El Arabi's turf transition

Youseff El Arabi's love affair with scoring dates back to when he started playing in the ranks of SM Caen in Ligue 1, the team where he made his debut against the mighty Olympique Lyonnais in the French first division.

However, the Moroccan international's history with France, where he was born, is more involved than it may at first appear. El Arabi, an exceptionally skilful player, began his career in futsal and even played as the captain of the French under-21 side.

In UEFA competitions, the tricky striker also proved his quality with the French national side, playing three matches and scoring five goals in the qualifying stages of the UEFA Under-21 Futsal Championship, a record which is not to be sniffed at. However, despite being an international player for France in futsal, the striker opted to wear the shirt of the Morocco at full international level and to make his living at the top end of professional football.

Having won promotion with his home team, El Arabi left for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia before arriving at Granada CF last season, becoming the Andalusian club's most expensive signing. In his second year, he now has three goals in seven matches, one of them coming in his team's 2-0 victory over Athletic Club, and he looks destined to spearhead the Andalusian club's strikeforce.