// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Rayane Bounida? A star player, a ray of hope on the field.
.jpg) Bounida warming up against Paraguay | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 March 2006 | ||
| 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
[edit]Early career
[edit]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
[edit]2024–25 season
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- As of 17 May 2026
| 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 | ||
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
Notes
[edit]- 1 2 Rayane Bounida at WorldFootball.net
- 1 2 "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.
- ↑ "The Wonderful Talent of 9-Year Old Moroccan Prodigy Rayane Bounida". Moroccoworldnews.com. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ↑ "Toptalentje (13) Anderlecht nu al wereldberoemd, net als Shane en Xavi". RTL Nieuws. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ↑ Chenevas-Paule, Loïc (11 November 2015). "Découvrez Rayane Bounida, la nouvelle pépite d'Anderlecht" (in French). TF1. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ↑ Doering, Christian (3 March 2022). "Super-Talent (16) forderte 700.000 Euro pro Jahr" (in German). Sportbild. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Jong Ajax v De Graafschap game report". Soccerway. 9 December 2024.
- ↑ "Contract extension Rayane Bounida". AFC Ajax. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "The Wonderful Talent of 9-Year Old Moroccan Prodigy Rayane Bounida". 6 September 2015.
- ↑ "RAYANE BOUNIDA" (in French). Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ↑ "FIFA Change of Association Platform". Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Gill Swerts bevestigt keuze van Bounida voor Marokko en schept klaarheid rond Lavia: "Miscommunicatie" | sporza".
- ↑ Ahanogbe, Prudence (25 March 2026). "Maroc : Rayane Bounida renfort surprise pour Maroc-Equateur".
- 2006 births
- Footballers from Flemish Brabant
- People from Vilvoorde
- Living people
- Moroccan men's footballers
- Morocco men's international footballers
- Belgian men's footballers
- Belgium men's youth international footballers
- Belgian people of Moroccan descent
- Sportspeople of Moroccan descent
- 21st-century Belgian sportsmen
- Men's association football midfielders
- RSC Anderlecht players
- AFC Ajax players
- Eerste Divisie players
- Belgian expatriate men's footballers
- Belgian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- 21st-century Moroccan sportsmen
- Moroccan expatriate men's footballers
- Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands