Adel Taarabt

Adel Taarabt (born May 24 1989 in Fes, Morocco, Morocco) is a Morocco born France football (soccer), currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. He has represented France at U-16, U-17 and U-18 level and is able to play as a Second Striker, Attacking Midfielder or on either wing.

After initially being pursued by other leading English clubs such as Chelsea F.C. and Arsenal F.C., Taarabt decided to sign for Tottenham after the club offered to quickly integrate him into the first team to offer him maximum playing time.

Within two months he made his first senior appearance in a Spurs shirt aged 17, coming on as a substitute on the 85th minute against local rivals West Ham United, in a tense game which ended 4-3 to Spurs. He made an immediate impact with his first touch leading to the 3-3 equaliser as a driving run from half-way was ended by a foul on the edge of the box. Dimitar Berbatov subsequently scored the resulting free kick, before Paul Stalteri's winner in added time.

He made a second appearance in the 1-0 loss to Chelsea F.C., again as a second half substitute. Once again he made an explosive impact, as within minutes of coming on a vicious shot from outside the penalty area was well saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech. He had a second shot from outside the area later on, though this time he didn't catch it quite right and it went well over. Still, it was another interesting appearance by the 17-year-old.

He has been described by Tottenham's Sporting Director Damien Comolli "as one of the best talents in Europe for his age group".

He has claimed that he has signed a 5 year deal with Spurs, which will take effect on his 18th birthday at the end of May, although this has yet to be confirmed by the club. . On June 8th 2007 Tottenham confirmed that agreement had been reached for the permanent signing of Taarabt .

He has been compared to French legend Zinedine Zidane and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.And his agent Rudy Raba believes the impressive youngster will become a household name during his stint at White Hart Lane.

"In France it is simple, he is considered as the new Zidane," Raba told BBC Sport.

"He is exceptional, he is one of the most talented young players in France, perhaps the most."

"Adel wants to work and succeed with Tottenham. He wants to play and for that he has to do well at training and convince the manager."

"He has a good mentality - he knows that he has to work to succeed even if he has the quality."

On July 7, 2007, Taarabt scored his first goal for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Stevenage Borough.

Adel made his first appearance of the 2007/2008 season with Spurs against Derby County in the 4-0 win on August 18th. He was brought on in the 70th minute and instantly excited the fans with some sublime skill.