Azzedine Ounahi… A local product with international specifications

Azzedine Ounahi, a player of the Moroccan national team and the French club Anji, began his soccer career at the age of just five, from the alleys of the Hay Lalla Meriem district in Casablanca, where he lived with his family, who loves soccer with distinction, before joining the Raja club and then the Mohammed VI soccer academy, then the club of Strasbourg in 2018, then “L’Union sportive Avranches Mont-Saint-Michel” and Anji in 2021, where he occupies the midfield.

Ounahi, influenced by the Spanish player Andrés Iniesta and the Brazilian player Kaka, is characterized by an excellent ability to dribble and pass, exceptional technical skills and a modern style of play, despite his low physical form that makes him prone to injuries, and makes him always stay away from contact with the players in his games, taking advantage of his fast game. 

Although he is not a goal scorer, the 22-year-old Ounahi’s passing is decisive and he has a great ability to get rid of opponents and move between the wings, which makes him, according to Lions coach Walid al- Regragui, who has put his faith in his abilities, a local product with international specifications. 

Ounahi’s brilliance at the Qatar World Cup has attracted the attention of many international clubs, including Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Turin, Fiorentina and the French club Lille, in addition to the praise of many coaches and top players, including Enrique, the coach of the Spanish national team, who said in a press release after the match that brought him together with the Moroccan national team, “the player with the number 8 played in an incredible way and did not stop running, not to mention the former coach of the Moroccan national team Vahid Halilhodžić, who was behind his recall to wear the national jersey in the final of the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon in 2021, he even relied on him as a key player, where he played his first game against Ghana, namely The choice that surprised everyone and raised many criticisms, given that Ounahi was an unknown player without significant experience and had never played internationally What he completely refuted after the brilliant goals he scored in the games that qualified the national team for the Qatar World Cup.