Rayane Bounida (born 3 March 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Eredivisie club Ajax. 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. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Morocco national team.
Club career 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. Attracting interest from major European clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, 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.
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.
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. Just one day later, on 16 February 2025, he made his first-team debut for Ajax in a 4–0 Eredivisie victory over Heracles, coming off the bench in the second half. He finished the campaign with 19 appearances and six 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. 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.
International career Born in Belgium, Bounida is of Moroccan descent. He was a youth international for Belgium, having represented the nation at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels. On 25 March 2026, Bounida's request to switch allegiance to Morocco was approved by FIFA. He was called up to the Morocco national team in March 2026.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueKNVB CupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJong Ajax2024–25Eerste Divisie196———1962025–26Eerste Divisie102———102Total298———298Ajax2024–25Eredivisie10—00—102025–26Eredivisie221214000282Total231214000292Career total5092140005610
Notes