Nordin Amrabat signed a contract with AEK Athens on Monday, the Greek top club announced through the official channels. The 34-year-old attacker, who left Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia on a free transfer, has been signed for two seasons with the number three of last season in the Greek Super League. Amrabat acknowledges Tuesday in The Telegraph that he had many other options.
“In Saudi Arabia and Qatar I could start earning Premier League salaries,” Amrabat assures the newspaper. “And Rayo Vallecano gave me the opportunity to play in LaLiga. Spain attracts me a lot, but at my age I don’t feel like playing against relegation.”
It took Amrabat the most effort to say ‘no’ to his old love Málaga, who has the ambition to get a doctorate. “The club wanted to start a three-year project with me to get back to La Liga together. I doubted that for a long time, but in the end I made a painful decision and decided to play the championship in a competition at the highest level.”
The choice fell on AEK, which finished third last season and last won the championship in 2018. “That’s why the club went looking for experienced leaders and the management came to me. Trainer Vladan Milojevic has stood for the selection of Al-Ahli in the past and therefore knows Amrabat well. “He said he’s not worried about my physical condition because he saw me run 10km per game twice a week in 40 degrees. And I also have to say: I’m top fit.”
AEK will be the tenth professional club for which Amrabat plays. The attacker played in the Netherlands for FC Omniworld, VVV-Venlo and PSV, before playing in Turkey from January 2011. Via Kayserispor he ended up at Galatasaray, and then also played for Málaga, Watford and Léganes. Amrabat played the last three seasons in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr.
Amrabat was featured several times on Dutch TV as an analyst during the European Championships this summer. Bee ESPN actually told Amrabat to hope for a Spanish club. “I prefer to go to Spain, or there has to be a crazy offer from the Middle East,” said the winger a month and a half ago. “I’m at a point where I look at what will come my way. If there is a big difference financially with a European club, then the Middle East is an option. But I love Spain. I played there, I I have a good reputation there and most of the interest comes from Spain.”