Ramiz Zerrouki

Ramiz Zerrouki
Zerrouki with Twente in 2022
Personal information
Full name Ramiz Larbi Zerrouki[1]
Date of birth (1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Feyenoord
Number 6
Youth career
2006–2016 Ajax
2016–2019 Twente
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Jong Twente 31 (1)
2019–2023 Twente 95 (3)
2023– Feyenoord 35 (1)
International career‡
2021– Algeria 41 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:35, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 November 2024

Ramiz Larbi Zerrouki (Arabic: رامز العربي زروقي; born 26 May 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Algeria national team.

Club career

Twente

Youth years (2008–18)

Born in Amsterdam,[2] Zerrouki started playing football for at the Ajax Youth Academy. However, in 2016, he decided to join the Twente football academy, and became a resident with a host family, namely former Twente player Marcel Mentink and his wife, Birgit.[2]

During the 2017–18 season, he gained experience with the reserve team Jong Twente in the fourth-tier Derde Divisie, where he netted his only goal in a 3–0 away victory against Harkemase Boys. From the 2018–19 season onwards, he continued his development with Jong Twente in the reserves' team league, the Beloften Eredivisie. In August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Twente, which eventually led to his promotion to the first-team squad in the summer of 2019.[3]

First team (2020–23)

Zerrouki made his first-team debut for Twente on 30 October 2019, during a KNVB Cup match against De Treffers, which they won 2–0. Under coach Gonzalo García, he made a brief appearance, replacing Queensy Menig in the 89th minute.[4] However, he struggled to secure more opportunities under García and mostly trained with a smaller group at the Twente reserves, led by coach Theo ten Caat.[5]

Despite the initial challenges, his contract was extended in March 2020, keeping him at the club until 30 June 2021. In the run-up to the 2020–21 season, Zerrouki caught the eye of the new coach, Ron Jans. As a result, he began to receive regular playing time from the start of the season, and in October 2020, he extended his contract until 2023.[6] His determination and dedication paid off, and he secured a spot in the starting lineup following an injury to Wout Brama after the winter break.[7]

In the 2021–22 season, Zerrouki marked his presence by scoring his first goals for Twente. He played a crucial role in their 2–0 cup victory against OSS '20 on 27 October 2021, where he scored both goals.[8] Just three days later, he found the back of the net again, this time in a league match against PSV.[9]

In March 2022, Ramiz Zerrouki's commitment to Twente was further solidified when he extended his contract with the club until 2024, with an option for the club to extend the agreement for an additional year.[10]

Feyenoord

In the summer of 2022, Feyenoord expressed interest in Zerrouki, but a transfer did not materialise. This situation persisted during the winter transfer window of 2022–23 when both clubs failed to reach an agreement. However, in June 2023, they did reach an agreement, and Zerrouki signed a four-year contract with Feyenoord.[11]

Zerrouki made his debut for the club on 4 August, starting in a 1–0 loss to rivals PSV in the Johan Cruyff Shield.[12][13] He scored his first goal for Feyenoord on 25 October, contributing to a 3–1 home victory against Lazio in the UEFA Champions League group phase.[14][15] Zerrouki played regularly during his first season at the club, scoring once in 36 appearances in all competitions, as Feyenoord won the KNVB Cup and finished second in the Eredivisie.[16][17][18]

International career

Zerrouki was born in the Netherlands and is Algerian by descent.[19] He had his debut with the Algeria national team in a 3–3 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tie with Zambia on 25 March 2021.[20]

He scored his first goal for Algeria on 2 September 2021 against Djibouti scoring the eighth goal of the game.

