Rayane Bounida
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 Bounida warming up against Paraguay | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 March 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Vilvoorde, Belgium[1] | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 43 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KFC Vilvoorde | |||
| OH Leuven | |||
| –2022 | Anderlecht | ||
| 2022–2024 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Jong Ajax | 29 | (8) |
| 2025– | Ajax | 19 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2022 | Belgium U16 | 16 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | Belgium U17 | 7 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Belgium U18 | 6 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Belgium U19 | 10 | (2) |
| 2025 | Belgium U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2026– | Morocco | 0 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2026 | |||
Rayane Bounida (born 3 March 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Eredivisie club Ajax.[1] Born in Belgium, he represents Morocco.
Regarded as a child prodigy, Bounida garnered significant media attention from a young age. By his 16th birthday, he had secured a sponsorship contract with Nike and amassed a significant social media following.[2]
Early career
Bounida progressed through the youth academy of Anderlecht. During his time there, he was frequently featured in international media as a highly rated prospect.[3][4][5] Attracting interest from major European clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain,[6] it was announced on his sixteenth birthday that he would sign a professional contract with Ajax. The deal reportedly included an annual salary of €700,000.[2][7]
Ajax
2024–25 season
On 9 December 2024, Bounida made his senior debut for Ajax's reserve team, Jong Ajax, in an Eerste Divisie match against De Graafschap. He entered as an 86th-minute substitute and scored in stoppage time to secure a 2–0 victory.[8]
Bounida's progress was rewarded on 15 February 2025 with a contract extension, binding him to the club until June 2028 with an option for an additional year.[9] Just one day later, on 16 February 2025, he made his first-team debut for Ajax in a 4–0 Eredivisie victory over Heracles Almelo, coming off the bench in the second half. He finished the campaign with 19 appearances and 6 goals for Jong Ajax, alongside his single senior outing.
2025–26 season
Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Bounida was promoted to the first-team squad. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 25 November 2025, starting in a group stage match against Benfica. While continuing to gain minutes in the Eredivisie, he scored his first goal for the senior team on 17 December 2025 in a KNVB Cup match against Excelsior Maassluis. During the match, he recorded a goal and four assists—two of which were for fellow Belgian Jorthy Mokio—helping Ajax to a 7–2 victory.[10]