Larbi Benbarek

Abdelkader Larbi Ben Embarek (; Tamazight: Lɛarbi ben-Bárək), also Ben Barek or Ben M'barek (16 June 1917 – 16 September 1992), was a Moroccan football player, who represented the France national team 17 times. He earned the sobriquet of the "Black Pearl" due to his technique and elegance on the ball, and is considered one of the greatest football players of his time, one of the first great African footballers, and the greatest French footballer prior to Raymond Kopa. Speaking on the Moroccan player, Pelé reportedly said: "If I am the king of football, Ben Barek is the god of football."

In a career interrupted by the Second World War, Benbarek became the first French footballer of international renown, as well as the first French footballer whose transfer to a foreign side, namely his move to Atlético Madrid in 1948, was the subject of high-level negotiations. He also represented the arrival of North African players to French football, and was one of the first players sought out by a French side from beyond the borders of Metropolitan France when he was signed by Marseille in 1938.

Despite not possessing a French passport, Benbarek led the French national team in the immediate post-war period, earning 17 caps over a span of nearly 16 years, which represented the longest international career by time span at the time, albeit that he only ever appeared in friendly matches for Les Bleus.

Early life Benbarek was born on 16 June 1917 in Casablanca, He grew up playing football in the Ferme-Blanche quarter of Casablanca alongside classmates including future professional boxer Marcel Cerdan and fellow future professional footballer Abdelkader Hamiri, despite initial objections from his mother and his eldest brother.

At the age of 14, whilst working locally as a carpenter, he began playing with a local amateur football team by the name of FC El Ouatane, initially as an inside forward before being moved to the position of winger. His first match would be a friendly against fellow Casablanca side US Marocaine, who were three-time champions of North Africa, in a fixture in which Benbarek scored twice. Benbarek had a strong impact on the side, helping them reach 3rd in the league, and helping them reach the final of the 1935 Coupe du Maroc, which they narrowly lost to RC Marocain. These successes led to him being selected for the Morocco national team for the first time.

US Marocaine In the summer of 1935, Benbarek was signed by US Marocaine, who offered him a job as a petrol station attendant for twenty francs a day, though rules of the time meant that he could only play for the club's reserve team for his first year.

Marseille Marseille were finally successful in signing Benbarak the following summer, beating off competition from Red Star, and he arrived by ship to Marseille on 28 June 1938 as a relatively unknown 20-year old. Benbarek made his first appearance for the club at centre-forward in a friendly against English third division side Southend United, scoring eight times in the match, before making his official debut on 24 November at the Vélodrome against Parisian side Racing Club de France. Facing up against France national team centre-back Auguste Jordan, Benbarek scored twice as his side ran out 5-2 victors. In future matches, he dropped into the position of inside left alongside Hungarian Vilmos Kohut, whilst Emmanuel Aznar led the line.

Despite having been initial favourites to win the Championship, Marseille ultimately lost out in June due to a 1—0 defeat on the final day of the season to Strasbourg, resulting in the title instead going to SC Sétois. In his first season at Marseille, Benbarek had scored 12 goals. The following summer, he returned to Marseille before the start of the anticipated 1939/40 season, playing four friendly matches in preparation. However, the league was cancelled due to the outbreak of war, which halted Benbarek's career, even if he himself was not called up to serve in the army as he was not a French citizen. however, with Benbarek netting double figures in both seasons, as he would proceed to do in the following two seasons as well.

In total, Benbarek scored over 60 goals in 120 games for the club, forming a front line known as the 'Crystal Attack' alongside teammates Henry Carlsson and Adrián Escudero. He also earned a new nickname for himself with les Colchoneros: "the Foot of God". Consequently, he was able to make his debut for France on the 4 December 1938 in a 1—0 defeat against recent world champions Italy in Naples, where he, alongside fellow French player of African descent Raoul Diagne, was subjected to racist abuse. Around this time, French sporting newspaper L'Auto launched an appeal to find a sobriquet for Benbarek, resulting in the name "the Black Pearl". Benbarek's performance in the match and his prestige were such that the French public successfully demanded his re-inclusion in the national team. He was included, aged 37, in the French squad to play West Germany in Hanover on the 16 October 1954,

Style of play Benbarek played as a striker

Legacy Six years after his death, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, FIFA's highest honour, and King Hassan II renamed the Stade Philip to the Larbi Benbarek Stadium in his honour. In December 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron named Benbarek as one of the prominent figures from overseas territories, former colonies, or immigrant backgrounds who had helped shape France, in an effort to encourage honouring such figures by naming streets and public buildings after them. La Liga: 1949–50, 1950–51 Copa Eva Duarte: 1951

Morocco (LMFA) Morocco-Oranie inter-leagues: 1936

Recognitions FIFA Order of Merit: 1998 IFFHS All-time Morocco Men's Dream Team So Foot Top 1000 Best Players of the French First Division: 285th