GOAL tells you everything you need to know about a 16-year-old sensation being compared to Zinedine Zidane and Jude Bellingham
Ajax boast one of the most revered and envied talent factories in world football. Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Wesley Sneijder – we could go on and on, but you get the point already. Umpteen stars learned their trade at the prestigious academy in Amsterdam before shining even more brightly at some of Europe's richest clubs.
It won't come as much of a surprise to learn, then, that Ajax may have unearthed another gem in Abdellah Ouazane. What is unusual about their latest discovery, though, is the fact that he's set to leave without making a single senior appearance for the iconic Dutch club – and for Real Madrid no less.
So, who is the latest potential superstar to roll off the Ajax production line? And is he destined to succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu? GOAL tells you everything you need to know about Ouazane below…
Where it all began
Ouazane was born in Amsterdam to Moroccan parents and started out playing for local side AVV Zeeburgia, a club known as the "royal supplier" within Dutch footballing circles because of its propensity for producing top players, including Netherlands international Ryan Gravenberch. Just like the Liverpool star, Ouazane was promptly picked up by Ajax, whom he joined in 2016 when he was still only seven years old.
The young midfielder progressed rapidly through one of the most talent-packed youth sectors in the world and was soon being talked about as one of Ajax's most promising academy products in years.
AdvertisementThe big break
Ouazane had a big decision to make last year. Having already represented both Netherlands and Morocco at Under-15 level, he felt compelled to choose between the two nations.
Just like his older brother Zakaria, who plays for Ajax's Under-19s, he plumped for Morocco – and doing so is already looking like a pivotal moment in Ouazane's fledgling career.
Morocco included the 16-year-old in their squad for this year's U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and Ouazane shone on home soil, taking home the player of the tournament award after inspiring the Atlas Cubs to victory.
"He was born in 2009 – people forget that," coach Nabil Baha enthused. "He's a year younger than the others. But he's full of talent."
How it's going
Unsurprisingly, Ouazane's sensational displays for – and in – Morocco attracted the attention of scouts from top clubs all across Europe, which obviously put Ajax on red alert.
They tried desperately to tie down a player that broke into their Under-17s side while still only 15. However, despite their best attempts, it now seems as if Ouazane is going to sign his first professional contract with Madrid rather than Ajax.
Biggest strengths
Ouazane is a multi-talented midfielder with silky dribbling skills and the requisite range of passing to make full use of his impressive vision, as he underlined with the beautiful assist for a sensational Denzel Darko strike that went viral last year.
This is a young man blessed with quick feet and a deceptive turn of pace that enables him to elegantly elude opponents, meaning he's a threat no matter where he picks up possession.
He doesn't just dissect defences with his precision passing, either. He's also got an eye for goal himself, with Ouazane netting twice during Morocco's AFCON triumph.
However, what really marked him out as a special talent during that tournament was his composure under pressure and tactical intelligence, which allowed him to dictate the pace of nearly every game he played in, which led to him winning man of the match in two of his six outings.
