Dutch professional footballers can be found in all corners of the world, from the spotlights of the major European leagues to the more adventurous jobs on other continents. In the section Across the Border speaks Football zone weekly with a player who is active outside the national borders. This time, attention is paid to Achraf El Mahdioui, who made a transfer from Wisla Krakau to Saudi Arabia during the winter transfer window.
By Jordi Tomasowa
if Football zone El Mahdioui gets on the phone, he’s in a hotel in Buraydah, about 330 kilometers northwest of the capital Riyadh. “You are in the middle of the desert, so there is certainly a lot of sand along the roads, but as soon as you go to the center, you will also see very nice restaurants and places where you can just drink a cup of coffee or have something to eat”, indicates El Mahdioui. “For example, I went to eat something yesterday, it was just a really good restaurant, really European decorated.” After obtaining his visa, the 25-year-old midfielder flew to Saudi Arabia in late January to join Al-Taawon’s roster.
El Mahdioui played a total of three seasons in Ajax’s youth academy.
The luxurious hotel is exchanged for a private apartment within a few days. While El Mahdioui does not deny that his new adventure at Al-Taawon is financially attractive, he also realizes that playing in Saudi Arabia is not the same as being active at the highest level in Europe. “When you go to a country like that, you know you’re putting your sporting career on the line,” says El Mahdioui. “You know that the chance is smaller to really play football in one of the top leagues.” For me it was quite simple. It was just a very attractive offer they made me. I am a Muslim myself and that made the choice extra easy for me personally. I think it is very nice to live and live in Saudi Arabia, that has always seemed nice to me.”
In his youth, however, El Mahdioui had a different dream. Born in Amsterdam, he played for the amateur clubs OSC, DWS and Zeeburgia, before joining Ajax’s youth academy at the age of seventeen. “We played a practice match with Zeeburgia against RKAV Volendam”, recalls El Mahdioui. “Wim Jonk happened to be standing on the sidelines and I think he thought I was a good player. Ajax then invited me for a training internship and after that I was hired. The midfielder was soon moved to the Under 19 and played 23 matches for the team from Amsterdam in his last season in Young Ajax.
“I was proud to be able to play in the Ajax shirt anyway,” says El Mahdioui. “That was a very nice period. I learned a lot and developed myself both as a person and as a footballer. I became champion with the Under 19, I have certainly played with many good football players.” The successful youth team that El Mahdioui was part of included Anwar El Ghazi, Jaïro Riedewald, Donny van de Beek, Abdelhak Nouri, Vaclav Cerny and Carel Eiting. “I didn’t have to deal with those guys at Jong Ajax, then I had to compete with other players. At a certain point, the trainer (Jaap Stam, ed.) chose others, so you have to accept that.”
At his age, El Mahdioui mainly wanted to make playing minutes and opted for a transfer-free departure to ADO Den Haag, where he had to deal with Zeljko Petrovic “I spoke to him before I arrived at ADO and he indicated that he wanted to bring me gradually. At some point I got to play more. That went well, only as a team the results were disappointing. At one point we played relegation football, Petrovic was fired and Alfons Groenendijk appointed as his successor. From that moment on it was actually a hopeless situation.”
A departure to the Slovakian AS Trencin offered a solution in the summer of 2017. “Tscheu La Ling is the owner of AS Trencin. He approached my agent and that’s how the ball started rolling,” says El Mahdioui. “Within a week I was in Slovakia. In the beginning it took some getting used to, because as a young boy making the step abroad is not easy. As time went on it went well and my performance on the field was good too, making it easier for me to be abroad. When are you ready for that? Even if I had been five or six years older, I would still have struggled with it. You are used to a certain lifestyle and environment, so it takes a while to switch.”
As captain, El Mahdioui eliminated Feyenoord in 2018 with AS Trencin in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
For the cheerful midfielder it helped that at AS Trencin with Desley Ubbink, Rodney Klooster and Rangelo Janga there were already a few Dutchmen in the selection. “I was able to take steps there too, but I think I stayed there a little too long. I also dealt with a cruciate ligament injury that left me out of circulation for a year. Before I came, AS Trencin often became champions and sold many players to foreign clubs every year. With that in mind, I also went to Slovakia. I wanted flames and then make a nice step. Unfortunately that didn’t happen then, but despite that I had a great time.”
