 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elbekay Bouchiba | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-11-01)1 November 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Weert, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Megacles | |||
| Willem II | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | Willem II | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | AZ | 40 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Sparta | 45 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Twente | 25 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Roda JC | 17 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Al-Wakrah | ||
| 2009–2010 | Al-Shamal | 7 | (0) |
| 2011 | Toronto FC | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 April 2010 | |||
Elbekay Bouchiba (born 1 November 1978) is a Dutchfootballer who last played forToronto FC inMajor League Soccer.
Bouchiba is a midfielder who was born inWeert who began his career in the youth ranks ofWillem II and made his debut in professional football, being part of theAZ squad in the 1998–99 season. He made hisEredivisie debut in a 2–0 victory overSparta Rotterdam on 22 August 1998. He also played forSparta Rotterdam andFC Twente before joiningRoda JC.[1][2] His most productive season in theEredivisie was the 2001–02 season in which he appeared in 29 league matches forSparta Rotterdam. On 10 August 2002 he scored his first two goals for Sparta in a 2–1 victory overHFC Haarlem in a2002–03 KNVB Cup match. During his time withSparta Rotterdam Bouchiba appeared in 58 official matches and scored 3 goals. While withFC Twente Bouchiba went on trial stints withCardiff City and1. FC Köln.[3] Bouchiba appeared in 127 league matches in the Netherlands, including 111Eredivisie appearances.
In 2008, he moved toAl-Wakrah in theQatari League.[4] During the 2009–10 season he played forAl-Shamal.
In January 2011 Bouchiba went on trial withToronto FC ofMajor League Soccer in hopes of securing a contract. On 15 February 2011 it was reported that he had agreed to terms with the Canadian club.[5] However it was not officially announced by the Canadian club until 9 March 2011. Bouchiba was one of threeDutch players signed by Toronto, bothNick Soolsma andJavier Martina also joined the club.[6] Bouchiba did not see the field during his first season with Toronto due to ACL knee injury, in mid October he returned to practicing with the team and stated that he is looking forward to playing next season with the team.[7] He was waived by Toronto FC on 28 February 2012.[8]