Bilel Mohsni (born 21 July 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
He notably played for Rangers where he was part of the Ibrox team who earned promotion in 2014 following their demotion to the foot of the Scottish football system. He also had spells in the English Football League with Southend United, Ipswich Town and Grimsby Town and back in Scotland with Dundee United. Born in France he also saw spells in the country with CO Les Ulis, Mende, US Saint-Georges, Sainte-Geneviève Sports, Angers and Paris FC. In the final few seasons of his career he also played in Tunisia, Saudi Arabia with Étoile du Sahel and Al-Rawdhah, as well as returning back to England with non-league side Barnet and Northern Irish side Dungannon Swifts.
He was capped nine times by Tunisia between 2014 and 2018 and was part of their Africa Cup of Nations squad for 2015, and their provisional 29-man roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Mohsni is of Tunisian descent and grew up in the Les Ulis suburb of Paris, France.
Club career
Early career
In his homeland, he played for CO Les Ulis (twice), Mende, US Saint-Georges and Sainte-Geneviève Sports at the beginning of his career, between the years of 2005 and 2010. He combined playing part-time with coaching children in the community.
Southend United
In the summer of 2010, Mohsni moved to England on the advice of his agent to sign with Southend United of League Two. He was one of seventeen new signings, as new manager Paul Sturrock rebuilt the side following a turbulent period in the club's history which left the club with only a handful of players and in the bottom rung of England's professional football ladder. This followed a successful trial period. This move came despite difficulties in securing his transfer from the French club, after delays in getting the necessary paperwork from the French Football Federation. In September 2010, he signed a new two-year deal with the club.
Mohsni made his Southend debut and his first game in professional football against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup on 24 August 2010. Mohsni had a goal disallowed for offside and hit the crossbar in the game Southend eventually lost 2–1 after extra time. On 27 August, Mohsni made his league debut against Bradford City. Mohsni scored his first goal for the club on 13 November 2010 in a 1–1 draw against Accrington Stanley. On 21 January 2011, Mohsni scored a 96th-minute equaliser against Bury to salvage a 1–1 draw. In the following game at home to Macclesfield Town, Mohsni was picked to start up front following his leveller against Bury and an injury to Barry Corr. He scored twice in a 4–1 win, with involvement in one of the other goals. On 31 January 2011, Southend rejected a bid of £250,000 from Blackpool for Mohsni. On 5 February 2011, against Shrewsbury Town, Mohsni was stretchered off amidst fears he had suffered a broken ankle, scans later revealed no break or fracture but he had suffered ligament damage and would be out of action for at least two months. Mohsni made his return from injury on 2 April 2011 playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Aldershot Town. His return to first team action also saw him suffer a broken nose after being elbowed by a player.
Starting the 2011–12 season as a striker due to injuries, Mohsni started playing as a centre forward. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 opening day win at home to Hereford United. On 3 September 2011, again playing as a makeshift centre forward, Mohsni scored after a 35-yard strike against Northampton Town. He was later utilised as a winger for the majority of the 2011–12 season, and praised by manager Paul Sturrock for his versatility. However, Mohsni's on-field discipline was poor, resulting in a series of red and yellow cards. In December 2011 he was sent off for third time since joining Southend. On 5 January 2012, Southend manager Sturrock confirmed that he would not be sold in the January transfer window, and would remain at Southend until the end of the season. On 20 April 2012, Mohsni scored a hat-trick in Southend's 3–0 win over Barnet, a result which secured their place in the promotion play-offs. Southend, however, were knocked out of the play-offs by Crewe Alexandra.