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 Over de Grens section, Voetbalzone speaks weekly with a player who is active outside the national borders. This time, attention is paid to Achraf El Bouchataoui, who said goodbye to his great love Feyenoord last summer after sixteen years. Dirk Kuijt wanted to bring the 22-year-old midfielder to ADO Den Haag, but El Bouchataoui deliberately opted for an employment contract with the ambitious KMSK Deinze, at the second level in Belgium.
By Wessel Antes
“The connection is not so good here, I live in a small Belgian village,” said El Bouchataoui, after which he can be better understood via a call on WhatsApp. “It still works via Wi-fi, otherwise I only have one connecting line,” he says with a laugh. This summer, El Bouchataoui signed a two-year contract with Deinze, which was acquired by Asian investors this year. The Belgian second divisionist hopes to move on to the Pro League within a few years. A project that El Bouchataoui was eager to get involved in, and so the technically gifted inspector now lives in picturesque Zele.
For years, El Bouchataoui, together with Orkun Kökçü, Wouter Burger and Jordy Wehrmann, formed a successful midfield in the youth teams of Feyenoord. Bosom friend Kökçü managed to break through in De Kuip and is currently even captain, but a different path has been written for El Bouchataoui. The right leg is firmly convinced of that. He has not lost his love for Feyenoord across the border. “Feyenoord has determined a part of my life. I actually experienced everything there. From visiting De Kuip with my father, to great mini-Classics against Ajax. Those sixteen years at Feyenoord have left me with many friends and wonderful experiences.”
El Bouchataoui with his bosom friend Kökçü as Feyenoord U17 youth players
In the end, El Bouchataoui was close to the selection for three years. He participated in many training sessions with the main force. A specific highlight? Impossible, according to the midfielder. “I can’t really pick one. It was wonderful for me that, as a boy from Crooswijk, I was allowed to get up every day as a player of Feyenoord 1. Not a day has passed that I was not proud of that, or that I did not enjoy it.” Robin van Persie in particular left an indelible impression on El Bouchataoui. “I learned a lot from him, and even when I see him now, it shows time and time again what a beautiful person he is.”
All those years close to the flagship also brought stress. Under Dick Advocaat, youth players were initially less likely to train with the first, which created an unpleasant situation during the corona pandemic. “At the beginning of that season I played for Jong Feyenoord. When the virus broke out, just like amateur teams, we were not allowed to play matches and only train in small groups. Then I was able to do very little for half a year and around December I got slightly injured. A lot of players were rented out during the winter break, but for me there was not really an interesting option,” said El Bouchataoui, who decided to stay.
Then El Bouchataoui took the plunge. “After a conversation with my father and my agent, I went to see Mr. Advocaat myself to ask if I could join the training, because that was not possible with Jong. Then he gave me two weeks to prove myself. After a few training sessions I already heard that I could pack my things and that I could stay until the end of the season.” In the beginning, this was mainly to keep fit and El Bouchtaoui served as a filler for the selection, later the midfielder showed guts again.
“Then we had a bad period in which we lost to ADO, among others. I thought to myself, ‘I wouldn’t do this less!’ That is why, with respect, I again went to Advocaat and asked what his image of me was. It was an honest conversation, in which he also just expressed his doubts.” Nevertheless, Advocaat gave the eager El Bouchataoui the chance to come in a little later during the home game against Fortuna Sittard (2-0 win). A moment when no one can take him away.
El Bouchataoui then played four more times for the Feyenoord first team. “Later I was allowed to fill in again against Heracles Almelo, and when we no longer played for anything, because we were already going into the Play-offs, Advocaat gave me a basic debut in De Kuip against RKC Waalwijk.” With El Bouchataoui as controller for ninety minutes, Feyenoord played an excellent game. RKC was defeated 3-0 thanks to goals from Steven Berghuis, Nicolai Jørgensen and Jens Toornstra.
On the day before that match, Lawyer El Bouchataoui spoke in his own unique way. “During the last practice, he grabbed my arm and said, ‘Achraf, you’ll get the chance, but don’t screw it up, because then you’ll screw it up for me too!’ I will never forget moments like that. I will always be grateful to Advocaat, and for me personally it was a shame that he said goodbye to Feyenoord that summer.”
Under Advocaat, El Bouchataoui came to five official matches in the main force of Feyenoord
Where Feyenoord under Arne Slot had a great advance last season, it was time for El Bouchataoui under his leadership to fly out. “I think you should always look at yourself first. I was a boy who could play football well, but I don’t think I was the player at that time to deliver as much intensity as Slot expects.” During the preparation, Slot used him a number of times as a central defender. “I already knew what time it was. Then I was told that I was superfluous at Feyenoord 1.”
