Olympiakos became the first Greek club to win a European title after a 1-0 extra-time victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Moroccan striker Ayoub El Kaabi  scored the winning goal in the 116th minute that allowed Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side to make history in the home of local rivals AEK Athens.

Prior to Olympiakos’ success, Panathinaikos were the only club from Greece to make a European final when they lost to a Johan Cruyff-inspired Ajax in the 1971 European Cup decider.

Who is Ayoub El Kaabi?

The much-travelled 30-year-old centre-forward has enjoyed a breakout season in Greece, scoring the goal that took Olympiakos to a first European trophy.

He signed his first professional football contract at age 21 with Racing de Casablanca. After helping RAC gain promotion to the top tier of Moroccan football, he switched to RS Berkane, helping the club win the 2018 Moroccan Throne Cup.

In 2018 he switched to China, joining Herbei, for a fee of €6.5 million. He was loaned to Wydad on an initial six-month loan before joining the Moroccan club as a free agent in 2020. A return of 18 goals in 29 matches prompted a move to Turkey with Hatayspor in 2021, where El Kaabi netted 26 times across two seasons.

The striker moved to Qatari side Al Sadd on loan during the 2022/23 campaign before moving to current club Olympiakos ahead of the 2023/24 season.

How has he done in Greece?

It is in Europe where El Kaabi has really shone, though.

Olympiakos stuttered out of the Europa League group phase in December and, on entering the Conference League, El Kaabi set about making it his personal theatre.

He netted home and way in Olympiakos’ 2-0 aggregate win over Ferencvaros in the play-off before a thumping header sealed the first comeback of a last-16 tie that had swung wildly away from the Greek club with their 4-1 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg. In the second, it would be El Kaabi who made it 4-4 on aggregate. He then restored parity for 5-5 with a glorious overhead volley to take the tie into extra time. Olympiakos won 6-1 win on the night.

In the semi-finals against Aston Villa, El Kaabi’s composed finishing and alert movement behind the last line of defence were key to two virtuoso performances. El Kaabi added two goals in the second leg to the hat-trick he scored at Villa Park in the first to put Olympiakos into their first European final.

With the game against Fiorentina goalless after 90 minutes and with penalties seemingly certain, El Kaabi stopped to head home in the 116th minute for his 16th goal in European competition this season.

The roar that greeted the validation of El Kaabi’s goal, following a lengthy VAR check, in the 120th minute from the majority Greek fans in Athens showed what the occasion meant to the club.

Is he part of the Morocco national team?

El Kaabi has represented the Atlas Lions 33 times, scoring 10 goals, but largely plays second fiddle to Youssef En-Nesyri   under Walid Regragui.

He was one of few local-based players to travel to Russia as part of the 2018 World Cup squad, where Morocco exited at the group stage, but was omitted by Regragui from the squad that four years later became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

He was used only sparingly as Morocco bowed out the 2023 African Cup of Nations at the last-16 stage.  El Kaabi has, however, been named in the Morocco squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Zambia and Congo.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com