Official! Midfielder with 139 Benfica games retires at 37 | OneFootball

It is official: Moroccan footballer Adel Taarabt, who represented Benfica for seven years, confirmed this Tuesday the end of his career as a professional footballer at the age of 37, leaving behind a legacy of incredible technical plays.

"I knew this day would come, and the time has come to close this chapter. Football was a very important part of my life for many years. It gave me incredible memories, allowed me to meet incredible people and live moments I will never forget," he began by writing on Instagram.

"I want to thank all the clubs I played for, all the coaches, all my teammates, all the members of the technical staff and, of course, all the fans who showed me affection. To all the clubs I had the honor of representing, from Lens to Sharjah, thank you for being part of my story," it can be read.

Developed at Lens, where he made his senior debut in 2007/08, Taarabt was tied to Benfica from 2015/16 to 2021/22, having been loaned to the Italians of Genoa from 2016 to 2018. For the Eagles, he made 139 appearances (129 for the first team and 19 for the B team), won one National Championship (2018/2019) and one Super Cup (2019). Not long ago, the African spoke about Rui Costa.

He also played for Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham in England, Milan in Italy, as well as Al Nasr and Al Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Al Sharjah was the last club he represented, in 2025/26, the season in which he played his last official match in November 2025. At the end of the last calendar year, he underwent surgery in Porto for an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in one knee.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.