Zakaria El Ouahdi: Genk star chooses family over a major transfer

The Pro League Player of the Month award was given to Zakaria El Ouahdi. He is delighted with the distinction, as he told La Dernière Heure. “I’m going to put it next to my bronze medal from the Paris Olympic Games,” the Genk right-back is already imagining. “It’s a lovely trophy. I didn’t know my name would be on it. It’s a great source of pride.” He adds: “[…] when a right-back scores four goals and provides an assist in the first five matchdays, it’s normal for people to think of him (smiles). But Bruges’ Seys and Unionist Niang also deserved it. They impressed me.”

To read: Zakaria El Ouahdi with Morocco, Belgium suffers another departure

Despite this distinction, the 23-year-old prefers to stay at Genk. He has extended his contract until June 2028, even though he is being tracked by Wolfsburg and Nice. The reason? His father, who is also his agent, is battling leukemia. “I had decided not to go too far away so I could stay close to him and my family. I didn’t want to be at the other end of the continent if something happened. In my eyes, it’s normal to help my loved ones during difficult times. My parents are the most important people in my life, much more important than a transfer. I sometimes found it difficult to think about football, but he encouraged me to keep playing anyway. He passed on his energy to me on the pitch,” he explains.

To read: Zakaria El Ouahdi: between Morocco and Belgium, his heart is torn

The Belgian-Moroccan defender adds: “In our family, we have always said that we would support one another. This is also what the Muslim religion teaches. You have to take good care of your parents. When they get older or fall ill, their children must be there to help.” His father was a major source of support as he progressed. He even recorded his personal bests. “[…] I can run a kilometer in 3 minutes 40. But we mainly worked on longer distances. I ran 10 kilometers in 40 minutes. That isn’t incredible if I were to compete, but if I stopped playing football and trained for six months, I could make good progress.” He continues: “When you look at the figures at Genk, they are often very good in high-intensity runs. That’s the most important thing in football. In the first leg against Lech Poznan (1-5 victory), I covered 900 meters at more than 25 km/h. That’s my record since I joined Genk.”

To read: Zakaria El Ouahdi: Belgium is making eyes at him, but his heart is Moroccan

Despite the offers he receives, Zakaria’s wish is to move forward in his career in an upward trajectory. “I don’t want to sign for an absolute top club and then have to drop back down. I want my career to always move upward. I hope to reach the highest level possible.”