Nayef Aguerd (Arabic: نايف أكرد; born 30 March 1996) is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club West Ham United and the Morocco national team. He has also played for FUS Rabat, Dijon and Rennes.
Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Full name | Nayef Aguerd[1] | ||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1996-03-30) 30 March 1996 (age 26)[2] | ||||||||||||
Place of birth | Kenitra, Morocco | ||||||||||||
Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||||||||||||
Position(s) | Centre back | ||||||||||||
Club information | |||||||||||||
Current team | West Ham United | ||||||||||||
Number | 27 | ||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||
2012–2014 | Mohammed VI Academy | ||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
2014–2018 | FUS Rabat | 106 | (7) | ||||||||||
2018–2020 | Dijon B | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||
2018–2020 | Dijon | 25 | (4) | ||||||||||
2020–2022 | Rennes | 66 | (5) | ||||||||||
2022– | West Ham United | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
National team‡ | |||||||||||||
2015 | Morocco U23 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
2016– | Morocco | 22 | (1) | ||||||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:04, 12 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:28, 17 November 2022 (UTC) |
Aguerd began his footballing career with the Mohammed VI Football Academy, before moving to FUS Rabat in 2014.[4] The player then played a season with the club amateurs before signing his first professional contract with FUS Rabat in Botola in 2014. During his first season with FUS Rabat, he was the runner-up of the 2015 Throne cup after losing the final against Olympique Club de Khouribga. On 15 February 2015, he scored his first goal for the team in a 3–1 victory against Wydad AC.[5] On 3 March, he scored his first continental goal in a 1–1 draw against UMS de Loum.[6]
After four seasons, he joined Dijon in Ligue 1.[7] He made his professional debut with Dijon in a 4–0 win over Nice on 25 August 2018, scoring the first goal for his side on his debut.[8]
On 14 August 2020, Aguerd signed a contract with Ligue 1 team Rennes from Dijon for an undisclosed fee believed to be between €4m and €5m.[9] He scored his first goal for the club in a friendly against Nice; the game ended in a 3–2 loss.[10] On 13 September 2020, Aguerd scored his first league goal in a 4–2 victory against Nîmes.[11]
On 17 May 2021, He was placed 11th place in the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé as the best player who represents an African national football team in Ligue 1.[12] On 19 August 2021, Aguerd scored a header, which marked his first European goal, in a 2–0 victory against Rosenborg.[13] A week later, Aguerd scored again in the second leg against Rosenborg in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round.[14] On 16 May 2022, Aguerd was placed 3rd as the best African player in Ligue 1 for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé.[15]
In June 2022, Aguerd signed for West Ham United on a five-year contract for a fee of £30 million. His fee was the fourth-highest paid by West Ham after those paid for Sébastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Kurt Zouma.[16] On 16 July, Aguerd made his debut for the Hammers in a friendly against Reading, playing a total of 63 minutes of a 1–1 draw at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.[17][18] In his second game, a pre-season friendly against Rangers on 19 July, Aguerd injured his ankle which required surgery.[19][20] On 19 October, Aguerd returned back to training with the team three months after his injury.[21][22] He made his competitive West Ham United debut on 27 October in a Europa Conference League game against Silkeborg, which West Ham won 1–0.[23]
Aguerd made his debut for the Morocco national team in a friendly 0–0 tie with Albania on 31 August 2016.[24] Aguerd represented Morocco in the 2018 African Nations Championship, helping his country to achieve their first CHAN title.[25] On 6 September 2021, Aguerd scored his first goal against Sudan in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, he sent a sharp shot in the net from a cross.[26]
He was later invited by Vahid Halilhodžić to represent Morocco in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[27] Nayef started all of his matches in the group stages.[28][29] He scored an own-goal in a 2–2 draw against Gabon.[30]
On 10 November 2022, he was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[31][32]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
FUS Rabat | 2014–15 | Botola Pro | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
2015–16 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
2016–17 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 23 | 3 | |||
2017–18 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||
Total | 72 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 6 | ||
Dijon | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 3 | |
2019–20 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
Total | 25 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 4 | ||
Rennes | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 39 | 3 | |
2021–22 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | 40 | 4 | |||
Total | 66 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 79 | 7 | ||
West Ham United | 2022–23 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Career total | 164 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 187 | 17 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 6 September 2021 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
FUS Rabat
Morocco
Individual
West Ham United F.C. – current squad | |
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Morocco squads | |||||||||||||
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