| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 May 1982 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Merksem, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Westerlo (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Berchem Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | Berchem Sport | 37 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | Lierse | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Geel | 18 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | K.V. Mechelen | 46 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Sint-Truidense | 29 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | KVK Tienen | 25 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | ASV Geel | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Al-Faisaly (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Al-Faisaly (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Beerschot (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Sint-Truidense (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | OH Leuven (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Morocco U23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Rangers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Westerlo | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Issame Charaï (born 11 May 1982) is a Belgian football coach and former player who is the head coach of Belgian club Westerlo.
Coaching career
[edit]Al-Faisaly
[edit]After his playing career ended in 2012, he immediately became an assistant coach at Al-Faisaly under newly appointed Belgian manager Marc Brys who Charaï previously had worked together with at Berchem Sport.[citation needed] The duo left Saudi Arabia at the end of 2013.
Beerschot
[edit]In July 2016, Charaï once again became Brys' assistant coach, this time at Beerschot.[1] After two seasons, they left the club.
Sint-Truidense
[edit]At the end of May 2018, Brys was announced manager of Sint-Truidense and took Charaï with him again as his assistant.[2] On 26 November 2019, Brys and his staff, including Charaï, was fired.[3]
OH Leuven
[edit]In the summer of 2020, Charaï joined OH Leuven, once again as an assistant to Marc Brys.[4]
Morocco Under-23's
[edit]On 8 July 2023, Charaï led Morocco's under-23 national team to U-23 Africa Cup of Nations success by beating Egypt in the final.[5] Due to his AFCON success the U23's qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Rangers
[edit]Charaï was an assistant manager at Scottish club Rangers under Philippe Clement, and remained at the club following Clement's departure in February 2025.[6]
On 13 June 2025, it was announced that Charaï had "mutually agreed" to leave Rangers.[7]
Westerlo
[edit]On 17 June 2025, Charaï was hired as a head coach by Belgian Pro League club Westerlo.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Born in Belgium, Charaï is of Moroccan descent and holds dual Belgian-Moroccan citizenship.[9]
Honours
[edit]Morocco U23
References
[edit]- ^ OFFICIEEL: KFCO Beerschot-Wilrijk haalt ex-publiekslieveling terug, voetbalnieuws.be, 11 July 2016
- ^ MARC BRYS PRESENTED AS STVV'S HEAD COACH[permanent dead link], stvv.com, 21 May 2018
- ^ OFFICIEEL: MARC BRYS ONTSLAGEN BIJ STVV, voetbalbelgie.be, 26 November 2019
- ^ "Charaï: "Marc en ik vullen elkaar perfect aan"". ohleuven.com. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "morocco-win-maiden-totalenergies-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations-title-with-victory-o". morocco-win-maiden-totalenergies-u-23-africa-cup-of-nations-title-with-victory-o.
- ^ "Barry Ferguson 'thought Rangers manager job would never come'". BBC Sport. 24 February 2025.
- ^ "Issame Charaï departs Rangers". rangers.co.uk. 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Issame Charaï new head coach of KVC Westerlo" [Issame Charaï nieuwe hoofdcoach van KVC Westerlo] (in Dutch). K.V.C. Westerlo. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Coupe du monde 2022 : Belgique-Maroc, « le match des frères et des sentiments »". 27 November 2022 – via Le Monde.
External links
[edit]- Issame Charaï at WorldFootball.net