The defender was once again part of Erik ten Hag's starting line-up for the UEFA Europa League opener against FC Twente - but things nearly turned out very different
Noussair Mazraoui is quickly becoming a fixture in Erik ten Hag’s line-up but he very nearly quit football.
Former Ajax youth coach Ruben Jongkind handed Mazraoui a lifeline. He spotted the natural talent of Mazraoui when others preferred the more physical presence of United defender Matthijs de Ligt, who captained Ajax while still a teenager. As a result, he considered education as another path in life with aspirations of becoming a lawyer instead of a footballer according to the Dutch newspaper Algmeen Dagblad.
“You need to get stronger — mentally stronger, too — because you are lagging behind the average. That is not a problem, because you will pick it up later, as long as you believe you will make it.’Eventually, after some deliberation, Jongkind convinced the academy to keep the player but with one condition: Mazraoui was to be held back a year.
By 2018, now in his twenties, Mazraoui had made his first-team debut and continued his ascent to the top of the game. His impressive performances earned him regular playing time before, just four years after his debut, he joined Bayern Munich.
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