Moroccan Defender Aguerd Thriving at Real Sociedad, Eyes Champions League Dream

"I’m very happy, it’s true. I feel the support of the fans, both on the field and off, and it makes me happy and proud. I want to thank my teammates for their help as well as the coach for giving me the opportunity to show my qualities. From the first day, I understood what he expected of me on the field, which is the most important thing. He has a lot of confidence in me and I am very happy to work with him. He is a demanding coach, but also a wonderful person off the field," said Nayef Aguerd in an interview published on Marca. The connection also works well with his teammates. "With Zubeldia, we form an excellent central defense pairing. I call him ’the warrior’. He has helped me a lot to understand Real’s style of play. It is thanks to this synergy that we concede so few goals," he said.

Aguerd had joined West Ham in July 2022 from Stade Rennais, where he spent two seasons before being loaned to Real Sociedad during the last transfer window, thus fulfilling one of his childhood dreams, that of playing in the Spanish league. "It was a dream for me to play in La Liga, and I wanted to learn Spanish to be ready if the opportunity arose. I started studying it a few years ago, at 23 or 24, and it has been very useful to me. In Morocco, La Liga is very popular. Since I was little, I wanted to play there, and I’m happy to have realized this dream," said the Moroccan international. This season, he has recorded 8 clean sheets in all competitions in 18 matches between La Liga and the Europa League.

The 28-year-old player has collective ambitions this season: "We beat Barcelona... We drew against Atlético and, even though we lost against Real Madrid, we put in a great performance. I believe we can reach the Champions League. If Real played in it last year, reaching the round of 16 against PSG, it means it’s possible. We have to aim for this goal, and if it’s not possible, we’ll have to play in Europe. We also have to try to go far in the Cup and the Europa League. If Real has won a Cup recently, it proves that it can do it again."

Aguerd also discussed his future. "I’m not going to lie. I came here above all to regain my best level, because I wasn’t playing at West Ham. I want to enjoy every moment here, as I’m doing now. I still have two years left on my contract with West Ham, but for now, my only goal is to help Real go as far as possible in the three competitions. The rest, we’ll think about it later. I don’t know if I’ll be back at West Ham, stay here or go elsewhere. It’s not in my hands."