Hazem Mastouri, born on June 18, 1997, in the vibrant capital of Tunis, is a name that resonates ever louder in world football. Standing 1.91 m tall with a razor-sharp right foot, this Tunisian centre-forward combines imposing physical presence with game vision that makes him unpredictable on the pitch. At 28, Mastouri is not only a key player for Tunisia’s national team, the Eagles of Carthage; he embodies the resilience of a generation of African athletes dreaming of conquering the global stage. His journey, filled with domestic triumphs and international challenges, is crowned by unforgettable moments—like the goal he scored against Brazil in November 2025, a strike that reignited debates about the potential of North African football.
Early Steps in the Heat of Tunis
Hazem Mastouri’s story begins on the dusty streets of Tunis, where football is more than a sport—it’s an escape and an identity. The son of a modest family, he grew up kicking makeshift balls on improvised pitches, inspired by local idols who shone in the Tunisian league. At 14, he was spotted by scouts from Kokeb de Degache, a humble fourth-division club. There, under the scorching Maghreb sun, Mastouri learned the fundamentals: positioning, timing, and that insatiable hunger for goals that still defines him today.
His professional debut came in 2016 with the same Kokeb, where he quickly became the team’s top scorer. With 12 goals in 18 matches that season, he caught the eye of bigger clubs. In 2018, Espérance Sportive de Tunis—one of Africa’s giants—signed him. He wasn’t an immediate starter, but his persistence paid off. In his first full season (2019), he scored eight league goals and helped Espérance win the national title. “I came from the bottom, from a place where every chance is a battle,” he later told the Tunisian newspaper La Presse. Those early years forged his character: a player who never settles for the obvious, always hunting for space between seasoned defenders.
Rise in the Tunisian League and International Attention
The 2020s became Mastouri’s springboard to domestic stardom. In 2021 he moved to another Tunisian powerhouse, Club Africain, where he truly exploded. In the 2022–23 season he scored 15 goals in 28 matches, finishing as the league’s second-top scorer. His partnership with playmaker Ali Abdi (later a national-team teammate) was lethal: Abdi created, Mastouri finished with surgical precision. Club Africain reached the Tunisian Cup final (losing to Espérance), but Mastouri walked away with the tournament’s Best Player award.
Those numbers attracted scouts from smaller European leagues, but his first taste of football abroad came in Asia and the Middle East. A 2023 loan to Jordan’s Al-Ahli yielded 10 goals in 22 games, proving his adaptability. Back in Tunisia with Étoile du Sahel in 2024, he raised the bar again: 18 goals in 32 league matches, cementing himself as one of the Maghreb’s most prolific strikers. His market value rose to around €650,000 (per Transfermarkt), and rumors of moves to France or Belgium began circulating. Yet it was patience that took him to the next level—a surprise offer from Russia, a land of harsh winters and physical football, that would change everything.
The Russian Adventure: Dynamo Makhachkala Becomes Home
In January 2025, Hazem Mastouri signed a three-year contract with Dynamo Makhachkala, a club freshly promoted to the Russian Premier League. Moving to the Caucasus—a region of stark cultural and climatic contrasts—was a calculated risk. “I wanted a challenge that would make me grow as a man and as a player,” he posted on Instagram, where he has over 21,000 followers. Wearing the number 7 shirt, Mastouri adapted quickly to the direct, intense style of Russian football.
By November of the 2024–25 season, he had already scored five goals and provided three assists in 12 league games, helping Dynamo stay in the fight for the upper half of the table. His 85 kg of pure muscle make him perfect for aerial duels (winning 65 % according to Sofascore), but he’s far more than brute force: subtle dribbling and a venomous medium-range shot regularly catch keepers off guard. In a 2-1 comeback win against Spartak Moscow in September, he scored the winner with a spectacular volley from outside the box—a moment that went viral across Tunisian social media.
