Issame Charaï

{{short description|Belgian football player and coach (born 1982)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Issame Charaï

| image =

| fullname =

| height =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1982|5|11}}

| birth_place = Merksem, Belgium

| currentclub = Rangers (assistant)

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Berchem Sport

| years1 = 2000–2003

| years2 = 2003–2006

| years3 = 2006

| years4 = 2006–2008

| years5 = 2008–2010

| years6 = 2010–2011

| years7 = 2011–2012

| clubs1 = Berchem Sport

| clubs2 = Lierse

| clubs3 = Geel

| clubs4 = K.V. Mechelen

| clubs5 = Sint-Truidense

| clubs6 = KVK Tienen

| clubs7 = ASV Geel

| caps1 = 37

| caps2 = 5

| caps3 = 18

| caps4 = 46

| caps5 = 29

| caps6 = 25

| goals1 = 9

| goals2 = 0

| goals3 = 7

| goals4 = 11

| goals5 = 3

| goals6 = 3

| pcupdate =

| manageryears1 = 2012–2013

| managerclubs1 = Al-Faisaly (assistant)

| manageryears2 = 2013

| managerclubs2 = Al-Faisaly (caretaker)

| manageryears3 = 2016–2018

| managerclubs3 = Beerschot (assistant)

| manageryears4 = 2018–2019

| managerclubs4 = Sint-Truidense (assistant)

| manageryears5 = 2020–2022

| managerclubs5 = OH Leuven (assistant)

| manageryears6 = 2022–2024

| managerclubs6 = Morocco U23

| manageryears7 = 2025–

| managerclubs7 = Rangers (assistant)

}}

Issame Charaï (born 11 May 1982) is a Belgian-Moroccan football coach and former player who is the Assistant Manager of Scottish club Rangers.

Coaching career

=Al-Faisaly=

After his playing career ended in 2012, he immediately became an assistant coach at Al-Faisaly under newly appointed Belgian manager Marc Brys who Charaï previously had worked together with at Berchem Sport.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} The duo left Saudi Arabia at the end of 2013.

=Beerschot=

In July 2016, Charaï once again became Brys' assistant coach, this time at Beerschot.[http://www.voetbalnieuws.be/news/218669/officieel-kfco-beerschotwilrijk-haalt-expubliekslieveling-terug OFFICIEEL: KFCO Beerschot-Wilrijk haalt ex-publiekslieveling terug], voetbalnieuws.be, 11 July 2016 After two seasons, they left the club.

=Sint-Truidense=

At the end of May 2018, Brys was announced manager of Sint-Truidense and took Charaï with him again as his assistant.[https://www.stvv.com/en/news/first-team/marc-brys-presented-as-stvv-s-head-coach MARC BRYS PRESENTED AS STVV'S HEAD COACH]{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, stvv.com, 21 May 2018 On 26 November 2019, Brys and his staff, including Charaï, was fired.[https://www.voetbalbelgie.be/voetbalnieuws/officieel-marc-brys-ontslagen-bij-stvv/2019/11/26/ OFFICIEEL: MARC BRYS ONTSLAGEN BIJ STVV], voetbalbelgie.be, 26 November 2019

=OH Leuven=

In the summer of 2020, Charaï joined OH Leuven, once again as an assistant to Marc Brys.{{cite web |url=https://www.ohleuven.com/nieuws/1715252/chara-marc-en-ik-vullen-elkaar-perfect-aan |title=Charaï: "Marc en ik vullen elkaar perfect aan" |website=ohleuven.com |date=8 July 2020 |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209021950/https://www.ohleuven.com/nieuws/1715252/chara-marc-en-ik-vullen-elkaar-perfect-aan |url-status=dead }}

=Morocco Under-23's=

On 8 July 2023, Charaï led Morocco's under-23 national team to U-23 Africa Cup of Nations success by beating Egypt in the final.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations/news/morocco-win-maiden-totalenergies-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations-title-with-victory-o/|title=morocco-win-maiden-totalenergies-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations-title-with-victory-o|website=morocco-win-maiden-totalenergies-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations-title-with-victory-o}}

=Rangers=

Charaï was an Assistant Manager at Scottish club Rangers under Philippe Clement, and remained at the club following Clement's departure in February 2025.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y28qje4e8o|title=Barry Ferguson 'thought Rangers manager job would never come'|date=24 February 2025|website=BBC Sport}}