Biography
Who is Abdelhak Nouri?
Early life and background
Abdelhak Nouri was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is of Moroccan descent and grew up in the city. Before his professional career began, he was recognized as one of the top 40 youth players globally by The Guardian in 2014.
His development took place within the Ajax academy system. He showed significant promise as a young talent before making his senior appearances for the club.
Professional club career
Abdelhak made his professional debut for Jong Ajax on 13 March 2015, during an Eerste Divisie match against VVV Venlo. He later transitioned to the senior first team. On 21 September 2016, he made his official debut for the Ajax first team in a KNVB Cup game against Willem II, where he scored a goal.
During the 2016–17 season, he earned the Player of the Season award for Jong Ajax. He also participated in three matches during the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, helping the team reach the runners-up position. He was promoted to the full Ajax squad for the 2017–18 season.
International career and injury
The midfielder represented the Netherlands at several youth levels. His international experience includes playing in the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He was named in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament in 2016.
In July 2017, while playing a pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen, Abdelhak Nouri collapsed due to cardiac arrhythmia. This incident resulted in severe and permanent brain damage. Following the event, he was unable to continue his professional football career and became mainly bedridden.
Post-career and tributes
After the collapse, an investigation by Ajax in June 2018 found that the medical treatment provided on the field was inadequate. This led to a lawsuit from his family against Ajax through the Royal Dutch Football Association's arbitration panel. In 2022, an agreement was reached where Ajax would pay €7.85 million to his family, cover medical expenses, and retire his number 34 jersey.
Many people have honored his memory. Ajax renamed their Talent of the Future award after him in 2018. A square in Amsterdam Nieuw-West was named A. Nouri Plein on 12 June 2022. Several former teammates have also adopted his shirt number 34 at their respective clubs.
Birthday and age
Abdelhak Nouri was born on April 2, 1997, which makes Abdelhak 29 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Abdelhak shares the date with 61 other famous people.
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