“I was pleasantly surprised by number 8, I don’t remember what his name is, I’m sorry. My goodness, where did that boy come from? He plays very well.” Luis Enrique, still stunned after Spain’s elimination in the round of 16 against Morocco, surrendered to the talent of Azzedine Ounahi (Casablanca, 25 years old). That young man, then 22, introduced himself to the world during the competition. A promotion, however, that was later diluted in the clubs he visited. Now he has rescued that shine. Girona, in need of reinforcements, achieved his signing this summer on the horn. And time has proven them right: with practically immediate performance, they have already decided matches and allowed Míchel’s team to add three vital draws. The last one, this Sunday against the white team. Ounahi scored a brilliant goal on the stroke of half-time and put together a performance that demonstrated his quality. “He is a differential player; sometimes I need more from him,” Míchel noted after the tie, aware of his potential. But it didn’t always shine so bright.
The World Cup was his letter of introduction. Until then he was unknown. Trained at the Mohammed VI Academy, he arrived in the Strasbourg reserve team in 2018, which discarded him after two years without making his debut in the first team. He returned to the academy, without a clear direction, until he found a place at Avranches, in the French third division. Then, he caught the attention of Angers SCO, already in Ligue 1. And Qatar arrived: he averaged 82 minutes per game, and his duel against Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup caught the eyes of the clubs.
Olympique de Marseille opted for him just a month later, in January 2023. But his growth slowed. He failed to settle down, burdened by a lack of continuity—a broken toe left him out for three months—and a physique that was not up to par. In nine games he played that half-season, he barely added 153 minutes. He did not improve in his second year either: less than 2,000 minutes in 35 games, with only two goals and one assist.
Ounahi himself made self-criticism. “I went through difficult times. I suffered an injury and faced personal problems, but I didn’t work hard enough and I take responsibility,” he acknowledged. At the end of the season, it opened the door to a loan at Panathinaikos. But Greece was not the solution either, despite slightly improving its records with five goals and seven assists in 37 games.
This summer it was Girona’s turn: they went after Ounahi and signed him for six million euros on the last day of the market until 2030. “Azzedine has already shown his quality and what he can contribute to the team. He has had the patience to wait for Girona,” explained its president, Delfí Geli. . “It hasn’t been easy to get to Girona. Physically I’m still not one hundred percent; I haven’t played 90 minutes in more than three months. But I’m very happy. It’s a club where I want to progress and grow,” Ounahi said in his presentation. His impact was immediate: before making his debut in Balaídos, he spoke with Míchel about the possibility of playing for just one hour; He ended up playing 82 minutes and covered 11 kilometers.
Socially committed off the field, he has publicly shown his support for the protests of young Maghrebs who demand more investment in health and education, and less in infrastructure planned for , which Morocco will co-organize with Spain and Portugal. Ounahi shared photographs of police repression during the demonstrations on Instagram as a sign of support for the protests. A symbol for many in his country, now he is also a symbol for Girona. Ounahi has become a ray of light after the team’s difficult start to the season, which has not managed to escape relegation although it is slowly recovering. With Ounahi, who against Madrid already showed that he is once again that footballer who amazed Luis Enrique.
