Mehdi Khalis

Mehdi Khalis
Personal information
Date of birth (1989-01-06) 6 January 1989 (age 37)
Place of birth Les Lilas, France
Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 Olympic Safi
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Angers B
2010–2011 Falkirk 7 (1)
2011–2012 Drancy 17 (0)
2012–2013 Chamois Niortais 6 (0)
2013–2018 FUS de Rabat 87 (15)
2018–2019 Muaither
2019– Olympic Safi 6 (1)
International career
Morocco U21 10 (0)
2011 Morocco U23 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:05, 21 November 2019 (UTC)

Mehdi Khalis (born 6 January 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Olympic Safi. Born in England, he represented Morocco internationally at youth levels.

Career

Born in Les Lilas, France, Khalis began his football career at Angers B before joining Falkirk in the Scottish First Division in the 2010–11 season. He made his debut for the club, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute, as the game eventually went to penalty shootout, in a 3–1 loss against Stirling Albion in the first round of the Scottish League Cup. Two weeks later on 7 August 2010, Khalis made his league debut for Falkirk, starting a match and played 61 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 win against Dunfermline Athletic. On 26 October 2010, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against Aberdeen in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Khalis made ten appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following this, he was released by Falkirk.

After being released by Falkirk, Khalis joined JA Drancy in the Championnat de France amateur. During the 2011–12 season, he played 17 league matches for the French amateur side. On 6 June 2012, he signed for newly promoted Ligue 2 club Chamois Niortais. He made eight appearances in total during the 2012–13 campaign. Khalis was subsequently told in the summer of 2013 that he was not part of manager Pascal Gastien's plans, and in September that year he joined Moroccan club FUS Rabat on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract.

Born in Les Lilas, France, Khalis has represented Morocco internationally at under-21 and under-23 levels.

References

  1. ↑ Mehdi Khalis joueur de LIBRE/ETRANGER - Foot National
  2. ↑ Mehdi Khalis at Soccerbase
  3. ↑ "Stirling 0-0 Falkirk (Stirling win 3-1 on penalties)". BBC Sport. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Falkirk 0–1 Dunfermline Athletic". BBC Sport. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Aberdeen 2–1 Falkirk". BBC Sport. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Falkirk Release Eighteen Players". Falkirk F.C. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Mehdi Khalis officially joined the JAD". ja-drancy.com (in French). JA Drancy. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Effectif CFA JA Drancy Saison 2011-2012 Archived 2 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Erwann Penland (6 June 2012). "Niort: Deux nouvelles recrues". Foot National. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  10. ↑ Alexandre Chochois (5 September 2013). "Niort: Direction le Maroc pour Mehdi Khalis". Foot National. Retrieved 5 September 2013.