Career
El-Taib began his career in Libya with Alahly Tripoli. In his first year he played 26 matches and scored 11 goals, coming third in the 1997/1998 Libyan award. He was an Amazigh Libyan originally from a small town in the Nafusa mountains called Gelaa, but brought up in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
On 6 September 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Oman Professional League club Al-Suwaiq Club. In 1995 a scout sent from Juventus went to Libya to search for young potential, he chose Tariq Al Taib and he went with him to Italy and trained with Juventus for a month. Juventus were impressed and decided to buy him, but the Libyan Football Federation did not grant him a license to play in Italy.
In 2000 he went to West Ham United F.C. and played with them in a friendly match against Arsenal which ended with Arsenal winning 2 - 1, in which Tariq Al Taib scored West Ham's goal. Arsenal were interested in buying him but again, he was unable to get a license to play in England. In 2003, after a friendly match against Argentina, in which Tariq Al Taib put in a strong performance and scored a remarkable goal, receiving a pass from a team-mate near the corner post, running down the wing past two players and then scoring at nearly a 180-degree angle.
He then received an offer from the Spanish club Valencia but the Libyan authorities restricted his potential career at the highest level. he captained the side during the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers and the African Nations Cup. He announced his retirement from international football in May 2008. In the Championship Manager video game, his name was rendered as "Tarek Ettayeb".