Hazem Mastouri Profile, Stats and Career
The Tunisian striker who nearly became a firefighter — 16 goals in his breakout season, a goal against Brazil, and now the 2026 FIFA World Cup at 28.
By
Muhammad Asad
Published June 2026Hazem Mastouri is a 28-year-old Tunisian striker playing for FC Dynamo Makhachkala in the Russian Premier League. One of the most remarkable personal stories at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he spent his early twenties in Tunisia's third tier and nearly quit football to become a firefighter before ES Métlaoui gave him his Ligue Professionnelle 1 opportunity. A breakout season of 16 league goals at Monastir earned his Tunisia debut in 2024, and he then scored Tunisia's goal in a 1–1 draw against Brazil. This profile covers his age, comeback story, and international record.
Born in Tunis, Mastouri began his career at AS Degache in Tunisia's lower divisions in 2016. After stints at LPS Tozeur and ES Métlaoui — where he scored 16 league goals in one season — Al-Najaf FC in Iraq, US Monastir, and ultimately Dynamo Makhachkala in Russia (signed for approximately €350,000 in August 2025), his 18 caps and 4 international goals make him one of Tunisia's most efficient strikers. He scored against both Liberia (WC qualifier) and Brazil (friendly, 1–1 draw).
Quick Answer
Hazem Mastouri is a Tunisian professional striker born on 18 June 1997 in Tunis, Tunisia. He plays for FC Dynamo Makhachkala in the Russian Premier League and has 18 caps and 4 goals for Tunisia since his debut in November 2024. Mastouri spent years in Tunisia's lower divisions before emerging as a goalscorer and was selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad. He is 6 ft 3 in tall.
Early Life and Background
Hazem Mastouri was born on 18 June 1997 in Tunis, the Tunisian capital. His early football career was spent in Tunisia's lower divisions — far from the established clubs of Sfax, Sousse, and Tunis's top-flight pyramid. He joined AS Degache in 2016 and spent four years there in the amateur third tier before LPS Tozeur gave him second-tier experience.
The years from 2016 to 2021 were formative but frustrating — playing in front of small crowds, earning minimal income, and without any visible pathway to the national team. According to a detailed profile published ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Mastouri seriously considered abandoning football to become a firefighter during this period, viewing his football prospects as insufficient to sustain a career.
ES Métlaoui, 16 goals, and the rescue of a career
ES Métlaoui — a club from Tunisia's mining town of Métlaoui — signed Mastouri in 2021 for his first Ligue Professionnelle 1 experience. After a gradual buildup across his first two seasons there, he delivered a sensational breakout: 16 league goals in 27 appearances in one season, alongside cup and continental contributions. That record-breaking season earned his first senior Tunisia call-up in November 2024.
Dynamo Makhachkala paid approximately €350,000 to sign him in August 2025 — modest by transfer standards but a testament to how far he had come from near-retirement. In Russia's Premier League in 2025–26, he recorded 2 goals in 1,091 minutes with a 6.41 FotMob average. His international form remained sharper: 4 goals in 18 caps including Tunisia's goal against Brazil in November 2025.
Hazem Mastouri Personal Info and Profile
| Full name | Hazem Mastouri |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 June 1997 |
| Age | 28 |
| Place of birth | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Nationality | Tunisia |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in / 1.91 m |
| Weight | ~190 lbs / 86 kg |
| Position | Striker / Centre-Forward |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Current club | FC Dynamo Makhachkala |
| Jersey number | 7 |
At 6 ft 3 in and 86 kg, Mastouri is the physically largest striker in Tunisia's 2026 World Cup squad. His combination of height, physical strength, and the goalscoring instinct that produced 16 Ligue Professionnelle 1 goals in a single season make him a potent aerial and attacking threat.
Transfer News and Market Value
Hazem Mastouri joined FC Dynamo Makhachkala for approximately €350,000 in August 2025. His market value had grown from virtually nothing to an estimated €1.5–2.0 million following his ES Métlaoui breakthrough and international form.
Dynamo Makhachkala's relatively modest transfer fee — €350,000 — reflects the Russian market's assessment of a 27-year-old emerging from Tunisian domestic football rather than an established European player. His performances have justified the investment.
No significant transfer interest beyond his current club has been reported. His World Cup participation could attract interest from Middle Eastern or European clubs looking for a physical, goalscoring centre-forward.
Post-World Cup, with his Dynamo Makhachkala contract ongoing and the profile boost from a FIFA tournament, Gulf league clubs or domestic European sides could emerge as suitors.
Salary and Net Worth
Mastouri's salary at Dynamo Makhachkala is estimated between $20,000 and $35,000 per month, consistent with a first-team striker at a Russian Premier League club.
His US Monastir salary (2024–25) was in the Tunisian domestic range — estimated at $8,000–15,000 per month.