To avoid having to play another year at Jong Feyenoord, El Bouchataoui opted for a year on a rental basis at RKC. Partly due to a meniscus injury, that season went completely differently than expected. After thirteen official games for the Waalwijkers, it was over, and his contract with Feyenoord also came to an end. El Bouchataoui achieved his dream of playing in De Kuip, but only came to a handful of matches.
“Difficult is a heavy word, but it is a pity. Now I look from day to day and I’m going to flame in Belgium. Who knows, I might one day return to De Kuip. Everything is possible,” said the believer El Bouchataoui. Deinze came across his path through Stanley Brard, who is involved with the Belgian club as an advisor. Although El Bouchtaoui had more options, he chose to go into this Belgian adventure.
El Bouchataoui as a rental player of RKC Waalwijk in a duel with childhood friend Tyrell Malacia
It came as a surprise to many that El Bouchataoui was going to play at the second tier of Belgium, but it was a well-considered decision. “I’ve known Stanley Brard for a long time and he asked me to listen to Deinze’s plan. Both sportingly and financially, the picture was right for me. Our trainer and technical director also outlined many career opportunities, which quickly convinced me. Of course I just wanted to play after my disappointing season at RKC.”
Deinze has been around since 1926, but was taken over by the ACA Football Partners at the beginning of this year. “This club was taken over at the beginning of this year with the underlying idea of quickly growing into a large club in Belgium. The ambition is to quickly promote to the Pro League. Sixteen new players have been recruited for this this summer, which makes it uneasy this season. We have many different nationalities and still have to grow together, but I believe in the project.”
El Bouchataoui himself was also presented with a personal plan this summer. “They see me as one of the players with whom the club can really grow in the coming years. We try, more than other teams in this competition, to really play football. They saw an important role for me in this. That attracted me. I always wanted to join a football team. I get a bit of confidence and appreciation here that I need after a number of years with fewer matches.”
El Bouchataoui in action for Deinze in the game against RE Virton
El Bouchataoui chose Deinze over ADO, where his old teacher Kuijt is currently head coach. “I spoke to Dirk, but having a certain role within the team was important to me. At ADO I would come in as a newcomer as one of the players, while I feel just a bit more secure here. It was a difficult choice, because Dirk really wanted me, and I have a good relationship with him. Ultimately you have to choose for yourself and a trip to Belgium, outside my comfort zone in Rotterdam, is good for my personal development. Here I can really fully focus on football.”
At first El Bouchataoui thought of living in Ghent or Antwerp, but in the end he and his wife consciously chose Zele. “Ghent is a very beautiful city, but many students live there. It was also just a bit too far from Rotterdam. I also like Antwerp a bit more and so I chose Zele, which is fairly close to it. I went to see the house and was actually immediately satisfied with it. You don’t have a lot in Zele, it’s nice and quiet. My neighbors even have cows and horses in the meadow. So I live in a farming village, which I never expected of myself as a Rotterdammer, but I actually like it.”
When El Bouchataoui has some time off, he likes to return to Rotterdam. “I still have my house in South. Actually, I’m in the Netherlands almost every week. I also do that for the hairdresser, because it’s a lot better in Rotterdam! My cousins Bilal and Amin play at Feyenoord, so that’s why I still regularly visit Varkenoord.” In Belgium his life is a lot quieter. “I even play Fortnite on the Playstation again, online with Marouan (Azarkan, ed.) among others. I also often take a nap. My life may have become a bit duller, but that’s actually nice sometimes.”
Former youth international El Bouchataoui plays in Deinze’s orange with number 8
In football, the difference between the Netherlands and Belgium is very big, according to El Bouchataoui. “The duels here are a lot more physical and you have to act faster. It’s not always pretty to look at. Many teams really play for the result.” As a technically gifted player, the midfielder tries to calm Deinze’s game. “We really want to play football. I try to be important in that with my understanding of the game.”
Deinze is in last place in the Challenger Pro League after six games. El Bouchataoui notices that the team still has to get used to each other, but is sure that everything will be fine. “We play good football, especially in the first half. After rest we still give it away too often, so we have to become even more consistent. However, the level does not disappoint me and I think this step will take me further. This season we have to form a team and learn to understand each other so that we are really there next season.” The midfielder has already provided two assists, but statistics are not what it is all about for him at the moment.
El Bouchataoui finally feels like a footballer again. “This is what I was looking for. I have not had the easiest years and I am no longer the seventeen-year-old talent of Feyenoord. Playing as much as possible and developing myself is what I need now. I hope that I will experience many beautiful moments here and I certainly do not regret this step. I have found my peace. Some people didn’t understand that I went from Feyenoord to the second level in Belgium, but sometimes you have to take a few steps back and then grow further. I will succeed in this environment. I am convinced of that.”
