Rayane Bounida

Rayane Bounida
Bounida warming up against Paraguay
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-03-03) 3 March 2006 (age 20)
Place of birth Vilvoorde, Belgium[1]
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ajax
Number 43
Youth career
KFC Vilvoorde
OH Leuven
–2022 Anderlecht
2022–2024 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Jong Ajax 29 (8)
2025– Ajax 23 (1)
International career‡
2021–2022 Belgium U16 16 (4)
2022–2023 Belgium U17 7 (1)
2023–2024 Belgium U18 6 (3)
2024–2025 Belgium U19 10 (2)
2025 Belgium U21 2 (0)
2026– Morocco 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:53, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Rayane Bounida (born 3 March 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Eredivisie club Ajax.[1] Regarded as a child prodigy, Bounida garnered significant media attention from a young age. By his 16th birthday, he had secured a sponsorship contract with Nike and amassed a significant social media following.[2] Born in Belgium, he plays for the Morocco national team.

Club career

Early career

Bounida progressed through the youth academy of Anderlecht. During his time there, he was frequently featured in international media as a highly rated prospect.[3][4][5] Attracting interest from major European clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain,[6] it was announced on his sixteenth birthday that he would sign a professional contract with Ajax. The deal reportedly included an annual salary of €700,000.[2][7]

Ajax

2024–25 season

On 9 December 2024, Bounida made his senior debut for Ajax's reserve team, Jong Ajax, in an Eerste Divisie match against De Graafschap. He entered as an 86th-minute substitute and scored in stoppage time to secure a 2–0 victory.[8]

Bounida's progress was rewarded on 15 February 2025 with a contract extension, binding him to the club until June 2028 with an option for an additional year.[9] Just one day later, on 16 February 2025, he made his first-team debut for Ajax in a 4–0 Eredivisie victory over Heracles Almelo, coming off the bench in the second half. He finished the campaign with 19 appearances and 6 goals for Jong Ajax, alongside his single senior outing.[citation needed]

2025–26 season

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Bounida was promoted to the first-team squad. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 25 November 2025, starting in a group stage match against Benfica. While continuing to gain minutes in the Eredivisie, he scored his first goal for the senior team on 17 December 2025 in a KNVB Cup match against Excelsior Maassluis. During the match, he recorded a goal and four assists—two of which were for fellow Belgian Jorthy Mokio—helping Ajax to a 7–2 victory.[10]

International career

Born in Belgium, Bounida is of Moroccan descent.[11] He was a youth international for Belgium, having represented the nation at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels.[12] On 25 March 2026, Bounida's request to switch allegiance to Morocco was approved by FIFA.[13][14] He was called up to the Morocco national team in March 2026.[15]

Career statistics

As of 17 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2024–25 Eerste Divisie 19 6 — — — 19 6
2025–26 Eerste Divisie 10 2 — — — 10 2
Total 29 8 — — — 29 8
Ajax 2024–25 Eredivisie 1 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
2025–26 Eredivisie 22 1 2 1 4[a] 0 0 0 28 2
Total 23 1 2 1 4 0 0 0 29 2
Career total 50 9 2 1 4 0 0 0 56 10
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Notes

  1. ^ a b Rayane Bounida at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b "De (feest)dag die iedereen bij Anderlecht vreesde: het verlies van "uniek talent" Rayane Bounida" (in Dutch). Sporza.be. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  3. ^ "The Wonderful Talent of 9-Year Old Moroccan Prodigy Rayane Bounida". Moroccoworldnews.com. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Toptalentje (13) Anderlecht nu al wereldberoemd, net als Shane en Xavi". RTL Nieuws. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  5. ^ Chenevas-Paule, Loïc (11 November 2015). "Découvrez Rayane Bounida, la nouvelle pépite d'Anderlecht" (in French). TF1. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  6. ^ Doering, Christian (3 March 2022). "Super-Talent (16) forderte 700.000 Euro pro Jahr" (in German). Sportbild. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. ^ Franken, Christophe (2 March 2022). "Rayane Bounida, l'enfant de 48 kilos qui demandait 700 000 € par an, va fêter ses 16 ans et signera à l'Ajax en fin de saison" (in French). La Dernière Heure. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Jong Ajax v De Graafschap game report". Soccerway. 9 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Contract extension Rayane Bounida". AFC Ajax. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  10. ^ "De grote Rayane Bounida-show: met doelpunt en 4 assists (waarvan 2 op Mokio) loodst hij Ajax naar volgende ronde" (in Dutch). Sporza. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  11. ^ "The Wonderful Talent of 9-Year Old Moroccan Prodigy Rayane Bounida". 6 September 2015.
  12. ^ "RAYANE BOUNIDA" (in French). Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  13. ^ "FIFA Change of Association Platform". Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Gill Swerts bevestigt keuze van Bounida voor Marokko en schept klaarheid rond Lavia: "Miscommunicatie" | sporza".
  15. ^ Ahanogbe, Prudence (25 March 2026). "Maroc : Rayane Bounida renfort surprise pour Maroc-Equateur".

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