Ibrahim Afellay

Dutch footballer (born 1986)

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Key Takeaways

Ibrahim Afellay (Arabic: إبراهيم أفيلاي ; born 2 April 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger.
He played youth football at Elinkwijk before joining the PSV Eindhoven youth academy at age 10.
Rarely used by Barcelona and marred by injury, he was loaned to Schalke 04 and Olympiacos before signing for Stoke City in 2015.
Making his Netherlands national team debut in 2007, Afellay appeared at the 2010 World Cup, contributing to the Dutch side finishing in second place in the tournament.
Early life Afellay is of Moroccan Riffian descent; his parents left their hometown Al Hoceima in the 1960s to work in the Netherlands.

Ibrahim Afellay (Arabic: إبراهيم أفيلاي; born 2 April 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He currently works for Dutch broadcaster NOS as a football pundit.

He played youth football at Elinkwijk before joining the PSV Eindhoven youth academy at age 10. After debuting in 2004, he represented PSV for eight seasons, helping them to four Eredivisie titles before moving to Barcelona for €3 million in January 2011. Rarely used by Barcelona and marred by injury, he was loaned to Schalke 04 and Olympiacos before signing for Stoke City in 2015. Afellay spent three seasons with Stoke before ending his career back at PSV.

Making his Netherlands national team debut in 2007, Afellay appeared at the 2010 World Cup, contributing to the Dutch side finishing in second place in the tournament. He was also present at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, making over 50 appearances in total.

Early life

Afellay is of Moroccan Riffian descent; his parents left their hometown Al Hoceima in the 1960s to work in the Netherlands. He grew up in Overvecht, a neighbourhood in Utrecht with a large immigrant population. Afellay and his brother, Ali, were brought up by their mother, Habiba, after his father died when he was young.