Rising Star Rayane Bounida Sparks Interest from Belgium and Morocco

At only 8 years old, Rayane Bounida was already known on social networks, especially on YouTube. Videos of his impressive dribbles and goals have accumulated thousands of views on the platform. At the time, he was playing at Anderlecht. Internet users and supporters were fascinated by his talent. He already had more than 500,000 subscribers on his social networks. He shone with the Belgian U9, U11 and U13 selections. In 2022, the young Belgian football hope had been confused with Mateo Messi, the youngest son of Argentine international Lionel Messi, in a video where he was dribbling the ball during a training session.

Captain of the Belgian U-18 national team, he scored 4 goals in 11 matches. That year, he was on the radar of Europe’s top clubs, including PSG. After his sports downgrading in his home country, his training club Royal Sporting Club d’Anderlecht (RSCA) quickly became too small. The young talent then left his club in March 2022 for Ajax Amsterdam, which offered him a 3-year professional contract at the age of 16 and an annual salary of 500,000 euros, while he was demanding 700,000 euros from Anderlecht.

After a timid start, Rayane is starting to find his bearings. He is having a great time in the Netherlands. This season, he has scored two goals and provided one assist in 57 minutes played (3 matches). On the selection side, he shone with the U19 category by scoring 7 goals and providing one assist in 13 matches. His performances are seducing Belgium but also Morocco. These two countries will certainly fight to secure the services of the 18-year-old player. Who between Belgium and Morocco will win this potential duel? Rayane will follow the country that has managed to convince him.