Abdellah Ouazane is banging loudly on the door at Ajax. The 17-year-old midfielder produced a fine assist against FK Vojvodina last week, then made his first appearance at the Johan Cruijff ArenA a few days later.
In conversation with De Telegraaf, Ouazane called it a 'superb' week. ''With my first assist in European football and then my first goal in the stadium.'' The highly rated talent scored the winner against Burnley (2-1), sparking huge celebrations among the Ajax crowd.
For Ouazane, playing at the Johan Cruijff ArenA was a very special experience. ''Before the match, I was talking with Mokkie (Jorthy Mokio, ed.) about what it is like to play in the ArenA. It was my first time and I was thinking about that a bit at the start. After a while I felt comfortable and could do my own thing.''
A year ago, the playmaker was on his way to Real Madrid. However, problems came to light during the medical, and the Spanish giants then decided against doing business with Ajax after all. For Ouazane, that gave him all the motivation he needed to prove himself even more in Amsterdam.
''I actually drew strength from that. Returning to Ajax was my best option. I'm super happy and want to show again why people see me as a talent. I want to become a real man in the sport,'' said the young Ajax player, who has now put the Real Madrid story behind him.
Now, though, he is focused on the present. ''I'm super happy about that. I think I earned that with my qualities on the pitch. It's about me and Ajax again and less about that.'' Ouazane's main aim now is to get minutes in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie. ''And from there work towards adult football. Everything comes in its own time, that's how I was brought up at home.''
In closing, Ouazane stressed that he will never get carried away, despite the compliments coming his way. ''I know where I come from and that's how Mo (Abdallah, ed.) sees it too. I think that's our strongest point. We have to stay ourselves and never change, because we still have a very long way to go. It's only really about to begin now.''