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DOHA AFTER SPENDING his whole career in France, Morocco’s striker Youssouf Hadji was unveiled, as a new Al Arabi player on Monday by club officials.

The 32-year old striker, which signed a two-year contract, had previously played for Nancy, Bastia and Stade Rennais.

After consulting some friends, I preferred to join Al- Arabi in spite of having some European offers. It is a vastly popular club with big ambitions and I hope I would contribute to its success,” Hadji told Al- Kaas Sports Channel after signing his contract in June. Hadji is the second Moroccan player to have signed for Al Arabi after Hussien Kharja a fortnight ago.

The attacking midfielder has left for France and will join the club for the pre-season training in Germany, the club announced.

Hadji started his professional career at Nancy in 1998 then joined Bastia in 2003, Stade Rennais 2005 before returning to Nancy in January 2007.

After playing there for five years, he spent the last season at Stade Rennais scoring eight goals in 33 games in all competitions.

At the end of his contract, Hadji was seeking a long-term deal but he could not find such an arrangement in Europe so he switched for the Gulf.

The younger brother of Morocco’s legendary striker Moustapha has been a permanent feature for the Atlas Lions scoring 20 goals in 60 appearances since his debut in 2003.