He was included in Algeria's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[21]

In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[22]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 November 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Beker Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Twente 2019–20 Eredivisie 0 0 1 0 — — 1 0
2020–21 Eredivisie 31 0 1 0 — — 32 0
2021–22 Eredivisie 32 2 2 2 — — 34 4
2022–23 Eredivisie 32 1 1 0 4[a] 0 4[b] 1 41 2
Total 95 3 5 2 4 0 4 1 108 6
Feyenoord 2023–24 Eredivisie 26 0 2 0 7[c] 1 1[d] 0 36 1
2024–25 Eredivisie 9 1 0 0 3[e] 0 1[d] 0 13 1
Total 35 1 2 0 10 1 2 0 49 2
Career total 131 4 7 2 14 1 6 1 158 8
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  2. ^ Appearances in Eredivisie European competition play-offs
  3. ^ Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 14 November 2024[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Algeria 2021 9 1
2022 11 0
2023 8 2
2024 13 0
Total 41 3
Algeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zerrouki goal.[23]
List of international goals scored by Ramiz Zerrouki
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 2 September 2021 Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria 5  Djibouti 8–0 8–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification [24]
2 12 October 2023 Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine, Algeria 25  Cape Verde 4–1 5–1 Friendly [25]
3 19 November 2023 Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique 28  Mozambique 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification [26]

Honours

Feyenoord

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Ramiz Larbi Zerrouki". Eredivisie. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Voorde, Leon ten (5 May 2023). "Van Amsterdam naar Haaksbergen: op bezoek bij Ramiz Zerrouki in zijn gastgezin in Twente". Tubantia (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Talenten FC Twente tekenen contract". FC Twente (in Dutch). 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020.
  4. ^ Voorde, Leon ten (31 October 2019). "Gewonnen bekerduel FC Twente kwam geen moment tot leven". Tubantia (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ Voorde, Leon ten (18 February 2021). "Van niet gezien tot uitblinker: Zerrouki en Wieffer tellen nu wel mee". Tubantia (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Ramiz Zerrouki verlengt contract: "Ben op mijn plek hier"". FC Twente (in Dutch). 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021.
  7. ^ "FC Twente zonder Brama, Zerrouki en Ugalde tegen NEC". RTV Oost (in Dutch). 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  8. ^ "FC Twente wint bekerpotje bij O.S.S.'20 dankzij Ramiz Zerrouki". Sportnieuws.nl (in Dutch). 27 October 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ^ Ottens, Chris (30 October 2021). "PSV speelt chagrijn van zich af tegen FC Twente, Vinícius is eindelijk los". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Zerrouki zet handtekening onder nieuw Twente-contract". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Ramiz Zerrouki zet handtekening bij Feyenoord: 'Een last die van mijn schouders valt'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 22 June 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  12. ^ Gouka, Mikos (4 August 2023). "PSV verslaat Feyenoord in de Kuip: Noa Lang beslist strijd om Johan Cruijff Schaal". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Feyenoord vs. PSV 0–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Fenomenaal Feyenoord: Zerrouki scoort prachtig, Lazio wordt overklast". VoetbalPrimeur.nl (in Dutch). 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Feyenoord – Lazio Roma 3:1 (Champions League 2023/2024, Group E)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b Ramiz Zerrouki at Soccerway
  17. ^ "Feyenoord wint voor de veertiende keer TOTO KNVB Beker". TOTO KNVB Beker (in Dutch). 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Feyenoord heeft Champions League-ticket definitief binnen na 'topseizoen'". Eredivisie (in Dutch). 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Twente breaks open contract of revelation: 'interesting player for the future'". AlKhaleej Today. 19 October 2020.
  20. ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin (25 March 2021). "Zambia vs. Algeria (3:3)". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Africa Cup of Nations 2021 squads". BBC Sport. 8 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  22. ^ "CAN 2024 : L'Algérie Dévoile sa Liste Officielle – Qui Sont les Fennecs Prêts à Conquérir l'Afrique ?" (in French). Algérie-Focus. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Ramiz Zerrouki". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Algeria vs. Djibouti 8–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Algeria vs. Cabo Verde 5–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Mozambique vs. Algeria 0–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Als rook is opgetrokken, wint Feyenoord bekerfinale van NEC" [As smoke clears, Feyenoord wins cup final against NEC] (in Dutch). 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Nick Olij named Eredivisie Player of the Month for January". Eredivisie. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.