlfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	2
Occupation:	Footballer
Net Worth:	$9.8 million (USD)

Early Life

Ayoub El Kaabi was born on 25 June 1993 in Casablanca, Morocco. His family hails from Zagora in southern Morocco and later relocated to the Mediouna region near Casablanca amid financial challenges in the 1990s.

Growing up in the working-class neighborhood of Derb Milla in Casablanca, he endured modest, difficult living conditions from an early age. Of Moroccan ethnicity with Arab-Berber heritage common in the region, El Kaabi belongs to a family bearing the surname El Kaabi, which is prevalent in Morocco and traces its roots to the Arab world of the Maghreb, often linked to notions of strength or power in its etymology.

He is Muslim, aligning with the predominant faith in Morocco and reflected in aspects of his personal life, including his traditional wedding ceremony. His parents, Mohamed El Kaabi (father) and Fatima Zahra El Kaabi (mother), raised him in a humble household where he contributed early to family support. He has one known sibling, his brother Youness El Kaabi, who also pursues a career in professional football with Renaissance de Berkane.

Due to the family’s circumstances, El Kaabi left school at 15 to learn a trade and help provide for the household. He trained as an apprentice carpenter in a workshop in the Mediouna district and took on other manual jobs, including carpet cleaning and street selling.

This period of hard labor and perseverance shaped his character, and at age 21, he transitioned to professional football with Racing de Casablanca, marking the start of his remarkable rise from humble beginnings to international stardom.

Career

Ayoub El Kaabi’s career shows how perseverance can lead to success, even with a late start in professional football. He became a pro at 23, debuting for Racing de Casablanca in 2016 and scoring 25 goals in 33 games during the 2016–17 season, which helped the team earn promotion.

This strong performance led him to RS Berkane in 2017, where he scored 12 goals in 24 league matches and helped the club achieve domestic success. In 2018, he moved abroad for the first time, joining Hebei China Fortune in the Chinese Super League and scoring 9 goals in 28 matches over one and a half seasons, including a loan spell back in Morocco.

From 2019 to 2021, he played on loan for Wydad Casablanca, scoring 22 goals in 38 games. In 2021, he joined Hatayspor in Turkey’s Süper Lig, scoring 26 goals in 53 matches, even as the club faced challenges like the 2023 earthquake.

A brief period at Al Sadd in Qatar in early 2023 saw him score 2 goals in 7 games before his major breakthrough. El Kaabi signed with Olympiacos in August 2023 on a free transfer and quickly became a key player. He was the top scorer in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League with 11 goals, including the extra-time winner in the final against Fiorentina (1–0).

This was the first time a Moroccan scored in a European final, helping Olympiacos win their first major European trophy. He kept up his form in the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League, again finishing as top scorer with 7 goals in eight games, and helped Olympiacos win the Greek Super League and Greek Cup in 2025.

By January 2026, in the ongoing 2025–26 season, he had scored 12 goals and made 2 assists in 14 Super League matches, plus 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 Champions League games. Overall, he has scored about 47 goals in 74 games for Olympiacos and is known for his acrobatic finishes, such as bicycle kicks and overhead volleys.

On the international stage, El Kaabi made his debut for Morocco at the 2018 African Nations Championship and has since earned 53 caps and scored 20 goals as of mid-January 2026, though some sources report up to 66 caps and 32 goals. He has played key roles in tournaments like the 2018 FIFA World Cup, several Africa Cup of Nations campaigns (including the 2021 final), and the 2025 AFCON hosted by Morocco.

His overhead kicks and important goals, such as braces and match-winners against teams like Comoros, have made him a hero for the Atlas Lions. Starting from modest beginnings in Casablanca and working manual jobs, El Kaabi has risen to European stardom and international recognition. His contract with Olympiacos runs until June 2026.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Ayoub El Kaabi
• Instagram: Ayoub El Kaabi (@ayoub_elkaabii)

Personal Life

Ayoub El Kaabi is currently 32 years old, born on 25 June 1993. He stands at 1.82 meters (6 feet 0 inches) tall, with an athletic build suited to his role as a striker.

El Kaabi has been married to his wife, Chaimae El Kaabi, since 26 November 2018, when they held a traditional Moroccan wedding ceremony in Casablanca attended by family, friends, and figures from the football community.

El Kaabi is a father of two children.

Anecdotal stories, such as his wife suggesting a house move shortly before the 2023 Turkey earthquake during his time at Hatayspor, highlight their close partnership, but details remain limited.

Net Worth

Ayoub El Kaabi‘s net worth is estimated at approximately £7.85 million (around €9.2 million or $9.8 million, depending on exchange rates), based on salary data and career earnings from reliable sports finance sources.

This figure reflects his accumulated wealth from professional contracts, bonuses (particularly from European competitions and titles with Olympiacos), endorsements, and other income streams, though exact personal finances remain private.

His current salary at Olympiacos, where his contract runs until 30 June 2026 (extended in 2024), is reported as £50,000 per week, equating to about £2.6 million per year (roughly €3 million annually). Some sources list slight variations, such as around €2.99 million in gross league salary per year in the Greek Super League, where he ranks among the top earners.

Earlier in his career, salaries were significantly lower (e.g., modest figures during stints in Turkey and China), highlighting his substantial financial growth since joining Olympiacos in 2023 and excelling in European tournaments.

Note that these estimates can vary across sources and exclude potential bonuses, image rights, or national team payments.

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