Netherlands: Essam Ziyech, the "magician" of the family has passed away

While the general public knows Hakim, the star of Wydad AC who has played for Chelsea and Ajax, the purists of Dutch amateur football remember Essam. The eldest of a family of eight children, he was much more than just "the brother of". Within the polder clubs like ASV Dronten or DOS Kampen, Essam was a local legend, a brilliant midfielder capable of doing anything with a ball.

The testimonies are unanimous: technically, Essam was perhaps superior to Hakim. Aziz Doufikar, the first Moroccan player in the Eredivisie and a local figure in Dronten, is full of praise: "Essam was the best. Super technical. He was small, but he had an incredible heading game. Even with a hangover, he was everywhere on the field," he says to AD.nl.

Because unlike his younger brother, Essam did not embrace the rigor of the professional world. "He was a true football fanatic, but he also loved life, a little cigarette and a glass," said his other brother, Hicham. For him, there was "more to life" than the iron discipline required for the highest level.

This did not prevent him from making his mark on the history of his clubs. In 2002, he was the driving force behind the promotion of ASV Dronten to the Hoofdklasse, the highest amateur level at the time. His death, which occurred on Tuesday, December 23, has plunged his family and former teammates into mourning. On Instagram, Hakim Ziyech paid a final, sober tribute to his elder brother: "We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return."