Burnley's Anass Zaroury will cherish his first taste of becoming a champion

Reaching a World Cup semi-final and claiming the first winner's medal of his career is more than Anass Zaroury could have hoped for this season.
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The 22-year-old arrived in England in the summer with very limited experience having made just 21 starts for Charleroi in the Belgian Pro League.

But the winger enjoyed a breakout season at Turf Moor as he scored seven goals in 34 appearances for Burnley in the Championship.

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"To make this happen all in one season, I couldn't have done better than this," he said. "I'm really happy to achieve these two objectives in one season.

BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Anass Zaroury of Burnley celebrates with teammate Manuel Benson after winning the Sky Bet Championship following victory against the Blackburn Rovers and Burnley at Ewood Park on April 25, 2023 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Anass Zaroury of Burnley celebrates with teammate Manuel Benson after winning the Sky Bet Championship following victory against the Blackburn Rovers and Burnley at Ewood Park on April 25, 2023 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Anass Zaroury of Burnley celebrates with teammate Manuel Benson after winning the Sky Bet Championship following victory against the Blackburn Rovers and Burnley at Ewood Park on April 25, 2023 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

"I think we all played for this. We've all played to win trophies and medals. I'm really happy with the first one, but I hope it's not the last.

"It is really special. It is something that will give you that boost to go and achieve another one. I'm really happy to start my young career with a trophy.

Zaroury made his debut in October, versus Coventry City at the CBS Arena, and netted six times across the board - including one in the East Lancashire derby at home to Blackburn Rovers - prior to the tournament in Qatar.

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He watched his international team-mates overcome Belgium, Spain and Portugal on the way to meeting France in the semi-finals before getting his chance to feature in the third place play-off against Croatia.

The ex-Belgium Under 21 ace went on to score five more times for Vincent Kompany's side in all competitions as Burnley were crowned champions with 101 points.

Zaroury finished: "It's a really special moment, we really have to enjoy it, because these moments don't happen a lot in your life. We have to enjoy it as much as we can with our families and with the fans.

"The manager reminded us not to forget to enjoy these moments. Winning a trophy, winning a championship, it doesn't happen a lot in your life. Now we have the opportunity to do it, so we have to do it at 200 percent."