When El Mahdioui is asked about one of his absolute highlights abroad, he doesn’t have to think twice. “That match against Feyenoord was really the best match in my time at AS Trencin”, he refers to the first leg in the third preliminary round of the Europa League in the 2018/19 season. In the Netherlands, everyone expected Feyenoord to effe would win from us. As a result, we were more motivated than ever and we won with convincing numbers (4-0, ed.).
Recovered from his injury, El Mahdioui was again assured of a permanent base place at AS Trencin, but he did not see a contract extension with the Slovak club after four seasons. “There was an offer to stay for another season, but in my opinion four years was too long. Renewal was therefore not an option for me.” Due to his transfer-free status and experience gained in Slovakia, there was an opportunity to sit back and see which clubs would come forward, but his choice soon fell on Wisla Krakow instead.
“They actually wanted to get me in the winter break last year, only Trencin didn’t want to let me go at the time,” explains El Mahdioui. “Wisla Krakau clearly showed that they wanted me. This became clear both in the contract offered and in the conversations we had. For me it was an easy choice to pick them right after the season. It is a very nice club and Krakow is also a beautiful city. A lot of tourists come in the summer, you see a lot of Dutch license plates. You have restaurants where you can eat well and many beautiful places to visit, so I certainly had a good time.”
El Mahdioui participated in the entire preparation for Wisla Krakau last summer, immediately grew into an important basic force and hardly missed a game. “I’ve been dealing with Adrian Gula from the start, a trainer who really saw it in me and gave me the necessary confidence.” His good game earned him a nice transfer to Saudi Arabia last month, which was also quite unexpected for El Mahdioui himself. “I hadn’t really taken it into account at all. I was doing well especially the last races before the winter break and had the feeling that if I continued on that foot, maybe something nice would come in the summer. However, then my agent called that Al-Taawon was interested and willing to go far for me.”
El Mahdioui signed a 3.5-year contract with the Saudi Arabian Al-Taawon in January.
The thirteen-time champion of Poland said goodbye to El Mahdioui exactly one month ago. “It is never easy for the club to let an important player leave,” sporting director Tomasz Pasieczny said on the official club site of the Wisla Krakow. “We all know how good Achraf is and we would like him to stay with us for as long as possible. play, but sometimes there are offers that cannot be declined. Achraf’s departure is Wisla’s biggest transfer since the sale of Marcelo, it’s also a great opportunity for the player himself, which we couldn’t take away from him.”
Marcelo, now playing for Girondins de Bordeaux, made the switch from Wisla Krakau to PSV in 2010 for an estimated 2.5 million euros. “My transfer is indeed a similar amount as Marcelo who went to PSV,” agrees El Mahdioui, who therefore does not necessarily feel extra pressure. He does know that he will have to perform equally in Saudi Arabia. “I was taken for the basics. I just have to be there immediately in principle and so I don’t have time to acclimatize.” Before the transfer from El-Mahdioui to Al-Taawon was completed, he already had an introductory meeting with his Portuguese trainer José Gomes. “He has indicated how he wants to play football. That’s kind of the way I’ve always been used to. Lots of possession, etc. That immediately felt good.”
“The entire coaching staff is Portuguese, so almost all of them speak English and there is a translator at the club who can speak Portuguese as well as Arabic and English,” continued El Mahdioui. “Mostly English is spoken, only the players speak a lot of Arabic among themselves. There are about five guys who also come from abroad with whom I speak English. I was certainly well received by my teammates. The people at the club are also very nice and friendly, they really want to help you, so that makes it a lot easier.”
Saudi Arabia is known for extremely high temperatures, especially in the summer months. El Mahdioui knows what to expect, but has not yet discussed the heat in the country with his teammates. “It’s not that warm here yet, quite chilly in fact, so I just have to go outside with a jacket.” The midfielder has set several goals for himself for the current season at Al-Taawon, but also dares to look further ahead. “Initially I want to conquer a starting spot and make a lot of minutes, then I hope to make a step up to one of the top clubs in Saudi Arabia.” Will he ever see himself returning to the Netherlands? “Not for now, but never say never. I dare not say that now. Football is also unpredictable. I never expected that after six months of Wisla Krakau I would go to Saudi Arabia and at ADO Den Haag I did not think that I would play football in Slovakia the following year.”