Life in Makhachkala isn’t easy. Far from family and the warmth of Tunis, Mastouri openly speaks about homesickness yet praises local hospitality: “The people here welcomed me like a brother.” Sharing the dressing room with Georgians, Russians, and even a Brazilian reflects today’s globalized game and prepares him for bigger stages—be it the Africa Cup of Nations or, perhaps, a 2026 World Cup call-up.
National Team Highlights: The Eagles of Carthage Soar with Mastouri
Wearing the Tunisia shirt is Hazem Mastouri’s greatest pride. First called up in 2022 for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), he came off the bench but scored his maiden international goal against Mali in a 1-0 round-of-16 victory. Since then he has earned 25 caps and 12 goals, making him the third-highest active scorer for the Eagles, behind only legends like Wahbi Khazri.
Under coach Jalel Kadri, Mastouri is the ideal target man: a fixed reference yet mobile enough to drag defenders out of position. At CAN 2023 (held in Ivory Coast in 2024), he started every group-stage match, helping Tunisia advance with solid draws against Morocco and South Africa. With CAN 2026 approaching in Morocco, he is seen as central to Tunisia’s ambitious campaign. “Playing for Tunisia feels like carrying an entire nation on your shoulders,” he says.
The Goal Against Brazil: A Historic Moment
If one recent chapter defines Mastouri’s peak, it came on November 18, 2025. In an international friendly at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, France, Tunisia faced Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil. In the 23rd minute, Ali Abdi launched a lightning counter-attack; Mastouri received just outside the box, nutmegged Éder Militão with a delicate touch, and rifled the ball into Alisson Becker’s bottom-left corner. Brazil 0–1 Tunisia. The stadium—packed with Brazilian and African fans—erupted in disbelief and ecstasy.
The match ended 1-1 (Estevão Willian equalized from the penalty spot just before half-time), but the statement had been made. Mastouri played the full 90 minutes and was named Man of the Match by outlets like Goal.com. “Scoring against Brazil is a childhood dream. They have five World Cups, but today we showed football belongs to everyone,” he beamed in the post-match interview.
The goal went viral: X posts from journalists like Luis Omar Tapia and Tunisian accounts compared Mastouri to unlikely giantslayers. In Tunis, streets filled with spontaneous celebrations, proving football’s power to unite and transcend borders.
Playing Style, Stats, and Influences
What makes Hazem Mastouri special? His style fuses African tradition with European touches. He’s not a pure sprinter like Mbappé nor a cold-blooded finisher like Haaland; he’s an opportunist hunter with a career 0.45 goals-per-game average (FotMob). In 2025 he has seven goals in 15 total matches (club + country) with an 18 % conversion rate, wins 70 % of ground duels, and contributes defensively in the final third.
Inspired by Didier Drogba for his leadership, Mastouri carries a captain’s mentality even without the armband. Off the pitch he’s socially engaged—supporting grassroots football in Tunis through his own foundation and promoting Maghrebi culture (mint tea, traditional music) on Instagram. Injuries troubled him in 2023 (a knee twist kept him out three months), but he returned stronger, phoenix-like.
Looking Ahead: A Legacy in the Making
With his Dynamo contract running until 2028, Mastouri dreams of a move to a top-5 European league. After the Brazil goal, links to Lille (France) and Celtic (Scotland) have intensified. For the national team, the goals are clear: CAN 2026 semi-finals and World Cup qualification. “I want to be remembered as the Tunisian who opened doors for those who come after me,” he says.
In a continent where African talent often leaves too early, Mastouri represents balance: domestic success without forgetting his roots. His impact goes beyond goals—he inspires kids in Tunisian academies, proving determination beats pedigree.
Conclusion: A Player for the History Books
Hazem Mastouri is more than a striker; he is a symbol of possibility. From dusty Tunisian pitches to European lawns, his story—barely scratched in these 1200 words—is still being written. With the goal against Brazil fresh in memory, the football world awaits his next chapter. And if his grit is anything to go by, it will be epic.
