Abdellah Ouazane has definitively chosen an international career with Morocco, Algemeen Dagblad reports. The 17-year-old midfielder played youth internationals for the Netherlands, but does not see the senior Dutch national team as his ultimate goal.
Ouazane represented both the Netherlands and Morocco at youth level. Choosing the World Cup quarter-finalists was not straightforward, as a reconstruction by AD shows.
"It was a matter of weighing things up, a lot of thinking, with him ultimately following his heart. Not Morocco's methodical approach, but his feelings were decisive, according to those around him, which did not mean he did not have a good feeling about the Netherlands," the newspaper analyses the Ajax player's choice for Morocco.
Back in 2023, Ouazane made his first youth international appearance for Morocco. More matches followed. "Our plan with Appie worked out well," said Chris van Puyvelde, the former technical director of the Moroccan football federation.
"It was part of the new policy to look much more at the diaspora," reveals the Belgian official, who worked in Morocco between 2022 and 2025. During that spell, he had a lot of contact with the Ajax talent and his family.
"For example, I had a lot of contact with his mother. Mothers have carried a child for nine months, and have different concerns from fathers, who often want to talk about football. Mothers want to know: will my child end up in the right place? She also often called me with questions," said the former technical director of the Moroccan football federation.
For now, Ouazane is focusing on Morocco and Ajax's first team, where he seems to be getting a fair chance from Míchel. A year ago, he looked to be on his way to Real Madrid, but that move collapsed at the last moment.