He started his professional career at Dutch clubHeerenveen in 2012 and signed for fellow Dutch clubTwente two years later. In 2016, he signed for Ajax on a five-year deal, with a reported transfer fee of €11m.[8][9] The2018–19 season was the most prolific season in Ziyech's career, as he scored 16 goals and provided 13 assists in the Eredivisie, and in all competitions he scored 21 goals and 24 assists.[10] He joined Premier League club Chelsea in the2020–21 season.
Ziyech is known for his finishing,dribbling, long passes, technique, and ability fromfree kicks.[11] In 2019, he was selected as one of the 3 best midfielders players in theUEFA Champions League for the2018–19 season.[12] At the end of the same year, he was ranked 29th inThe Guardian's list of "The 100 best footballers in the world".[13]
Beginning in 2015 when Ziyech joined the national team, he has donated all attained earnings and bonuses from international play to various charities or to the staff of the team.[14]
Ziyech was born inDronten,Flevoland toMoroccan parents fromTafoughalt, aBerber village in northeasternMorocco. His parents belonged to the tribal confederation of Aït Iznassen located nearBerkane.[15] Ziyech grew up in the southern part of Dronten.[16][17] He was the youngest of the 9 children in his family. Like many Moroccans between the 1960s and 1990s, a large number of people from northern Morocco emigrated to theBenelux in search of work and better living conditions.[note 1][19] Hakim Ziyech's father left Morocco in 1967 with his two sons Faouzi and Hicham[note 2] for the Netherlands where he worked in a metal factory.[17] Ziyech's mother joined them in the Netherlands and took on the role of homemaker.[20][17][21] Hakim has dual nationality ofThe Netherlands andMorocco.[22][23] With his brothers and his friends from the neighborhood, Ziyech spent hours playing football on theCruyff Court esplanade opposite his home.[17][24][25] During his childhood, Ziyech regularly watchedAjax stars on television such asWesley Sneijder,Zlatan Ibrahimović andRafael van der Vaart.[note 3] "There were a few players I loved watching, likeRonaldinho andZinedine Zidane ...players of that caliber. I watched them a lot when I was little. I remember when I was ten years old, I watched their videos onYouTube every day", he said in an interview withUEFA in 2019.[26]
Two of his brothers enrolled in the academies ofPEC Zwolle andHeerenveen in the 1990s.[15] As for Ziyech, aged seven, he asked his father to enroll him at a football club in order to practice his favorite sport.[25] In 2001, he started playing football for his hometown club, Reaal Dronten.[27][28] At Reaal Dronten, he metAziz Doufikar who was part of the club staff,[29] and the first Moroccan national to make an appearance in theEredivisie.[30] According to Ziyech, Doufikar would go on to become a great source of motivation to embark on a football career.[31] In his neighborhood, Ziyech often went to the local youth center De Meerpaal to meet his friends and Doufikar, who was also an educator at the center.[32] During this time, Ziyech has told that football was a dominant part of his life: "I went to school half an hour earlier every day with the ball in my hand. During lunch break, I played football. Once at home, I drank, I ate and I went outside again to play football... whenever Inutmegged a big kid, the whole neighbourhood would start screaming. In my life, I have fortunately made the right choices. I had to sort through a lot of my friends who were going adrift. In the end, my real training took place in the neighbourhood".[33] Uninterested in school, Ziyech only devoted himself to football and the streets.[20]
On 23 December 2003, only ten years old, he suffered a great personal trauma, witnessing the death of his father, with whom he had a close relationship.[25] His father, Mohamed Ziyech had suffered from aneuromuscular disease for several months.[34] This event pushed him into youth crime.[35][36] He thus grew up with his mother, who was forced to raise her eight children using family allowances and unemployment benefits. Ziyech would see two of his brothers return to prison for burglary.[37] They were subsequently dismissed from their respective clubs and would retire from football at an early age. One of the two brothers, Faouzi Ziyech has since stated: "Our last hope in the family was Hakim. Fortunately, he was able to quickly realise what was wrong, having four brothers who went down the wrong path".[38]
