Bilal El Khannouss stepped onto the field of the Cegeka Arena for the first time as a first team player at the end of 2022. As a 17-year-old, he was wearing the number 34 on his back. Today, a year-and-a-half later, Bilal has emerged as one of the absolute leaders of our league and is seen as one of the greatest talents on the fields of European football. As a club, we are extremely proud that Bilal wants to defend our colors with heart and soul.
Therefore, don't be shocked on Sunday if you see Bilal not only playing in the number 10 position, but also wearing the number 10. It’s a numerical switch that our youngster owes to his exceptional performances and enormous effort, both in training and during matches. The number 10 is highly sought after in football and rightly so. Only the most creative minds on the fields of the game have the honour of playing with the number 10. El Khannouss follows in the footsteps of several KRC legends such as Josip Skoko, Thordur Gudjohnson, Leandro Trossard and Aly Samatta.
With number 34 in Europe
In the next match of the competition, against Sint-Truiden, Bilal will wear the jersey number 10 with pride. From then on, the number 10 for Bilal will also be available on the jerseys in the team store. Please note: in European matches he will still play with his former number 34. The numbers submitted to European competitions are binding and cannot be changed.
