After over a dozen years away from the French Top-flight, Youssef El-Arabi (38) is back and making a solid early impression.

The Caen-born striker scored deep into stoppage time on matchday five, enabling FC Nantes to claim a 2-2 draw with Stade Rennais. Before this season, El-Arabi hadn’t played in Ligue 1 since the 2010-11 season with his hometown club SM Caen. He played all 38 matches in the competition over that campaign, before moving to Saudi Arabia that summer.

His last goal in this competition before Saturday came 14 years and 142 days before, for Caen. That’s the longest gap between two goals in Ligue 1 since 1947-48. He surpassed Patrice Evra, who scored 14 years and 46 days after his previous goal in this competition.

El-Arabi enjoyed considerable success overseas, claiming three Greek Super League titles at Olympiacos and lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy in the 2023-24 season. He also won two Qatar Stars League titles during his time at Al Duhail, finishing as the top goalscorer on two occasions. During his previous stint in France, he was on the Caen side that won the Ligue 2 crown in 2009-10.

He returned to France in July, with the Moroccan international signing a one-year deal for La Maison Jaune with an option for an additional year. He featured in Cyprus the previous season, capturing the Cypriot Super Cup with APOEL in 2024.

During his time in Greece, he bagged five hat-tricks, the most in the club’s history.