Ismail Aissati Moroccan footballer, attacking midfielder for Ajax Amsterdam Date of Birth: 16.08.1988 Country: Morocco

Biography of Ismail Aissati

Ismail Aissati is a Moroccan footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for Ajax Amsterdam. He was born on August 16, 1988, in Utrecht, Netherlands. His parents immigrated to the Netherlands from the city of Ait Touzine in northern Morocco. Aissati grew up in the Tuinwijk district of Utrecht and began his sporting career in the football section of the DSO club in Utrecht. He later moved to the Elinkwijk club, which was known for its youth development. Players like Marco van Basten, Gerald Vanenburg, and Ibrahim Afellay also started their careers at Elinkwijk.

In 2000, at the age of 12, Aissati joined the youth academy of PSV Eindhoven. He commuted daily from Utrecht to Eindhoven for training. In 2004, Aissati regularly played for PSV's second team, and the youth team coach, Ricardo Moniz, believed he was ready for the first team. In February 2005, PSV's head coach, Guus Hiddink, selected several players from the youth team, including 16-year-old Aissati. Aissati made his debut on August 28, 2005, in a match against Roda JC in the Dutch Eredivisie, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute. PSV won the match 3-0. He also made his debut in the UEFA Champions League against AC Milan on October 19, 2005, becoming the youngest PSV player ever to play in the competition at the age of 17 years and 64 days. He played a significant role in PSV's victory over Milan in the return leg on November 1, 2005.

After the departure of head coach Guus Hiddink, PSV was led by Ronald Koeman, who decided to loan Aissati to FC Twente to gain more experience. Aissati made his debut for Twente on January 20, 2007, in a match against VVV-Venlo. He returned to PSV for the 2007/2008 season. However, Aissati refused to sign a new contract with PSV and eventually joined Ajax Amsterdam in July 2008. He became the fourth PSV player in history to move to Ajax.

Aissati made his debut for Ajax on February 22, 2009, in a match against Volendam after recovering from an injury. He scored his first goal for Ajax on April 5, 2009, in a match against Roda JC. Aissati represented the Netherlands at the youth level and was part of the team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2006. He was also eligible to represent Morocco at the international level.

Aissati's club achievements include winning the Dutch championship with PSV in 2005, 2006, 2008, and with Ajax in 2010. He also won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with the Netherlands in 2006 and 2007.