Hannibal Mejbri

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Hannibal Mejbri
Hannibal Mejbri, 28 July 2021 (cropped).jpg
Hannibal Mejbri with Manchester United in July 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 18)
Place of birth Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 46
Youth career
2009–2017 Paris FC
2017–2018 Boulogne-Billancourt
2018–2019 Monaco
2019–2021 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Manchester United 1 (0)
National team‡
2018–2019 France U16 12 (1)
2019 France U17 3 (2)
2021– Tunisia 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:58, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:27, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

Hannibal Mejbri (born 21 January 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United. Born in France, he represents the Tunisia national team.

Mejbri joined the Manchester United youth system in 2019 from AS Monaco. He had previously spent time at the Clairefontaine academy. He made his senior debut for United in a Premier League game in May 2021. Mejbri represented France at under-16 and under-17 levels. He made his senior international debut for Tunisia in June 2021.

Early life[]

Mejbri was born in Ivry-sur-Seine, France,[1] and joined Paris FC in 2009.[2] In 2016, it was reported that he was being scouted by a host of English clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, the latter of which had spent time on trial with.[3] He spent time studying at the prestigious INF Clairefontaine academy.[4]

Club career[]

Despite the interest from English clubs, Mejbri had a short spell with Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt, before joining AS Monaco in 2018 for a fee of €1 million.[4] Despite initially being impressed by Monaco's youth development,[4] Mejbri became disillusioned by the Monégasque club within a year of signing, with his parents claiming that the Ligue 1 side had breached contract agreements.[5] In 2019, he was being tracked by clubs across Europe, including German, French and Spanish champions, Bayern Munich,[5] Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.[6][7] On 11 August 2019, Premier League side Manchester United announced on their website that they had reached an agreement with Monaco to sign Mejbri, with the youngster reportedly rejecting moves to other English clubs.[8] The fee paid by the Manchester club was believed to be around €5 million, possibly rising to €10 million in add-ons.[5][9]

Mejbri settled quickly into Manchester United's youth teams, progressing to the under-23 squad, despite still being 17.[10][11] Mejbri made his debut playing for the Manchester United U21 side against Salford City in the 2020–21 EFL Trophy on 9 September 2020.[12] He signed a new contract with United in March 2021.[13] On 20 May 2021, he won the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award.[14]

Mejbri made his senior debut for United in a 2–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final game of the Premier League season on 23 May 2021; he came on to replace Juan Mata in the 82nd minute.[15]

International career[]

Mejbri made 12 appearances for France at under-16 level and three appearances at under-17 level.[2] He is also eligible to represent Tunisia through his parents,[5][16][17] with his father, Lotfi, reportedly having played in Tunisia.[9]

In May 2021, Mejbri was called up to the Tunisia national team for the first time, committing his international future to the nation of his parents' birth.[18] He debuted with Tunisia in a 1–0 friendly win over DR Congo on 5 June 2021.[19]

Playing style[]

A composed midfielder on the ball, former head of first-team development at Manchester United, Nicky Butt, compared Mejbri to his former teammates David Beckham and Roy Keane for his leadership skills. Coach Neil Ryan has also praised Mejbri, stating he has high hopes for the young playmaker.[20]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played 24 August 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United U21 2020–21[21] — — — — 4[a] 1 4 1
2021–22[22] — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
Total — — — — 5 1 5 1
Manchester United 2020–21[21] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2021–22[22] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
Career total 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 6 1
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy

International[]

As of match played 15 June 2021[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Tunisia 2021 3 0
Total 3 0

References[]

  1. ^ "Profile". asmonaco.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Profile". fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal ALL tracking former Gunners trialist Hannibal Mejbri". talksport.com. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Pruneta, Laurent (9 June 2018). "Hannibal Mejbri : "J'ai appris à vivre avec de la jalousie autour de moi"" [Hannibal Mejbri: "I learned to live with jealousy around me"]. leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Duncker, Charlotte (11 August 2019). "Who is Hannibal Mejbri? Profile of Manchester United new signing". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. ^ Jones, Matt (11 August 2019). "Manchester United Confirm Signing of Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Manchester United confident of signing Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco". skysports.com. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  8. ^ Marshall, Adam (11 August 2019). "United accounce new academy deals". manutd.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Who is Hannibal Mejbri? Man Utd's new 16-year-old signing from AS Monaco". standard.co.uk. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. ^ Dawson, Rob (18 April 2020). "Forget 'Sideshow Bob' sneers, Manchester United's Mejbri wants last laugh". espn.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Hannibal Mejbri – why Manchester United fans are so excited". thepeoplesperson.com. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  12. ^ Plant, Michael (9 September 2020). "Manchester United Under-21s hit six at Salford". ManUtd.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Hannibal commits future to Manchester United by signing new long-term contract". Manchester Evening News. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Hannibal Mejbri named Manchester United Under-23s Player of the Year". Manchester Evening News. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  15. ^ Rose, Gary (23 May 2021). "Wolves 1-2 Manchester United: Nuno Espirito Santo beaten in final game". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  16. ^ Menon, Sreehari (4 April 2020). "Who Is Hannibal Mejbri? New Manchester United Wonderkid Backed For First-team Action". republicworld.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  17. ^ Critchley, Mark (6 February 2020). "Why Manchester United wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri deserves your attention". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  18. ^ Marshall, Adam (28 May 2021). "Hannibal's international future confirmed". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Match Report of Tunisia vs Congo DR - 2021-06-05 - FIFA Friendlies - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com.
  20. ^ Otway, Jack (30 June 2020). "Man Utd have the next David Beckham and Roy Keane ready to shine after Angel Gomes exit". express.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Games played by Hannibal Mejbri in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Games played by Hannibal Mejbri in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Mejbri, Hannibal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
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