Ayyoub Bouaddi shares why he totally agrees with Erling Haaland’s reaction after his first start for Man City.
Ayyoub Bouaddi stayed calm after Erling Haaland called him out during his first start for Manchester City on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old midfielder made his City debut against Crystal Palace by coming off the bench. After another brief appearance against Coventry, he was picked by Enzo Maresca to start in the Champions League opener against Porto.
Bouaddi has experience in Europe’s top club competition from his time with Lille and looked comfortable at the Estadio do Dragao. He had 71 touches and completed 98% of his passes in the middle of the field, helping City to a 2-0 win. Maresca even called his performance “unbelievable” and said Bouaddi “never panicked.”
Haaland, who scored both goals, also liked what Bouaddi showed but mentioned one moment where he wished Bouaddi had passed to him in the second half. He said he planned to talk to Bouaddi about it.
Talking to Prime Video, Haaland said: “He played really well! In training, he’s been amazing; I even told the chairman. We’ve got a gem here. But he should have passed me the ball in the second half — I was all alone. I was a bit annoyed, so I’ll tell him soon. But overall, he had a great game, except for that pass…”
After receiving his Player of the Match trophy, Haaland left the pitch. A few days later, Bouaddi sat down for an interview with Sky Sports where Haaland’s comment came up. With a smile, Bouaddi gave a mature answer that shows why City signed him.
“Yes, he spoke to me about it, and I completely agree. I need to get better at playing more direct and looking for space. But it’s all part of learning,” he said.
Bouaddi is mature beyond his years and has already played on big stages after switching international teams from France to Morocco and shining at the World Cup.
Now he faces a big challenge in English football — he could get his first Premier League start in the Manchester derby against rivals United. New signings Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, and Nico O’Reilly (who has been recovering from a back injury) are also in the mix.
Bouaddi is ready for his first derby and knows how important the game is for the fans. Speaking after the Porto win, he said:
“It’s one of the most important games, maybe the most important of the year. It means a lot to the fans and to us. We want to win and will give everything.
“We need to keep playing like we did against Porto, stay focused, and see what happens. We can’t predict the outcome, but we want to win every game and will be ready to give it our all.
“There are a lot of good players here. Competition is strong, and anyone can start. It’s up to every player to show in training and games. That’s football.”