Despite earlier support, the relationship between the two brothers deteriorated in later years. In 2023, Faouzi publicly criticised Hakim following an interview withVogue, disputing his portrayal of their upbringing and accusing him of minimising the sacrifices made by others in the family. He claimed he had played a central role in Hakim's development, regularly transporting him to matches and training sessions, and facilitating his placement in a host family.[39] The feud escalated in 2025 when Faouzi described a video of Hakim with their mother as a "hypocritical act," reflecting ongoing tensions between the siblings.[40]
Under the guidance ofAziz Doufikar, Ziyech would return to football, progressing through the youth teams of Reaal Dronten and later ASV Dronten. He was also motivated by his older brother Faouzi to continue playing football and not to be discouraged.[41] At the age of fourteen, he made his first return to Morocco to visit his father's grave.[42][43] On his return to the Netherlands, he was invited on trials with professional clubsSC Heerenveen andAjax.[15] After impressing the Heerenveen scouts, he left his home in Dronten to be placed with a foster family in the town ofHeerenveen,Friesland, where he joined SC Heerenveen's academy in 2007.[44][45][46] Ajax had found Ziyech too small to progress in their academy.[15] Once settled in at Heerenveen, he lived a turbulent life marked by delinquency, alcohol and drug problems, and he dropped out of school at age sixteen.[47][48] Despite a good relationship with his foster family, who are of Armenian origin "he regularly comes home very late, sometimes drunk," says Doufikar.[49] Having been an academy footballer for two years under youth coachRobin Veldman,[50] Ziyech very rarely participated in matches, spending his evenings until five in the morning in the neighbourhood drinking alcohol and using hard drugs.[51][52] Doufikar described Ziyech during his first years in Heerenveen's academy:
He drank, smoked and did drugs a lot, the only chance I had with him was to make him play in smaller tournaments. Fortunately, he very quickly realised that his future was football.[49]
Hakim Ziyech saw Doufikar as his second father,[53] spending his afternoons in indoor gyms playing two-on-two with his neighbourhood friends in his hometown of Dronten. At the age of sixteen, Ziyech participated in an indoor football tournament in the city ofTiel with Jong SC Heerenveen/Emmen. It was during this tournament that he met Mustapha Nakhli, his agent until 2022.[54] In a 2016 interview, Ziyech said, "When I was sixteen, I was one of the best players on the team, but I was the only one who wasn't offered a contract. I often questioned myself: 'I'm a tough guy, and on top of that, I'm aMocro.' I felt compelled to work harder." Despite his growing recognition, Ziyech continued to grapple with alcohol and drug dependency, even resorting to selling hard drugs to provide for his family's needs. To steer him away from a destructive path and bad habits, his former coach, Doufikar, kept Ziyech engaged in indoor football, emphasising the importance of focusing on the sport.[note 4][49]
Heerenveen had been monitoring Ziyech's potential since his early days in their academy. When he was just seventeen years old, his talent was noticed, leading to his promotion to the first team in January 2012.[55] However, Ziyech's off-field conduct prompted his exclusion from the first team until he could demonstrate discipline.[55] At eighteen, he came under the mentorship of Mustapha Nakhli, who rented an apartment in theZuidas neighborhood ofAmsterdam-Zuid, which they shared. Ziyech left his foster family in Heerenveen and resided in Amsterdam for three years with his agent.[54]
