Ayyoub Bouaddi
Bouaddi with Morocco in 2026
Personal information
Date of birth (2007-10-02) 2 October 2007 (age 18)
Place of birth Senlis, France
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Lille
Number 32
Youth career
2012–2021 AFC Creil
2021–2023 Lille
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Lille B 3 (0)
2023– Lille 63 (0)
International career‡
2022–2023 France U16 8 (3)
2023–2024 France U17 5 (0)
2024 France U18 3 (0)
2024 France U20 1 (0)
2024–2026 France U21 10 (1)
2026– Morocco 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 June 2026

Ayyoub Bouaddi (Arabic: أيوب بوعدي, Berber languages: ⴰⵢⵢⵓⴱ ⴱⵓⵄⴰⴷⴷⵉ; born 2 October 2007) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille. Born in France, he plays for the Morocco national team.[1]

Club career

Youth career

After starting football as a child in Creil, Bouaddi joined Lille academy in 2021. On 21 August 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club until June 2026.[2]

Lille

On 5 October 2023, Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille in a UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Faroese club KÍ which ended as a goalless draw.[3] At the age of 16 years and 3 days, this made him the youngest player ever to play in a European club competition game.[4] He also became the youngest player to appear in an official match for Lille, a record which was previously held by Joël Henry since 1978.[5] On 22 October, at 16 years and 20 days, he became the youngest player in Ligue 1 since Joël Fréchet in 1981.[6]

A year later, on 2 October 2024, Bouaddi became one of the youngest Lille players to start in a UEFA Champions League match, playing on his 17th birthday in a 1–0 home win against Real Madrid in the 2024–25 league phase.[7] He started alongside captain Benjamin André after a combination of injuries, suspension and eligibility issues left Lille short of midfielders.[7] Being one of the best players on the pitch, his performance was praised by various media.[8][9][10] After the final whistle, Lille ultras sang Joyeux Anniversaire (French for "Happy Birthday to You") with the players for Bouaddi when celebrating the win.[11]

On 5 December 2025, Bouaddi signed a contract extension with Lille until June 2029.[12] In January 2026, he became the youngest player to make 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille, breaking the record previously held by Eden Hazard.[13]

International career

Bouaddi has been part of France’s youth setup at various levels, including the under-21 side, which he captained.[14][15]

On 15 May 2026, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced that FIFA had approved their request to switch Bouaddi's international allegiance to Morocco.[16] On 26 May, Bouaddi was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[17] He made his FIFA World Cup debut in the opening match against Brazil, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[18] His performance was widely praised by fans and several media outlets, who highlighted his composure, work rate, and impact throughout the match.

Personal life

Born in France, Bouaddi is of Moroccan origin.[19] In June 2023, at the Elysée Palace, he won the fourth eloquence competition for French football academies.[20]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2026[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lille B 2023–24 Championnat National 3 3 0 — — 3 0
Lille 2023–24 Ligue 1 9 0 3 0 6[a] 0 18 0
2024–25 Ligue 1 24 0 3 0 9[b] 0 36 0
2025–26 Ligue 1 30 0 2 0 10[c] 0 42 0
Total 63 0 8 0 25 0 96 0
Career total 66 0 8 0 25 0 99 0
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 13 June 2026[1][21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Morocco 2026 4 0
Total 4 0

References

  1. ^ a b c Ayyoub Bouaddi at Soccerway
  2. ^ "AYYOUB BOUADDI SIGNE PROFESSIONNEL". 21 August 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Klaksvik - Lille : le milieu du LOSC Ayyoub Bouaddi bat deux records de précocité". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Lille : Ayyoub Bouaddi devient le plus jeune joueur de l'histoire des Coupes d'Europe". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune joueur de l'histoire à porter les couleurs du LOSC". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Ligue 1. À 16 ans et 20 jours, le Lillois Ayyoub Bouaddi devient le plus jeune joueur du XXIe siècle". 23 October 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Le Real Madrid avec Camavinga et Endrick, mais sans Mbappé contre Lille, qui titularise le jeune Bouaddi". L'Équipe (in French). 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  8. ^ Domenighetti, Joël; Penot, Hervé; Degorre, Damien (3 October 2024). "Les notes de Lille - Real Madrid : Chevalier royal, Genesio a trouvé la clé". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Les notes des Lillois contre le Real Madrid : l'époustouflant Lucas Chevalier". La Voix du Nord (in French). 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  10. ^ @lavoixdessports (2 October 2024). "Lucas Chevalier impérial, Ayyoub Bouaddi sérieux... Retrouvez les notes des joueurs lillois face au Real Madrid sur notre site" (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  11. ^ @losclive (2 October 2024). "17 ans, 90 minutes contre le Real Madrid 🎁 𝑱𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒖𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑨𝒚𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒃 ❤️" (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  12. ^ "Le milieu de terrain du LOSC Ayyoub Bouaddi prolonge jusqu'en 2029" (in French). 5 December 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  13. ^ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune Dogue à atteindre les 50 apparitions en L1" (in French). 30 January 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  14. ^ "Mondial de Montaigu - Ayyoub Bouaddi buteur avec l'équipe de France U16". 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, le choix fort". 27 March 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  16. ^ "Le Maroc officialise le choix d'Ayyoub Bouaddi, ancien capitaine de l'équipe de France Espoirs, de changer de nationalité sportive" (in French). 16 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  17. ^ "Pour la première fois dans la liste du Maroc, Ayyoub Bouaddi ira bien à la Coupe du monde, Achraf Hakimi sélectionné lui aussi" (in French). 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  18. ^ "Brazil struggle in World Cup draw with Morocco: Will teams fear the five-time champions?". The New York Times. 13 June 2026.
  19. ^ "Ayyoub Bouaddi, plus jeune joueur de l'histoire des Coupes UEFA". 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  20. ^ "D'un concours d'éloquence à l'Élysée aux pelouses de Ligue 1 : Ayyoub Bouaddi, le phénomène de précocité du Losc". 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  21. ^ Ayyoub Bouaddi at BeSoccer