Bilal El Khannouss is talking to Belgian reporters in the press area of the Cegeka Arena, home of KRC Genk. While the attacking midfielder is discussing the details of a 0-0 draw with Ferencvaros, a journalist from Sporza can no longer contain himself.
Eddy Demarez had noticed when El Khannouss came back onto the pitch after the half-time interval that the front of his azure blue Adidas boots was about to give way. A single piece of tape was the only thing holding everything together – and yet, remarkably, it did the job. The boots survived the second half.
These are scenes you would normally see on an amateur pitch. Together with the crooked socks, the shirts that are just a little too tight and shorts that reek of tiger balm, the half-taped boots don't belong in a European tournament, so the journalist is incredibly curious. Why didn't El Khannouss change into a new pair? The response says much about this young man's character.
"I got kicked on the foot in the first half, which broke my boot," El Khannouss explains to Demarez. "During half-time, I put tape on it. We have to make do with what we have. I hope to have new shoes tomorrow." Making the most of what you have: it's all El Khannouss knows and it also helps explain why he's set to become Stuttgart's second-most expensive signing ever next summer…
Where it all began
Born in 2004, El Khannouss grew up in Strombeek-Bever and, at the age of five, his cousin took him to his first football club: Crossing Schaerbeek. He didn't play there for long, though.
"Soon after I arrived, my coach Ebrahim Bouazzati moved to Anderlecht and took his best players with him," he recalls in . "I was the last survivor of that group."
It was the football pitches of Brussels that made him the player he is today. In Josaphat Park, or under the Europe Bridge, where Ajax talent Rayane Bounida also spent his youth, he learned to understand the art of football. It shaped him, both as a human being and as a player.
"It was mainly five against five in a cage," he recalled in an interview with . "Up until I was 13, I also played indoor football at Futsal Besiktas Gent. Playing in those small spaces teaches you to run smarter. It definitely helped me."
And then there was a youth transfer that caused quite a stir in the Belgian newspapers. The Brussels-born player with a purple Anderlecht heart moved to Genk at the age of 15.
"What did Anderlecht have to say about that? A lot of things. Some youth coaches called me a traitor," El Khannouss revealed. "They said it with a smile, but you could feel that they meant it."
He had played for Anderlecht for 10 years, and alongside the likes of Rome Lavia. However, the sporting picture in Genk was much more appealing. The future prospects were simply better there, and so it proved.
AdvertisementAFPThe big break
When he was still only 18, he made his debut for Genk's first team. A few months later, Bounida's Ajax came calling – along with a string of other top foreign clubs. However, El Khannouss decided to extend his contract with Genk.
It turned out to be the right choice. The following season saw his real breakthrough and the reward was a place in Morocco's 2022 World Cup squad. Once again, it was not a decision that went over well in the local press.
Until that point, El Khannouss had played for various Belgium teams at under-age level. "I am extremely grateful to Belgium for all the opportunities I have had here, but I knew from an early age that I would choose Morocco," he explained.
"My grandparents came to Belgium from Morocco and I feel that this is a way for me to give something back to them. They are no longer with us, but I am sure they are proud of me."
During Morocco's highly successful World Cup campaign – the team reached the semi-finals – he started in the third-place play-off against Croatia. He went head to head with his great idol, Luka Modric, and the 18-year-old impressed, thus becoming immensely popular., both in Morocco and back in Belgium.
These days, even during his pilgrimages to Mecca, he cannot escape his fame. "It's great to be recognised everywhere and feel the love from fans, but sometimes I do miss the anonymity. I've already learned to choose restaurants where few Moroccans go. The fans are literally everywhere!" he joked.
After the World Cup, El Khannouss continued to shine at Genk for another year and a half before making an inevitably transfer to a top league in 2024, with Leicester City agreeing to pay £22.5 million for the offensive midfielder, who was also courted by Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool.
Following the dismissal of Steve Cooper, he got to work with striking legend Ruud van Nistelrooy and was one of the few bright lights in an otherwise gloomy season at the King Power Stadium.
"I think you will see and hear a lot more from him," Van Nistelrooy insisted. "He can go very far. He has the potential to become a top player in the Champions League."
AFPHow it's going
Although El Khannouss started the current campaign playing Championship football with Leicester, it was always unlikely that he'd do so for the entire season.
However, he only secured a transfer to Stuttgart on deadline day, as the German side looked to add to their attacking options following the lucrative sale of star striker Nick Woltemade to Newcastle.
El Khannouss was signed on a season-long loan but with an obligation to buy next summer for €25 million (£22m/$29m). It's already looking like a bit of a masterstroke by Stuttgart.
The 21-year-old has netted three times in his first six appearances in all competitions for his new side, much to the delight of coach Sebastian Hoeness.
"He has incredible quality – he has already demonstrated that in the Premier League, of course," Hoeness said. "But he has had a great start and is a very promising young man. We are very happy to have him with us."
Getty Images SportBiggest strengths
Thorsten Fink, who coached El Khannouss in Belgium, has already expressed similar sentiments to Van Nistelrooy. "I have worked with many players, and what I have seen is that this boy is very special," he told . "He can become one of the best footballers in Europe. I am convinced of that."
He's certainly got the talent to do so. El Khannouss has a fantastic first touch, is an elusive dribbler, can really pick a pass and has outstanding awareness, which is why his former coach at Genk once quipped that the attacking midfielder seems to have "eyes in the back of his head".
Pep Guardiola also liked what he saw when his Manchester City side faced Leicester last season, making a bee-line for El Khannouss as soon as the full-time whistle blew.
"He said he was impressed with my play," El Khannouss revealed afterwards. Once again, though, his human qualities and impressive work ethic quickly came to the fore.
"I have to show this level every week. Other than that, I just enjoy the game and the day. Because we have the best job in the world." Indeed, he understands very well indeed just how lucky he is to be a footballer and that's why he often thinks about society as a whole.
"I do my bit, without everyone always having to know about it," he told "God has given me a luxurious life. Sometimes I wake up and think: 'Sh*t, today I have to do this or that.' In Ivory Coast, I saw 70-year-old women walking barefoot up a mountain with heavy buckets filled with food on their heads just so their families could eat. Things like that break your heart."