Adil Rami

Who is Adil Rami?

Adil Rami is a Corsican-born French footballer of Moroccan descent who plays as a centre back for La Liga club Valencia and the France national team.

Rami began his football career playing for amateur club Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël, then known as ES Fréjus. Due only playing the sport as a hobby, he spent three seasons at the club playing in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. In 2006, Rami ascended three divisions after signing with Ligue 1 club Lille OSC. At Lille, Rami developed in a starter making his professional debut in May 2007. He is nicknamed "Shrek" by teammates and Lille supporters. In January 2011, Rami joined Spanish club Valencia agreeing to a four-year contract. He was immediately loan back to his previous club and was, subsequently, a part of the Lille team that won the league and cup double.

Despite constant early inquiries from Morocco prior to his first selection, Rami is a French international. He was pre-selected to play for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not make the final squad. Rami made his senior debut on 11 August 2010 in a friendly match against Norway.