Former Morocco international Youssef El-Arabi has claimed the Golden Boot in the Cypriot First Division for the 2024–25 season, scoring 13 goals in his debut campaign with APOEL Nicosia.
The 38-year-old striker joined the Cypriot giants last summer on a free transfer from Olympiacos. Despite his age, El-Arabi showed no signs of decline, finishing ahead of Rafael Lopes (Anorthosis), Cabrera (AEK Larnaca), Mariusz Stępiński (Omonia Nicosia) and Jairo (Pafos), all of whom ended the season on 12 goals.
This marks the fifth time in his career that El-Arabi has finished as top scorer in a domestic league. He previously won the Golden Boot in Qatar in 2010 (26 goals) and 2017 (24 goals), and in Greece in 2020 (20 goals) and 2021 (22 goals).
Morocco chapter
El-Arabi’s last official appearance for Morocco came on March 30, 2021, in a 1–0 win over Burundi during the final round of Group E in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He came on as a late substitute in that match, held in Rabat.
His final goal for the Atlas Lions was recorded on October 9, 2020, in a friendly match also played in Rabat, where Morocco defeated Senegal 3-1. El-Arabi scored the third goal in the 86th minute, following earlier strikes from Selim Amallah and Youssef En-Nesyri.
In total, El-Arabi earned 46 caps and scored 16 goals for Morocco between 2010 and 2021.