Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 2:23 PM

In the fall of his career, Nordin Amrabat starts a new chapter in his football career at AEK Athens. The attacker has signed for two years in the Greek capital and has no plans to wind down. Amrabat hopes to put himself in the spotlight with Moroccan national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic via AEK Athens and for that reason rejected a number of lucrative offers from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Business observer Mahmoud El Boustati decided to offer Amrabat within his network. “I thought: he is 34 years old and comes out of the sandbox, then the interest will be low,” El Boustati admits to Football International. “But there was a lot of choice. Financially attractive proposals came from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and Nordin could return to Spain. But he chose a new country where the combination between life and sport is good. football is alive here, which is wonderful. When Nordin walks through the city, people immediately want to take a picture with him.”

In the past, Amrabat played for PSV, Galatasaray and Málaga, among others. Most recently, he wore Al-Nassr’s shirt. El Boustati is still impressed by his client’s physique. “I have to be honest: I coach a lot of guys, but few live as much for the sport as Nordin,” continues El Boustati. “He doesn’t drink, never goes out. If you live like a pro, it pays off. He’s 34, but when you see how he looks… The doctor at AEK was shocked by his fitness and estimated that he could play straight away AEK usually focuses more on young players, but for someone like Nordin they make an exception.”

Through AEK Athens, Amrabat hopes to put himself back in the spotlight with the Moroccan national coach. “He said it would be better to play in Europe to stay in the picture,” Amrabat said. “I am 34 years old and would like to play international matches if the opportunity arises. If not, then I have had a nice international career. I must say that countries in the Middle East are wrongly seen as glorified amateur competitions in my eyes. Millions of salaries are paid there, no cookie bakers come there. I had a really good time there, just like my family.”