Chadi Riad: Everything you need to know

Club

14 Jun 2024

Morocco international Chadi Riad has signed for Crystal Palace on a long-term contract, so here is everything you need to know about our newest addition to SE25!

Moroccan from the Med

Born to Moroccan parents in Palma de Mallorca, Riad comes from an area which has produced great sportsmen in the past. Paris Saint-Germain striker Marco Asensio, 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and five-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo all hail from the capital of the Balearic Islands.

Riad began playing football at local side CD Atletico Rafal, before moving to the youth system of La Liga side Real Mallorca, where players like Samuel Eto’o and Miguel Ángel Nadal made their names.

La Masia

In 2019, having just turned 16-years-old, Riad signed for Barcelona and joined the legendary La Masia academy system that had produced Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi and many more years earlier.

After moving to CE Sabadell for a developmental season on loan, he began to break into Barcelona’s B team, playing regularly in the third tier of Spanish football and attracting admirers for his calmness and ability on the ball.

His progress saw him rewarded with his first-team debut for Barcelona, coming on against Osasuna in November 2022 in a 2-1 win on the road.

Meanwhile, he was a crucial player in Barca B’s run to the play-offs, making 37 appearances across the 2022/23 campaign.

It wasn’t to be long before he was a man in demand…

Los Verdiblancos

Riad headed south to Seville to join Real Betis, working under Premier League winner Manuel Pellegrini, who lifted the title with Manchester City in 2014.

Playing in green and white, he joined a dressing room packed with experience of the English game. Claudio Bravo spent four seasons at Man City, Héctor Bellerín and Sokratis Papastathopoulos were mainstays at Arsenal, Pablo Fornals played for West Ham United for five years, Willian José spent a season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ayoze Pérez played for both Newcastle United and Leicester City while Marc Roca is on loan from Leeds United.

He was also playing alongside legends of the game like Isco, who won three league titles and five Champions Leagues in 353 games for Real Madrid.

The player with the most impact on him, however, was his defensive partner Germán Pezzella.

“From Germán I have learned concepts of the game,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “I have learned when to take the ball out, when to play the ball, because I come from Barça, I come from La Masía... you know that they always play the ball there and I have learned those things from him.

“Don't complicate things and have character: it doesn't matter who you have next to you, you have to bring your character out. You don't care if they are ten years older than you, you have to teach and say: ‘Look, I'm here.’

“He has taught me all that, and the truth is that it has helped me a lot. He has become a reference for me because he is the one who has helped me take my first steps at a professional level, in the First Division.

“I am very grateful to him.”

For club and country

At just 20-years-old, Riad is already a full Morocco international, having made his debut against Sierra Leone in January.

He travelled to the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, and notched his first goal at international level just this week as the Atlas Lions thrashed Congo-Brazzaville 6-0 in World Cup qualifying.

Seville to South London

Now, Riad will be back playing in red and blue alongside some of the best defenders in the Premier League: Joachim Andersen, Marc Guéhi and many more.

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