Walid Birrou

Walid Birrou Essafi (born 6 September 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Philippines Football League club Kaya-Iloilo.

Personal life
Birrou was born in the city of Vilanova i la Geltrú in Spain and is of Moroccan heritage. He is the eldest of two brothers.

Youth and college career
Until the age of 19, Birrou played for the youth team of Gandía, before playing for lower league side CD Teruel while pursuing his studies. From 2017 to 2018, he played football for Oakland City University, making 27 appearances in 2 seasons before graduating.

Early club career
After graduating, Birrou left Oakland and Teruel and signed for USL League Two side Little Rock Rangers, where he played for two seasons. He transferred to Atlanta SC in 2019 before returning to Spain and sign with Almagro CF.

After two seasons, he returned to the US to play for FC Wichita. A year later, he played in the second tier of Morocco football, playing for Stade Marocain.

Iceland and Gibraltar
In 2022 he left Stade Marocain and played for Icelandic side RB Keflavík. He stayed with them for a short while before transferring to Þróttur Vogum in the same year. In 2023, he signed with second-tier side Njarðvík FC.

In August that year, he transferred to the Gibraltar Football League, signing for Glacis United where he made 8 appearances and kept 2 clean sheets.

Kaya
In 2024, Birrou left Glacis United to join Filipino club Kaya–Iloilo, who were defending champions of the Philippines Football League. He made his first appearance and got his first clean sheet for the club in the opening match against United City.