The latest addition to Frank Lampard’s young Chelsea side is the talented Moroccan Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech rose to stardom in the 2018-2019 season. Ajax reached the semifinal of the Champions League, beating giants like Real Madrid and Juventus in the process. Ziyech was one of the key figures in the young team that achieved the feat. This campaign made him a prime target for many top clubs in Europe. He also represented Morocco in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Here are some facts you need to know about the talented Moroccan:
1. Hakim is a Moroccan born in the Netherlands
Hakim Ziyech was born in the town of Dronten in the Netherlands on 19 March 1993. He is the last of the 8 children. His family is from the Dutch, Arab and African origin. He had 4 brothers while growing up, which hot him interested in football. He joined a local football academy at the age of 5. He started his youth career at Reaal Dronten and then moved to ASV Dronten.
2. Ziyech faced tough days as a young boy.
Hakim Ziyech lost his father when he was 10 years. This incident left him emotionally scarred. He was derailed from education and football momentarily.
His teenage years were a bit messy without the guidance of a father. He became uninterested in education and left school. He became undisciplined at his academy at started throwing tantrums like arriving late and disrespecting and fighting with his seniors.
How did Ziyech recover from this phase?
Ziyech joined the SC Heerenveen academy in 2007 as a 14-year-old. There, he was guided and taken care of by Aziz Doufikar, the first Moroccan professional footballer to play in the Eredivisie, Netherland’s top league. Ziyech then began focusing on developing his skills and then progressed through the ranks of SC Heerenveen.
3. Morocco or Holland?
Ziyech was born in Holland. But his parents are Moroccan. This makes him eligible to play for Morocco as well as Holland.
As he was a part of the youth system at the club level and was massively talented, he was selected to play for the Dutch Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 sides.
Why did Ziyech choose to play for Morocco over Holland?
Despite having the choice to play for a much stronger and popular Holland National team, Ziyech chose to play for Morocco.
He explained his choice saying, “I will not play for the Netherlands. Choosing one’s national team is not done with the brain but with the heart. In my case without hesitation it was Morocco. I have always felt Moroccan even though I was born in Holland. Lots of people will never understand this feeling.”
Ziyech has been an important player for Morocco after he made his debut in 2015.
4. Ziyech’s wonder season
The Ajax team of 2018-2019 season was full of young and talented footballers. They were quick, fit and fearless. They won the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup that year.
Among all the top players, 3 stood out for their exceptional performances throughout. Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Hakim Ziyech.
Hakim Ziyech contributed by scoring 21 goals and assisted 20 goals in the 49 matches he played for Ajax that season. His performances in the Champions League led to him being included in the team of the year. This made Ziyech a top target in the transfer market.
5. The Chelsea transfer
After starring for Ajax for almost 4 years, Ziyech had become a prime target for many top football clubs across Europe.
Ziyech was targetted by Dortmund, Juventus, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. Chelsea finally won the race in early 2020 when they managed to sign Ziyech for the 2020-2021 season.
ALSO READ: HOW ZIYECH ADDS VALUE TO CHELSEA
How much did Chelsea pay for Hakim Ziyech?
On 14 February 2020, Chelsea announced that they had reached an agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Hakim Ziyech.
The transfer fee was 40 million euros, which rose to 44 million euros after some bonuses were added on. 10 days later Chelsea announced that they had agreed on personal terms with Ziyech and that he had signed a five-year contract.
6. How much is Hakim Ziyech worth?
As of March 2020, Hakim Ziyech’s net worth is estimated to be around 7 million dollars. He currently a salary of 37 thousand euros a week with Ajax.
How much will Ziyech earn at Chelsea?
Ziyech will reportedly earn a 100 thousand euros a week at Chelsea, which amounts to almost 5 million pounds a year.
7. Hakim Ziyech Cars and Vehicles
Hakim Ziyech apparently is a car fanatic. He owns many luxury cars from many luxury brands.
Which cars does Ziyech drive?
His favourite one seems to be the black Lamborghini Urus. Ziyech posts a lot of pictures with this one. He also a red Lamborghini Aventador.
Also featuring in his collection is a Mercedes Benz SUV and a Volkswagen Golf GTi.
8. Ziyech the family man
Hakim Ziyech is very close to his family. He has 7 siblings, consisting of 4 brothers and 3 sisters. He lost his father at a very young age. His mother took care of the family all alone and raised her children. Ziyech loves and admires his mother a lot because of this. He is also very closely bonded with his second elder brother, Faouzi Ziyech, who took care of him while he trying to become a footballer.
9. Hakim Ziyech Girlfriend and Personal life
Despite being very popular, Hakim Ziyech’s personal life is not very well documented. His dating life is very private and there isn’t much information available. But there are some reports claiming that he is single for the past year and that he isn’t dating anyone. But nothing can be confirmed as he keeps his personal life away from the spotlight.
10. A humble human being
Hakim Ziyech is known to be very humble in person. He is soft-spoken and does most of the talking through his performances.
What’s Hakim Ziyech’s religion?
He is a religious man. Ziyech is a Muslim and follows the practices of Islam strictly. Also, he does not have any tattoo on his body.