Earlier lower-division years at Degache and Tozeur generated minimal professional income.
His ES Métlaoui salary — even after his 16-goal season — was likely at Tunisian domestic rates given the club's size.
Tunisia World Cup distribution supplements his Dynamo salary. With 18 caps, this is his first major international tournament payment.
The total jump from near-retirement earnings to Russian Premier League wages represents the most significant financial transformation of any player in Tunisia's squad.
Estimated net worth is approximately $500,000–1 million USD. His career earnings have concentrated in the 2024–26 period following his late professional breakthrough.
Hazem Mastouri Club Career
Mastouri began his professional career at AS Degache in Tunisia's lower divisions in 2016 and spent five years working through the amateur pyramid before ES Métlaoui's Ligue Professionnelle 1 opportunity in 2021. His first two seasons at Métlaoui were productive rather than spectacular before the breakout year: 16 league goals in 27 appearances — a tally that put him among the top goalscorers in Tunisian domestic football.
US Monastir signed him following that breakout performance in 2024 for another Ligue 1 season. His consistent goalscoring at a higher-profile club maintained the trajectory and earned him Tunisia's national team consideration. Dynamo Makhachkala then took him to Russia in August 2025.
In Russia's 2025–26 Premier League, he made 18+ appearances and scored 2 goals — consistent production against European-standard opposition. His international form was even stronger: 4 goals in 18 caps, including crucial strikes in a World Cup qualifier against Liberia and the draw with Brazil.
His AFCON 2025 appearance (limited minutes) and his Tunisia qualification campaign contributions placed him firmly in the first-choice striker conversation alongside Firas Chaouat for the World Cup squad.
Club Career Stats
| Period | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2021 | AS Degache + LPS Tozeur | 80+ | 20 |
| 2021–2024 | ES Métlaoui | 70+ | 22 |
| 2024–2025 | US Monastir | 30+ | 8 |
| 2025–present | Dynamo Makhachkala | 20+ | 2 |
ES Métlaoui breakout season
| Season | Apps | Goals | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakout season (Ligue Pro 1) | 27 | 16 | First senior Tunisia call-up followed |
International Career
Hazem Mastouri made his senior Tunisia debut in November 2024 in a 3–2 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over Madagascar — scoring the decisive winner. His international efficiency has been remarkable since: 4 goals in 18 appearances including a World Cup qualifier goal against Liberia and Tunisia's goal in a 1–1 draw with Brazil in November 2025.
His Brazil goal — Tunisia's equaliser in Tunis in a friendly between the tournament's most decorated South American nation and a North African side — was arguably the most high-profile moment of his international career prior to the World Cup. That goal confirmed he could deliver against top-level opposition under intense pressure.
At 28, the 2026 World Cup gives Mastouri the platform to demonstrate his goalscoring ability against the world's best defenders. His physical profile — 6 ft 3 in, strong in the air, effective as a target man and a link player — gives Tunisia tactical options in their attacking shape that suit multiple game scenarios.
| National team | Caps | Goals | Tournament involvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 18 | 4 | AFCON qualifier (debut, vs Madagascar); WC Qualifying 2026; friendlies; 2026 FIFA World Cup |
Honours and Trophies
| Trophy | Times Won | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Russian Premier League participation | — | FC Dynamo Makhachkala 2025–26 |
Playing Style and Key Strengths
Hazem Mastouri is a physical, 6 ft 3 in right-footed striker whose game is centred on hold-up play, aerial dominance, and clinical finishing in and around the penalty area. WhoScored identifies aerial duels as his strongest quality — reflecting his imposing physical presence — while noting finishing and passing as areas for development.
His most effective weapon is his ability to bring others into play as a target man while also being capable of scoring himself. His 16-goal Métlaoui season and 4 international goals demonstrate that, despite playing in a hold-up striker role, he generates enough on-target attempts to be a significant goalscoring threat.
The firefighter who became a World Cup striker
Hazem Mastouri's World Cup story — from near-retirement to scoring against Brazil to the 2026 FIFA tournament — is one of the most extraordinary personal narratives in this year's competition. A player who seriously considered leaving football at 23 because his prospects seemed hopeless, who found his level at Métlaoui at 24, and who now stands on football's biggest stage at 28.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Hazem Mastouri's journey from Tunis's lower divisions to Dynamo Makhachkala and Tunisia's 2026 World Cup squad via a near-abandoned career and a 16-goal rescue season is one of football's most genuine comeback stories. A player who nearly became a firefighter instead scored against Brazil.
At 28, the World Cup is both the culmination of a career built on perseverance and the beginning of its most visible chapter. His physical profile — 6 ft 3 in, strong in the air, capable of playing as a target man or a direct striker — gives Tunisia flexibility in their attacking options that pure technical forwards cannot provide. The tournament could be the moment Hazem Mastouri becomes one of the most recognised names in Tunisian football.