In April 2012, Ziyech signed his first professional contract withHeerenveen, inking a two-year deal.[56] However, after securing the contract, he had yet to make an official appearance for the club and was primarily involved in first-team training. His first unofficial appearance came on 10 July 2012 during a friendly match against the amateur club Be Quick Dokkum. In that match, Ziyech, starting alongsideOussama Tannane andRajiv van La Parra, left an impression by scoring his first goal with a remarkable free kick.[57] His performance earned him head coachMarco van Basten approval, and he assured him of a spot within Heerenveen's squad for theUEFA Europa League match againstRapid București. On 2 August 2012, Ziyech made his formal debut for Heerenveen in thefirst leg of thethird qualifying round of theEuropa League, against Rapid, playing a total of 53 minutes before being substituted.[58] He made hisEredivisie debut for the club on 10 August, in a 2–0 loss toNEC.[59]
Ziyech scored his first goal for Heerenveen in a 2–0 win overNAC Breda, on 10 August 2013.[60] On 23 August, Ziyech provided two assists in a 3–3 draw withAjax.[61] On 8 November, Ziyech scored and provided an assist in a 5–2 win overWaalwijk.[62] On 18 December, Ziyech scored two goals againstAZ Alkmaar, in the fourth round of the KNVB Cup, one in regular time and a last-minute penalty to draw level and take the game into a penalty shootout, but he missed his penalty and Heerenveen were knocked out 6–5 on penalties.[63] On 21 December, Ziyech scored twice and provided one assist in a 5–1 away win overAZ Alkmaar.[64] On 18 January 2014, Ziyech scored in a 2–2 draw withRoda.[65] On 9 February, he scored in a 3–1 win overGroningen.[66] On 27 April, Ziyech scored once and provided an assist in a 4–1 win over Utrecht, after coming on as a substitute.[67][68]
On 18 August 2014, Ziyech joinedTwente for 3.5m euros, signing on a three-year contract and taking the number 10 shirt.[69][70] On 5 October, Ziyech scored once and provided an assist in a 2–2 draw withAZ Alkmaar.[71] On 6 March 2015, Ziyech scored twice in a 2–2 draw withWillem II.[72] On 10 May, he provided three assists in a 3–0 home win overDordrecht.[73][74] On 17 May, Ziyech scored twice and provided an assist in a 3–1 away win over his former clubHeerenveen.[75][76] Ziyech finished the season with 11 goals and 15 assists in the Eredivisie.[70] For the2015–16 season, Ziyech was selected as captain of the club; however, he was stripped of the captaincy in early January 2016, after he made disrespectful comments against the club and publicly requesting a transfer.[77][78] The 2015–16 season was the most prolific season in Ziyech's career, as he scored 17 goals and provided 10 assist in the Eredivisie.[10]
On 30 August 2016, Ziyech signed forAjax on a five-year deal, with a reported transfer of €11m.[8][9] On 15 September, Ziyech was given a red card in the 79th minute, in a 2–1 win overPanathinaikos in the opening group game of theEuropa League.[79] Six days later, on 21 September, he scored his first goal for Ajax in a 5–0 win overWillem II in theKNVB Cup.[80] On 2 October, Ziyech scored his first league goal for the club in a 3–2 win over Utrecht.[81] On 20 October, he scored in a 2–2 draw withCelta Vigo in theEuropa League.[82] On 20 October, he scored in a 1–0 win overExcelsior.[83] On 3 November, Ziyech scored in the reverse fixture against Celta Vigo in the Europa League, a 3–2 win.[84] On 4 December, he scored a penalty in a 2–0 win overGroningen.[85] On 15 January 2017, Ziyech scored twice in a 3–1 away win overZwolle.[86] On 29 January, he scored in a 3–0 win overDen Haag.[87] On 8 April, he scored in a 5–1 away win overNEC.[88]
On 12 August 2017, Ziyech scored the opening goal in a 1–2 defeat toHeracles Almelo.[89] On 20 August, Ziyech scored in a 3–1 win overGroningen.[90] On 9 September, Ziyech missed a penalty but eventually scored just five minutes later in a 3–0 win overZwolle.[91] On 18 November, Ziyech provided an assist in an 8–0 win over NAC Breda.[92][93] On 26 November, he provided an assist in a 5–1 win overRoda.[94][95] On 14 December, Ziyech scored in a 3–1 win over Excelsior.[96] On 20 December, Ziyech missed a penalty against his former clubTwente, in theround of sixteen of theKNVB Cup, with Ajax suffering elimination after losing thepenalty shootout.[citation needed] On 4 February 2018, Ziyech scored an injury-time goal in a 3–1 win overNAC Breda.[97][98] Three days later, on 7 February, he scored in a 4–2 away win over Roda.[99] On 18 March, Ziyech scored twice in a 5–2 away win overSparta Rotterdam.[100] On 19 April, Ziyech scored in a 4–1 win overVenlo.[101]
