Omar Rekik Played For The Netherlands Before Switching To Tunisia: 10 Facts About Him

Omar Rekik is a professional football player who presently has his alliance playing for the Tunisian National team as well as Arsenal FC. He plays as a center-back for his teams and has been a professional at this since his teen days.

Rekik is known for switching national teams as he was previously playing for the Netherlands before his switch to play for Tunisia. He is a promising young player who has his eyes focused on his career and would be a fine football player in a couple of years.

The Netherlands Turned Tunisian Player Has Some More Amazing Facts To Know About

1. He Has Tunisian And Netherland Roots

Omar Rekik was born on the 20th of December 2001 in Scheveningen, Helmond, Netherlands. His father was born in Tunisia and is of Tunisian descent while his mother is from the Netherlands. Rekik’s mother is a primary school teaching assistant who teaches in a Dutch primary school.

Omar has an elder brother named Karim Rekik who was born on the 2nd of December 1994 in The Hague, Netherlands. Omar and his elder brother had quite a close bond growing up and Karim had a huge influence on him.

2. His Older Brother Is A Professional Football Player Who Plays For the Netherlands

Karim Rekik is a Dutch professional football player who plays as a defender for both his national team and his club. He has been playing professional football for about 10 years and is currently signed to Sevilla FC.

His influence is very evident in the career path and playing style of his younger brother, Omar. He was a huge motivating factor for the young Tunisian player who started off his journey looking up to his older brother.

3. How Football Started For The Young Tunisian

As already stated, Omar’s influence came from his elder brother, Karim. He learned to play football from when he was old enough and could stand and walk. However, his youth career started when he was about 11 years old.

Rekik began to play for the Feyenoord team in 2012 but quickly moved to Manchester City where he remained for 2 years until 2014. He continued to play as a youth until 2020 when he was barely 19 years old. He then moved to Hertha BSC II in the year 2020.

4. Though Just 23 Years Old, Rekik Has Played For A Lot Of Teams

 

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From the start of his youth career to date, the young Tunis has played for some top clubs. Rekik has been linked with clubs such as Manchester City, Philip Sports Vereniging (PSV), Marseille, and Arsenal amongst others. He also once played for the Netherlands U-18 team in 2018-2019.

5. Omar’s Switch From The Netherlands National Team To Tunisia

It is important to note that the Tunisian player did not just switch from playing for the Netherlands to Tunisia. On the contrary, Omar Rekik actually started his international career in Tunisia.

The 23 year old was first selected as part of the Tunisia U-21 team in 2018 at the age of 16. He later joined the Netherlands U-18 team a month after. Eventually, he reverted and became part of the Tunisian national team in May 2021.

6. He Is Among The 5 Players Arsenal Let Go For AFCON 2021

Omar Rekik made his first International senior debut for Tunisia on the 15th of June 2021. His first game was against Mali in a friendly match that saw his national team clinch a 1:0 victory over the Les Aigles team.

However, he is one of the players of the Arsenal football club that was released for the 2021 Afcon tournament in Cameroon. Omar Rekik was released alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon. Other players are Ghana’s Thomas Partey, Ivorian player Nicolas Pepe, and Mohamed Elneny of Egypt.

7. His National Team Were Involved In A Controversy During Their Clash With Mali

During Tunisia’s game against Mali at the Afcon 2021, there were a lot of controversies. The list of these progresses from a missed penalty from the Tunisian team which would have been an equalizer in the game as Mali was first awarded a penalty that they scored.

Then, there was the issue with the controversial referee who stopped the game at the 86th minute, blowing for full-time. When the game was certified to continue, there was an underserved red card for Mali’s El Bali Toure’s tackle. This decision was then asked to be checked through VAR but the referee ignored the request.

The referee then again blew his whistle indicating a full-time played in less than 90 minutes and did not even check for an extra-time extension. Afcon then ordered for the game to be played to the conclusion but Omar Rekik and the rest of his teammates refused to return to the pitch.

8. Omar Rekik Is Set To Be Loaned Out

Arsenal is set to loan out their young promising talent, Omar Rekik. It is reported that the club’s decision is in order to help the player with his development. The Gunners believe that he needs a regular first-team experience to help him.

Although he is highly rated, he was only able to play for the team once, last season. Omar’s contract with Arsenal FC was signed in 2021 and was to last through to 2025. However, he suffered a minor injury and had a one-match suspension.

However, the loan has been put on hold for the meantime following Omar’s temporal absence from the club. Rekik is on an international assignment as he is presently playing with the Tunisian national team in the Afcon 2021 tournament.

READ ALSO: Alex Iwobi: Bio, Goals For Nigeria, Club, Net Worth, Other Facts

9. 6 Ft 1 Inch Tall Omar Has Scored 2 Goals In His Senior Career

 

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Arsenal’s defenseman, Omar has appeared in a total of 13 games since he made his senior career debut. However, he has been able to score 2 goals in the past 3 years of senior play.

Rekik’s first goal was in 2018 while playing with the Tunisian U-21 team. His next goal was in 2021 with Hertha BSC II in one out of his 8 match appearances with the club.

10. Omar Rekiks’ Market Value

The Gunner’s and Tunisian center-back player is valued at a market price of 1 million Euros. However, seeing how promising he is, his market value is set to rise above this in no distant time.

Complete profile of Omar Rekik