Ayyoub Bouaddi

Ayyoub Bouaddi
Bouaddi with Morocco in 2026
Personal information
Date of birth (2007-10-02) 2 October 2007
Place of birth Senlis, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Manchester City
Number 32
Youth career
2012–2021 AFC Creil
2021–2023 Lille
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Lille B 3 (0)
2023–2026 Lille 63 (0)
2026– Manchester City 1 (0)
International career‡
2022–2023 France U16 8 (3)
2023–2024 France U17 5 (0)
2024 France U18 3 (0)
2024 France U20 1 (0)
2024–2026 France U21 10 (1)
2026– Morocco 8 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 July 2026

Ayyoub Bouaddi[α] (born 2 October 2007) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City. Born in France, he plays for the Morocco national team.[2]

Early life and education

Bouaddi was born in Senlis, France, to a Moroccan family of Shilha Berber origin with roots in the city of Tiznit.[3][4] In June 2023, at the Elysée Palace, he won the fourth eloquence competition for French football academies.[5] He gained a high school diploma in mathematics and physics through distance learning.[6]

Club career

Lille

After starting football as a child in Creil, Bouaddi joined Lille academy in 2021. On 21 August 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club until June 2026.[7]

On 5 October 2023, Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille in a UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Faroese club KÍ which ended as a goalless draw.[8] At the age of 16 years and 3 days, this made him the youngest player ever to play in a European club competition game.[9] He also became the youngest player to appear in an official match for Lille, a record which was previously held by Joël Henry since 1978.[10] On 22 October, at 16 years and 20 days, he became the youngest player in Ligue 1 since Joël Fréchet in 1981.[11]

A year later, on 2 October 2024, Bouaddi became one of the youngest Lille players to start in a UEFA Champions League match, playing on his 17th birthday in a 1–0 home win against Real Madrid in the 2024–25 league phase.[12] He started alongside captain Benjamin André after a combination of injuries, suspension and eligibility issues left Lille short of midfielders.[12] Being one of the best players on the pitch, his performance was praised by various media.[13][14][15] After the final whistle, Lille ultras sang Joyeux Anniversaire (French for "Happy Birthday to You") with the players for Bouaddi when celebrating the win.[16]

On 5 December 2025, Bouaddi signed a contract extension with Lille until June 2029.[17] In January 2026, he became the youngest player to make 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille, breaking the record previously held by Eden Hazard.[18]

Manchester City

On 26 August 2026, Manchester City signed Bouaddi from Lille for a reported £85.6m on a five-year contract.[19][20]

International career

France

Bouaddi has been part of France’s youth setup at various levels, including the under-21 side, which he captained.[21][22]

Morocco

On 15 May 2026, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced that FIFA had approved their request to switch Bouaddi's international allegiance to Morocco.[23] On 26 May, he was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[24] He made his FIFA World Cup debut in the opening match against Brazil, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[25] In the quarter-finals against France, he became the first African teenage player to make five World Cup appearances, achieving the milestone at the age of 18 years and 280 days.[26]

Style of play

Bouaddi is a versatile midfielder known for his composure under pressure, accurate passing, and confidence in carrying the ball.[27] Primarily a holding midfielder, he is capable of dictating play from deep and can also play at right-back.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 August 2026[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lille B 2023–24 Championnat National 3 30———30
Lille 2023–24 Ligue 1 9030—6[c]0180
2024–25 Ligue 1 24030—9[d]0360
2025–26 Ligue 1 30020—10[e]0420
Total 6308000250960
Manchester City 2026–27 Premier League 1000000010
Career total 67080002501000
  1. ↑ Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 9 July 2026[2][29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Morocco 202680
Total80

Notes

  1. ↑ Arabic: أيوب بوعدي, Berber languages: ⴰⵢⵢⵓⴱ ⴱⵓⵄⴰⴷⴷⵉ

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup 2026: Squad List" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Ayyoub Bouaddi at Soccerway
  3. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune joueur de l'histoire des Coupes UEFA". 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "تجاهل فرنسا.. من هو بوعدي موهبة المغرب الجديدة؟". arriyadiyah.com. 14 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "D'un concours d'éloquence à l'Élysée aux pelouses de Ligue 1 : Ayyoub Bouaddi, le phénomène de précocité du Losc". 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi: Why Man City and Europe's biggest teams want to sign Moroccan". BBC Sport. 4 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "AYYOUB BOUADDI SIGNE PROFESSIONNEL". 21 August 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Klaksvik - Lille : le milieu du LOSC Ayyoub Bouaddi bat deux records de précocité". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Lille : Ayyoub Bouaddi devient le plus jeune joueur de l'histoire des Coupes d'Europe". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune joueur de l'histoire à porter les couleurs du LOSC". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ligue 1. À 16 ans et 20 jours, le Lillois Ayyoub Bouaddi devient le plus jeune joueur du XXIe siècle". 23 October 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Le Real Madrid avec Camavinga et Endrick, mais sans Mbappé contre Lille, qui titularise le jeune Bouaddi". L'Équipe (in French). 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Domenighetti, Joël; Penot, Hervé; Degorre, Damien (3 October 2024). "Les notes de Lille - Real Madrid : Chevalier royal, Genesio a trouvé la clé". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "Les notes des Lillois contre le Real Madrid : l'époustouflant Lucas Chevalier". La Voix du Nord (in French). 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  15. ↑ @lavoixdessports (2 October 2024). "Lucas Chevalier impérial, Ayyoub Bouaddi sérieux... Retrouvez les notes des joueurs lillois face au Real Madrid sur notre site" (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  16. ↑ @losclive (2 October 2024). "17 ans, 90 minutes contre le Real Madrid 🎁 𝑱𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒖𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑨𝒚𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒃 ❤️" (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  17. ↑ "Le milieu de terrain du LOSC Ayyoub Bouaddi prolonge jusqu'en 2029" (in French). 5 December 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune Dogue à atteindre les 50 apparitions en L1" (in French). 30 January 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Battison, Paul (26 August 2026). "Man City complete £85.6m Bouaddi signing from Lille". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  20. ↑ Smith, Jonathan. "Bouaddi completes move to City". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Mondial de Montaigu - Ayyoub Bouaddi buteur avec l'équipe de France U16". 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, le choix fort". 27 March 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Le Maroc officialise le choix d'Ayyoub Bouaddi, ancien capitaine de l'équipe de France Espoirs, de changer de nationalité sportive" (in French). 16 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  24. ↑ "Pour la première fois dans la liste du Maroc, Ayyoub Bouaddi ira bien à la Coupe du monde, Achraf Hakimi sélectionné lui aussi" (in French). 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  25. ↑ "Brazil struggle in World Cup draw with Morocco: Will teams fear the five-time champions?". The New York Times. 13 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "Mbappe steers France into last four". FIFA. 9 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Benson, Ryan; Jolly, Aryan (20 July 2026). "Bouaddi, Vite, Nakamura and the Breakout Players Who Could Be on the Move After Impressing at the 2026 World Cup". Opta Analyst.
  28. ↑ "Ayyoub Bouaddi: Why Man City and Europe's biggest teams want to sign Moroccan". BBC Sport. 4 July 2026.
  29. ↑ Ayyoub Bouaddi at BeSoccer
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