On 25 July 2018, Ziyech scored in a2–0 win overSturm Graz in thesecond qualifying round of theUEFA Champions League.[102] On 22 August 2018, Ziyech scored in a3–1 win over Dynamo Kyiv in theplay-off round of theUEFA Champions League.[103] On 13 February 2019, he scored his first Champions League goal, scoring the equaliser in a 1–2 loss againstReal Madrid in the round of 16.[104] On 5 March 2019, he scored again in the 4–1 victory over Real Madrid in the second leg, which saw the title holders being knocked out and bringing Ajax to the quarter-finals, where they eliminatedJuventus to reach the semi–finals of the competition.[105]
On 30 April 2019, Ziyech assisted for the only goal in the Champions League semi–final first leg win atTottenham Hotspur.[106] He also scored the second goal for Ajax in the second leg of the semi-final, where Ajax were beaten 3–2 by Tottenham and were knocked out of the tournament on away goals with a 3–3 aggregate score.[107] In August 2019, he signed a new three-year contract with Ajax.[108]
On 14 February 2020, it was announced that Ajax andChelsea had reached an agreement for the transfer of Ziyech for a fee of €40 million (potentially increasing to a maximum of €44 million, with variable factors). He joined thePremier League club for the2020–21 season.[112] Ten days later, Chelsea announced they had agreed personal terms with Ziyech and that he had signed a five-year contract.[113]
Ziyech made his league debut for Chelsea on 17 October 2020, in a 3–3 home draw againstSouthampton after he came off from the bench.[114] On 28 October 2020, he scored his first Chelsea goal in a 4–0 away win overKrasnodar on matchday two of theChampions League.[115] Three days later, Ziyech started his first league match for Chelsea, contributing with a goal and an assist in a 3–0 away win overBurnley. In doing so, Ziyech became the first Chelsea player sinceDiego Costa to score in his first two starts for Chelsea in all competitions.[116] In Chelsea's next league match, Ziyech provided two assists and was named the man of the match as Chelsea defeatedSheffield United by a score of 4–1.[117]
On 11 August 2021, Ziyech scored againstVillarreal to give Chelsea their firstUEFA Super Cup in 23 years, as they won on penalties.[122] Ziyech was subbed off shortly before half-time with his arm in a sling after challenging for a header inside his own penalty area and landing badly.[122] On 2 November, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away victory overMalmö in theChampions League, in which he managed to equal the most goals scored by a Moroccan in the competition,Marouane Chamakh with eight goals.[123]
On 18 January 2022, Ziyech scored in a 1–1 draw againstBrighton.[124] On 23 January, Ziyech scored a wonderful curling shot againstTottenham Hotspur in a 2–0 victory.[125] On 12 February, Ziyech was substitute as Chelsea won the2021 FIFA Club World Cup title.[126]
In the January transfer window, Ziyech could not move toParis Saint-Germain on loan as his parent club submitted the wrong documents before the deadline, which were ultimately rejected by theLFP.[127] He eventually ended the season with 24 appearances in all competitions. After the failure to leave for PSG, he criticized Chelsea for their lack of professionalism and respect. The loss of form coupled with the arrival of multiple signings led to him being ostracized from the first team.
On 19 August 2023,Süper Lig sideGalatasaray announced that Ziyech arrived in Istanbul to complete his transfer to Turkey.[128] On 20 August 2023, Ziyech completed a season-long loan to Galatasaray, with an obligation to join permanently.[129][130][131]
On 1 November 2023, Ziyech was nominated for the 2023African Footballer of the Year byCAF.[134] On 29 November, he scored a brace in the2023–24 UEFA Champions League group stage match againstManchester United,[135] on 29 January 2025, it was stated that Ziyech's contract was mutually terminated.[136] Disputes with the upper management led to his premature departure from Türkiye.
