Azzedine Ounahi
Moroccan footballer (born 2000)
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Azzedine Ounahi (Arabic: عز الدين أوناحي, pronounced [ʕiz ʔad.di:n u:na:ħi:]; born 19 April 2000) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Girona and the Morocco national team.[2]
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Ounahi with Morocco in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Azzedine Ounahi[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 April 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Casablanca, Morocco | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Girona | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Raja CA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Mohammed VI Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Strasbourg B | 35 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Avranches B | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Avranches | 27 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Angers | 47 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Marseille | 28 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Panathinaikos (loan) | 25 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Girona | 20 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Morocco U20 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Morocco | 47 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:33, 1 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ounahi made his international debut in 2022, after previously being capped by the nation's youth teams at under-20 level. He was chosen in Morocco's squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. He was also picked for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Club career
Early career
A former player of Raja CA and Mohammed VI Academy, Ounahi joined RC Strasbourg in 2018. In August 2020, he moved to Championnat National club Avranches.[3]
Angers
On 14 July 2021, Ligue 1 club Angers announced the signing of Ounahi on a four-year deal.[4] He made his professional debut on 15 August 2021 by scoring a goal in club's 3–0 league win against Lyon.[5]
Marseille
After attracting the interest of several top-tier clubs across Europe, thanks to his breakthrough performances for Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup,[6][7] on 29 January 2023 Ounahi officially joined fellow Ligue 1 side Marseille for an estimated fee of 8 million euros plus add-ons, signing a contract until June 2027.[8][9] On 1 February 2023, he scored his first goal for Marseille on his debut against Nantes.[10][11] On 1 November 2023, Ounahi was nominated for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year by CAF.[12]
Loan to Panathinaikos
On 4 September 2024, Ounahi joined Greek club Panathinaikos on an initial season-long loan with an option to buy.[13][14]
Girona
On 30 August 2025, Ounahi signed with Girona on a contract lasting until 2030.[15]
International career
Youth
Ounahi was called up for Morocco U20 to participate in the 2018 Mediterranean Games. On 22 June 2018, he scored a goal at the 68th minute in a tie against Italy. He later went on to win the bronze medal with the team after a victory in the penalty shoot-out against Greece.[16]
Senior
On 23 December 2021, Vahid Halilhodžić gave Ounahi his first call-up to the Moroccan senior national team for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[17] Ounahi made his professional debut for Morocco in the 2021 African Cup of Nations in a 1–0 victory against Ghana on 10 January 2022.[18] In his fourth match with Morocco, he managed to score a double in a 4–1 victory against DR Congo in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round,[19][20] which marked his first goal with the national team.[21][22]
On 10 November 2022, he was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[23][24] After an impressive performance in the round of 16 game against Spain, which Morocco won on penalties, Spanish manager Luis Enrique commented on Ounahi's performance: "My God, where does this guy come from? I was pleasantly surprised by their number eight. I don't remember his name, I'm sorry…".[6][25] In the quarter-final match against Portugal, which Morocco won 1–0, no Moroccan player had more dribbles (three) or won more duels (seven) than Ounahi.[26] Morocco went on to finish fourth in the tournament.[27] During a friendly match against Brazil, which resulted in a 2–1 victory,[28] Ounahi picked up an injury after suffering a fracture in his right toe,[29] that required to undergo surgery, which resulted in an end of his football season.[30][31]
On 17 January 2024, Ounahi scored a goal in a 3–0 victory against Tanzania, marking his first ever goal in the Africa Cup of Nations.[32]
On 11 December 2025, Ounahi was called up to the Morocco squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[33]
Personal life
Ounahi considers Andrés Iniesta his footballing role model. Ounahi is the cousin of footballer Reda Mhannaoui.[34]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 1 May 2026[2]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Strasbourg B | 2018–19 | Championnat National 3 | 20 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Championnat National 3 | 15 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 35 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 1 | ||||
| Avranches B | 2020–21 | Championnat National 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||
| Avranches | 2020–21 | Championnat National | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 5 | |
| Angers | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | |
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 47 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 48 | 2 | |||
| Marseille | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14[a] | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| Total | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 44 | 3 | ||
| Panathinaikos (loan) | 2024–25 | Super League Greece | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9[b] | 0 | 37 | 6 |
| Girona | 2025–26 | La Liga | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 5 | |
| Career total | 184 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 214 | 23 | ||
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, twelve appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 27 March 2026[2]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2022 | 17 | 2 |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 9 | |
- Scores and results list Morocco's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ounahi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 March 2022 | Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco |  DR Congo | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 3–0 | |||||
| 3 | 12 September 2023 | Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France |  Burkina Faso | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 17 January 2024 | Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro, Ivory Coast |  Tanzania | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 5 | 11 June 2024 | Adrar Stadium, Agadir, Morocco |  Congo | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 12 October 2024 | Honor Stadium, Oujda, Morocco |  Central African Republic | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 4–0 | |||||
| 8 | 5 September 2025 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco |  Niger | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 14 November 2025 | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier, Morocco |  Mozambique | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Morocco U20
- Mediterranean Games third place: 2018
Morocco
Individual
- IFFHS Africa Team of The Year: 2022[36]
- Panathinaikos Player of the Season: 2024–25[37]
- Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2024–25[38]
Orders
- Order of the Throne: 2022[39]
