Moroccan striker Tawfik Bentayeb will look to confirm his goalscoring instinct on Wednesday against Lyon, as he makes his European debut with Anderlecht, after scoring his first winning goal for the Brussels club last week, Belgian daily ‘Nieuwsblad’ reports.
“If I don’t score, I don’t sleep. I always do my best to be as effective as possible,” Bentayeb said in an interview with the Dutch-language paper, while outlining his ambitions for his first season with RSCA.
Bentayeb joined Anderlecht this summer from Troyes, where he finished as Ligue 2’s top scorer with 20 goals. The Moroccan international was signed for €4.5 million, including bonuses.
“I am the most expensive transfer ever made from Morocco to Europe,” said the 24-year-old, who previously played for Union Touarga and Rodez before joining Troyes.
A graduate of the Mohammed VI Football Academy, Bentayeb said he had developed his goalscoring instinct at a very young age. “If my team won 8-0, I had scored at least seven goals,” he noted, speaking about his early days in football in Morocco.
Several Belgian clubs had shown interest in him, including Standard Liège, Westerlo, La Louvière and Dender. Bentayeb said, however, that he quickly made Anderlecht his preferred destination, notably because he already knew sporting director Antoine Sibierski, whom he met during his time at Troyes.
The move to the Brussels club also holds special significance for Bentayeb, who names Mbark Boussoufa as one of his role models. The former Moroccan international, who played for Anderlecht, won two Belgian league titles with the club.
“Boussoufa is a true legend in Morocco and a player I greatly admired when I was young. Following in his footsteps is a dream,” he stressed.
The national coach Mohamed Ouahbi also encouraged him to join Anderlecht, he revealed. “Sign with Anderlecht, even with your eyes closed,” he reportedly told him.
After his goal against Mechelen, which secured victory for Anderlecht on Saturday, Bentayeb hopes to maintain his momentum against Lyon and gradually establish himself in the Belgian league, which he described as “more physical and faster” than France’s Ligue 2.
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