On 30 January 2025, Ziyech joinedQatar Stars League clubAl-Duhail.[137][138] Although contract details were not disclosed, reports indicated a short-term agreement.[139] He scored his first goal for the club on 8 March, contributing to a 4–2 away win overAl Ahli in the league.[140]
On 31 May 2025, it was announced that Ziyech's contract had been terminated by mutual consent, ending his 4-month stint in Qatar.[141]
On 22 October 2025, Ziyech signed a two-year contract withBotola Pro clubWydad AC in Morocco. His transfer is considered by many to be the biggest in the league's history.[142][143] His primary motivation to sign for Wydad was to play football in Morocco and re-connect to his ancestral roots.[144]CAF described Ziyech's transfer as a major gain both on the commercial and sporting fronts.[145]
Born in the Netherlands to aMoroccan-Riffian family, Ziyech was eligible to play for eitherNetherlands orMorocco national team at international level.[146] He played for Dutch national youth teams, playing for theunder-19,under-20 andunder-21 squads. However, he opted to play for Morocco at senior level. He received his first call-up to the senior squad in May 2015 for friendly matches against theUnited States andLatvia.[146]
In September 2015, Ziyech confirmed his choice to represent Morocco on the international stage.[147][148] Ziyech made his debut for the national team on 9 October, in a 1–0 defeat to theIvory Coast.[149] On 27 May 2016, he scored his first two goals for Morocco, in a 2–0 win overCongo.[150] On 4 September, Ziyech scored in a 2–0 win overSão Tomé and Príncipe in a2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.[151]
In September 2021, Ziyech was omitted from the national team squad due to alleged "poor attitude", having previously refused to play, citing an injury. ManagerVahid Halilhodžić said, "For the first time in my coaching career, I saw a national team player who doesn't want to train and claims to be injured, although tests have shown he can play. I won't tolerate it".[160] Ziyech was then also left out of Morocco's2021 Africa Cup of Nations squad.[161]
On 8 February 2022, Ziyech announced his retirement from international football at the age of 28, having fallen out with Halilhodžić over his claims of Ziyech feigning injury.[162] On 13 March 2022, Ziyech and his Moroccan teammateNoussair Mazraoui, both rejected Halilhodžić's invitation to represent theMorocco national football team in the2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round againstDR Congo, and reaffirmed his decision to retire internationally.[163][164] Halilhodžić was later sacked in August withWalid Regragui replacing him, which lead to Ziyech reversing his retirement and he rejoined the national team for the friendly againstChile on 23 September.[165] Ziyech excelled as Morocco advanced to the semi-finals of the2022 World Cup becoming the first African Team to do so in history, scoring a goal and providing an assist, while also receiving theplayer of the match award in the match againstBelgium.[166] Due to injuries, fitness issues and a dip in form, he has found himself out of regular involvement for the national team. He was left out of the squad for the 2026 AFCON, as he was still undergoing rehabilitation after his switch toWydad AC.[167]
Ziyech is a right winger who likes to take up a wide starting position and then drive infield with the ball, on to his stronger left foot and into positions where he poses a threat on goal, either with shots, through balls or crosses. He is most dangerous coming into central areas and looking to play killer balls to teammates making diagonal runs towards goal from the left. He is particularly skilled at playing deft balls over a defence, and if his teammates time their runs well, they often very suddenly find themselves with a one-on-one shooting opportunity. His movement off the flank means the right-back can overlap.[170]
Ziyech's primary trick of swerving or dipping the ball has proven to be quite effective in deceiving defenders. Ziyech can manipulate the ball impressively, which allows him to create plenty of chances. His notable speed, balance and awareness give him the dual ability of creating quality chances and finishing coordinated attacks.[171]
His movements infield often cause problems for opposition defenders, allowing for his teammates to get into space. Ziyech's strong positioning skills enable him to make quick moves into space to create chances. When he does get into a position to shoot from range, he usually looks to bend his foot around the ball and aim for the far corner.[172]
His discipline has been called into question on several occasions, given his dubious record of falling out with several managers at both club and national level[173][174][175].
Ziyech is a Muslim. Unlike most of his peers, Ziyech prefers to maintain strict privacy over his personal affairs. He supports the Palestinian cause, having donated three hundred thousand meals toGaza in March 2025 amidst theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[176][177]
^In aninterview withFox Sports, Ziyech describedWesley Sneijder as having been his inspiration among footballers playing in the Netherlands during the 2000s
^Ziyech played for indoor football for FC Anatolia.
^stars, Galatasaray are the 2024/25 Süper Lig champions, securing their 25th domestic league title and becoming the first Turkish club to earn five."Galatasaray Defeat Mourinho and Claims Historic 25th Süper Lig Title".beIN SPORTS. Retrieved19 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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