Headline: Teenage Star Ayyoub Bouaddi Gains Recognition as Premier League Prospects Rise
Olivier Giroud recognizes extraordinary talent when he comes across it.
“I played with Kylian Mbappe when he was 18,” reflected the Lille striker. “He was so mature for his age, and I have the same feeling with Ayyoub.”
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This is a bold assertion.
However, the teenage Moroccan’s swift ascent in football has been well-anticipated, according to another insider at the club.
The midfielder’s standout performances during the World Cup did not catch anyone off guard in Creil, where the 18-year-old was raised in northern France.
“No one is shocked here,” stated his former coach Sofiane Khair. “For us, it’s logical.”
Now, Bouaddi appears poised to join the Premier League, with Manchester City in advanced talks to sign him.
‘He does this kind of match every weekend’
Bouaddi is in demand beyond club football, as both Morocco and France sought him out.
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Giroud, a World Cup champion, continuously encouraged him throughout the year regarding a choice to play for France.
Nonetheless, Bouaddi decided otherwise.
Despite representing France in youth competitions, he is deeply proud of his Moroccan heritage.
In explaining his final decision to represent Morocco instead of his birth country, Bouaddi shared a nostalgic photograph on Instagram.
The image captured him at 10 years old, wearing a Morocco shirt while watching the 2018 World Cup from the stands.
“I am aware of the privilege I have to defend these colours and I will give everything to best represent my country,” he affirmed.
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Bouaddi certainly demonstrated his commitment as Morocco became the first African team to reach consecutive World Cup quarter-finals.
However, to those who know Bouaddi best, including former Creil coach Armand Doue, his exceptional performances are merely routine.
“He does this kind of match every weekend on the pitches of Ligue One,” he noted.
Already breaking records but more to come
Bouaddi’s knack for rising to the occasion has characterized his early career. While the World Cup spotlight may have been brighter, the young talent has embraced competition against older players for much of his journey.
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He became the youngest player to debut for Lille, stepping onto the field against KI just days after turning 16 in 2023.
He received cheers from the crowd at Stade Pierre-Mauroy after helping Lille triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League on his 17th birthday.
He then broke a record previously held by Eden Hazard by making 50 Ligue One appearances for Lille at just 18 years old.
His rapidly growing resume impresses, but what stands out for Giroud is Bouaddi’s eagerness to receive feedback. The midfielder views himself as a work in progress.
“He’s a proper box-to-box player, but he needs to improve some things, like his finishing,” Giroud stated.
Ayyoub Bouaddi with Armand Diop, his former coach at Creil [BBC Sport]
‘The only kid who did not eat burgers’
Although Bouaddi has yet to score his first senior goal, his desire for growth remains prominent.
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He continues to work with Diop, who labels him “a player who always questions himself because he is a perfectionist.”
This quality also impressed coach Mickael Delestrez during Bouaddi’s transition to Lille’s under-17s at just 15 years of age.
“He’s one of those boys who, during his first game playing up an age group, would ask, ‘What do you expect from me?'” Delestrez explained.
“His reflective nature leads to him constantly questioning his game – what could he have done better or what should he have done differently?
“He possesses this analytical ability that allows him to continually challenge himself.”
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This mindset extends beyond the pitch. Bouaddi is pursuing a mathematics degree in his spare time and previously won an oratory competition with a speech delivered at Elysee Palace.
His approach sets him apart.
Coach Khair vividly remembers Bouaddi’s early days at Creil.
“Ayyoub didn’t have a PlayStation or a Nintendo DS,” he recalled. “When he wasn’t playing, he stayed at home reading books or doing his homework.
“He never had fast food, either. When we went to tournaments, he was the only kid who did not eat burgers or pizza.
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“He’s the same now as he was when he was 10.”
Olivier Giroud knows a prodigious talent when he sees one.
“I played with Kylian Mbappe when he was 18,” the Lille striker said. “He was so mature for his age and I have the same feeling with Ayyoub.”
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It is a bold statement.
But the teenage Moroccan’s “rise to prominence is nothing new” in the words of another club insider.
The manner in which the midfielder impressed at the World Cup did not come as a surprise to anyone in Creil, either, where the 18-year-old grew up in northern France.
“No one is shocked here,” said his former coach Sofiane Khair. “For us, it’s logical.”
And now Bouaddi looks set to move to the Premier League, with Manchester City in advanced talks to sign him.
‘He does this kind of match every weekend’
Bouaddi is not just in demand at club level; Morocco and France also both desperately wanted him.
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Giroud, a World Cup winner, was in his ear, “teasing him the whole year regarding picking France”.
Yet Bouaddi opted against it.
Bouaddi may have represented Les Bleus throughout the youth age groups, but he has always been immensely proud of his family’s roots.
Explaining his ultimate decision to declare for Morocco, rather than the country of his birth, Bouaddi uploaded an old photograph on Instagram.
It captured the then 10-year-old in a Morocco shirt as he watched on from the stands at the 2018 World Cup.
“I am aware of the privilege I have to defend these colours and I will give everything to best represent my country,” he vowed.
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Bouaddi certainly backed up those words as Morocco became the first African nation to reach successive World Cup quarter-finals.
However, to those who know Bouaddi best, such as former Creil coach Armand Doue, his performances were nothing out of the ordinary.
“He does this kind of match every weekend on the pitches of Ligue One,” he said.
Already breaking records but more to come
Bouaddi’s ability to step up in such fashion has been a constant throughout his burgeoning career.
The platform may have been even greater at the World Cup, but the unfazed teenager has relished competing against older players for much of his life.
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He became the youngest footballer to ever play for Lille when he made his senior debut against KI just a few days after turning 16 in 2023.
He was serenaded by those inside the Stade Pierre-Mauroy after helping Lille defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League on his 17th birthday.
He then broke a record held by Eden Hazard after making 50 Ligue One appearances for Lille at the age of just 18.
It is already quite a CV but what has struck Giroud, in particular, is Bouaddi’s willingness to take advice on board.
His “perfect team-mate” knows he is far from the finished article.
“He’s a proper box-to-box player, but he needs to improve some things, like his finishing,” Giroud said.
Ayyoub Bouaddi with Armand Diop, his former coach at Creil [BBC Sport]
‘The only kid who did not eat burgers’
Bouaddi’s wait for a first senior goal goes on, but his thirst to improve is a recurring theme.
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He still works with Diop, who describes him as “a player who always questions himself because he is a perfectionist”.
This trait also quickly struck coach Mickael Delestrez when Bouaddi made the jump to Lille’s under-17s at the age of 15.
“He’s one of those boys who, during his first game playing up an age group, would ask, ‘What do you expect from me?'” he said.
“His reflective nature leads to him constantly questioning his game – what could he have done better or what should he have done differently?
“He possesses this analytical ability that allows him to continually challenge himself.”
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The same is true of his approach to life away from the pitch.
Bouaddi has been studying for a mathematics degree in his spare time and previously won an oratory competition after delivering a speech at Elysee Palace.
He was always a little different.
Coach Khair knows that only too well after seeing Bouaddi take some of his first steps in the game at Creil.
“Ayyoub didn’t have a PlayStation or a Nintendo DS,” he said. “When he wasn’t playing, he stayed at home reading books or doing his homework.
“He never had fast food, either. When we went to tournaments, he was the only kid who did not eat burgers or pizza.
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“He’s the same now as he was when he was 10.”
Additional reporting by Alex Bysouth
*This is an updated version of a story first published on 19 June
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