Reda Laalaoui
{{Short description|Moroccan footballer (born 2005)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Reda Laalaoui
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|full_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|5|11|df=y}}
|birth_place = Rabat, Morocco{{cite news|url=https://www.wearehullcity.co.uk/news/2025/june/12/the-story-so-far-reda-laalaoui/|title=The Story So Far: Reda Laalaoui|work=Hull City A.F.C.|date=12 June 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
|height =
|position = Midfielder
|currentclub = Hull City
|clubnumber =
|youthyears1 = ?–2023
|youthclubs1 = FUS Rabat
|youthyears2 = 2025–
|youthclubs2 = Hull City
|years1 = 2023–2025
|clubs1 = FUS Rabat
|caps1 = 51
|goals1 = 5
|years2 = 2025–
|clubs2 = Hull City
|caps2 = 0
|goals2 = 0
|nationalyears1 = 2023–
|nationalteam1 = Morocco U20
|nationalcaps1 = 24
|nationalgoals1 = 6
|club-update = 11:43, 12 June 2025 (UTC)
|ntupdate = 11:43, 12 June 2025 (UTC)
}}
Reda Laalaoui (born 11 May 2005) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for {{English football updater|HullCity}} club Hull City.{{cite news|url=https://www.wearehullcity.co.uk/news/2025/june/12/laalaoui-completes-hull-city-move/|title=Laalaoui completes Hull City move|work=Hull City A.F.C.|date=12 June 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
Club career
=FUS Rabat=
Laalaoui was born in Rabat, and joined local club FUS Rabat at an early age. He made his professional debut with the senior team on 15 April 2023, appearing as a late substitute in his side's 1–0 away loss to RS Berkane. His first start came two months later, on 17 June, in a 2–1 home win over SCC Mohammédia.
However, Laalaoui would have to wait until 7 February 2024 to score his first professional goal. Having come off the bench in the second half, he scored a 95th minute winner at home to Wydad Casablanca to secure a dramatic 2–1 victory. In spite of this, Laalaoui's best performance for his boyhood club was arguably on 15 March 2025. In a league fixture at home to JS Soualem, he scored once and assisted twice to help complete a 4–2 win.
=Hull City=
On 12 June 2025, it was announced that Laalaoui had joined EFL Championship club Hull City, arriving on a four-year deal for a rumoured £400,000.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cz635e333lxo|title=Hull City sign Moroccan midfielder Laalaoui|work=BBC Sport|date=12 June 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/hull-city-confirm-first-signing-10256200|title=Hull City confirm first signing of Sergej Jakirovic era as midfielder seals MKM Stadium transfer|work=Hull Daily Mail|date=12 June 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
International career
=Youth level=
Laalaoui has regularly represented his nation at youth level. On 16 May 2023, he made his debut for the U20s, playing the entirety of a 3–0 win over Burkina Faso.{{cite news|url=https://frmf.ma/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-20-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b2-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a8%d9%88/|title=المنتخب الوطني لاقل من 20 سنة يفوز على بوركينافاسو|work=Royal Moroccan Football Federation|date=16 May 2023|accessdate=12 June 2025}} He scored his first goal later that year, on 12 October, netting a 93rd minute equaliser against South Korea U18s.{{cite news|url=https://frmf.ma/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-20-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%b9-%d9%83/|title=المنتخب الوطني لاقل من 20 سنة يتعادل مع كوريا الجنوبية|work=Royal Moroccan Football Federation|date=12 October 2023|accessdate=12 June 2025}} Laalaoui was also a member of the squad who were runners-up at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. Featuring in five out of six games at the tournament, including the final, he scored one goal.{{cite web|url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-u-20-africa-cup-of-nations/match-centre?competition=7dauoeun2gnkofl7f4y510s4f&season=30lzsd6ovbob7hnffnvomyxw4&match=8bjdzdqo0eza1x0t3t745zndg|title=Kenya Under 20 2-3 Morocco Under 20|work=Confederation of African Football|date=1 May 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://frmf.ma/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-20-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%b4%d9%88%d8%a7/|title=المنتخب الوطني لأقل من 20 سنة يستهل مشواره في كأس إفريقيا بفوز على كينيا|work=Royal Moroccan Football Federation|date=1 May 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
Playing style
Laalaoui is a right-footed, box-to-box midfielder, but can also play in more advanced roles, both through the middle and on the right. He has previously been compared to Real Madrid and England talent Jude Bellingham.{{cite news|url=https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/hull-city-closing-transfer-deal-10176486|title=Hull City closing in on transfer deal for youngster likened to Jude Bellingham|work=Hull Daily Mail|date=13 May 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
Honours
Morocco U20s
- UNAF U-20 Tournament runner-up: 2023
- UNAF U-20 Tournament winner: 2024
- U-20 Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2025{{cite news|url=https://frmf.ma/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%82%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-20-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a9-%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%a8%d8%b7%d9%84-%d8%a5%d9%81/\|title=المنتخب الوطني لأقل من 20 سنة وصيف بطل إفريقيا ويتوج بجائزة الروح الرياضية|work=Royal Moroccan Football Federation|date=18 May 2025|accessdate=12 June 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Hull City A.F.C. squad}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laalaoui, Reda}}
Category:Footballers from Rabat
Category:Moroccan men's footballers
Category:Morocco men's youth international footballers
Category:Moroccan expatriate men's footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:English Football League players
Category:21st-century Moroccan sportsmen