Today marks the 38th birthday of Marouane Fellaini, one of Belgium's most recognisable footballers of the past two decades. Fellaini is one of those football figures whose name still sparks debates, admiration, jokes and genuine respect.
SoftFootball , which often highlights the club's culture of honouring its key players, recently showed this in their piece about Bruno Fernandes' heroic hat-trick for Portugal , a reminder of how United values its leaders across generations.
Fellaini's rise was never straightforward. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, he bounced through youth setups at Anderlecht, Mons and Charleroi before finding his stride at Standard Liege. His breakout in the 2007 season earned him the Ebony Shoe and helped Standard win the Belgian title.