# Bilal El Khannouss

Bilal El-Khannouss (Arabic: بلال الخنوس; born 10 May 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Morocco national team.

## Club career
### Genk

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, Bilal El-Khannouss was nominated for the 2023 African Young Player of the Year by CAF.

### Leicester City

El-Khannouss signed for Premier League club Leicester City on 29 August 2024 on a four-year deal for a reported £21m fee. He was assigned the number 11 shirt. El-Khannouss made his Leicester debut on 31 August 2024 in a 2–1 loss against Aston Villa. His first start came in a 1–1 draw against Everton on 21 September 2024. He scored his first goal for the Foxes on 3 December 2024 in a 3–1 home league victory against West Ham.

## International career

Born in Belgium, Bilal El-Khannouss 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.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 16 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Genk | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Genk | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 41 | 1 |
| Genk | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | 51 | 3 |
| Genk | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Genk | Total | Total | 78 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 94 | 4 |
| Leicester City | 2024–25 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 102 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 122 | 7 |
* ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

### International

    As of match played 18 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Morocco | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Morocco | 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| Morocco | 2024 | 11 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 18 | 0 |

## Honours

Morocco U23
* U-23 Africa Cup of Nations: 2023
* Summer Olympics Bronze Medal: 2024
Individual
* Belgian Golden Shoe Best Young Player: 2022, 2024
* Belgian Lion Award: 2023
* Dominique D'Onofrio Award [nl]: 2022
* Genk Player of the Season: 2023–24
* Belgian Pro League Young Professional Footballer of the Season: 2023–24
Orders
* Order of the Throne: 2022