Rayane Bounida (born 3 March 2006) is a Belgian-Moroccan footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for the youth of Dutch team AFC Ajax. [1] He has been touted as the next big thing since 2014, despite not having played a professional game yet. At the time of his 16th birthday, he had a contract with Nike and more than 420,000 followers on Instagram. [2]
Bounida played with the youth teams of Anderlecht, and regularly was featured in international media as the new big talent from a very young age. [3] [4] [5] On his sixteenth birthday it was announced that he would sign a professional contract with Dutch team Ajax, for a rumoured €700,000 per year. [2] [6] Many major European teams were interested in signing the young player, including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. [7]
Bounida has played for the Belgium U16 national team, scoring 4 goals in 16 matches,for the Belgium U17, scoring 1 goal in 7 matches and for the Belgium U18 scoring 3 goals in 4 matches. [8]
Morten Per Olsen is a Danish football manager and former player. He was the head coach of the Denmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championship, 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2012 European Championship. He has also managed Brøndby to two Danish Superliga championships and Ajax to the Double of the 1998 Eredivisie championship and Dutch Cup trophy. He is one of only two persons ever in football, alongside Didier Deschamps, to achieve 100 national matches for his country both as player as well as coach.
Paul Guillaume van Himst is a Belgian former football player and a football manager who played as a forward, most notably for R.S.C. Anderlecht. Regarded as Anderlecht's ultimate club icon, Van Himst holds the record of four Belgian Golden Shoe awards and was named best "Belgian footballer of the twentieth century".
Anthony Henri Vanden Borre is a Belgian former footballer who played as a defender. Vanden Borre previously played for clubs in Belgium, Italy, England, France and the DR Congo. He won 28 caps for the Belgium national team. He is capable of playing as both a right back and a right winger.
Moubarak "Mbark" Boussoufa is a former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2006, 2009, and 2010. Born in the Netherlands, he played for the Morocco national team from 2006 to 2019 making 70 appearances and scoring eight goals.
Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Pro League club Anderlecht. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back.
Steven Arnold Defour is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, currently a manager.
Nacer Chadli is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger.
Mats Rits is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for RSC Anderlecht. He made his professional debut at age 16 at Germinal Beerschot, where he was formed. He then moved to the famed Ajax academy system before moving back to his native Belgium to play in the Belgian First Division A.
Dennis Praet is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Antwerp and the Belgium national team.
Youri Marion A. Tielemans is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Belgium national team.
Leander Dendoncker is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as either a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa.
Zakaria Bakkali is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger.
Thomas Didillon-Hödl is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Dutch Eredivisie club Willem II.
Kasper Dolberg Rasmussen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht and the Denmark national team.
Wout Felix Lina Faes is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as centre-back for Premier League club Leicester City and the Belgium national team.
Noa Noëll Lang is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a winger for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands national team.
Francis Apelete Amuzu is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht. Born in Ghana, Amuzu represents Belgium internationally.
Francesco Antonucci is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatari Second Division club Al Shahaniya.
Saint-Cyr Johan Bakayoko is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Eredivisie club PSV and the Belgium national team.
Mohamed Bouchouari is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for RSCA Futures.