Bilal El Khannous

Bilal El Khannouss (بلال الخنوس; born 10 May 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Genk. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Morocco national team.

Club career
A youth exponent from Anderlecht, El Khannouss moved to Genk in 2019. On 24 July 2020, he signed his first professional contract. He made his league debut on 21 May 2022 against Mechelen.

On 1 November 2023, El Khannouss was nominated for the 2023 African Young Player of the Year by CAF.

International career
Born in Belgium, El Khannous is of Moroccan descent. A former youth international for Belgium, El Khannous switched to represent the Morocco U20s.

On 10 November 2022, he was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 17 December, he made his international debut in the World Cup third-place playoff against Croatia, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.

In June 2023, he was included in the final squad of the under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco itself, where the Atlas Lions won their first title  and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Honours
Morocco U23
 * U-23 Africa Cup of Nations: 2023

Individual
 * Belgian Golden Shoe Best Young Player: 2022
 * Belgian Lion Award: 2023
 * Genk Player of the season: 2023–24
 * Pro League Awards Young Professional Footballer of the Season: 2023–24

Orders
 * Order of the Throne: 2022