Ibrahim Afellay
- Thread starter Barcaman
- Start date
Always knew he was a great player sadly who couldn't have gotten anything over prime Iniesta
CuleLife4Life
Active member
Great for him! I remember when he was highly regarded in the national team setup. Sad things didn't pan out for him to go to Brazil this year but he has time to make it for the Euros and Russia.
CuleLife4Life
Active member
Happy for him!!
xboogiex
New member
Great article about Afellay http://www.*********/en/news/1717/editorial/2014/10/10/5169540/ibracadabra-afellay-rediscovering-his-magic-after-barcelona?ICID=HP_FT_2
Since the link wont work i'll post the article.
When the returning Guus Hiddink named his first Netherlands squad last month for the friendly against Italy and Euro 2016 qualifier with Czech Republic, there were a few surprises in the list of 23.
The inclusion of Jeroen Zoet and Erik Pieters raised eyebrows after the duo had been snubbed by Louis van Gaal for the World Cup. Meanwhile, the presence of Virgil van Dijk, ignored for so long by Van Gaal despite his remarkable form for Groningen and Celtic, was also noteworthy.
However, there was one name which stood out more than any other - that of Ibrahim Afellay.
"Afellay has already proved he is a very good player," Hiddink explained. "He has put a huge nasty period behind him and returned."
It had been almost two years since the ex-Barcelona winger had featured for the national team in a friendly against Germany in November 2012. Since then, the Utrecht-born player had been remarkably unlucky. He picked up a chronic hamstring injury after that match and was kept out of action for the remainder of his season on loan at Schalke. It only compounded the misery of the previous campaign, which Afellay missed almost entirely.
It has been a nightmare few years for a player who joined Barca from PSV in January 2011 with a dream of becoming a star for the Catalan giants. He had looked set for big things having emerged in the PSV first-team at the age of 17, becoming captain at 23.
He arrived at Camp Nou as a fresh-faced 24-year-old, a four-time champion of the Eredivisie and a former Dutch Player of the Year. Then a key player of the Netherlands team and a member of the squad which finished runner-up to Spain in the 2010 World Cup, his stock was rising immensely.
But after a brutal series of injuries which saw him make just 21 league appearances in Spain, Afellay’s career has gone on a massive downward trajectory. He went on loan to Schalke in 2012 and had a bright start in Gelsenkirchen, playing in the first 10 games before injury struck and forced his return to Catalonia.
The highlights for Afellay in Spain were minimal. Only one great contribution stands out. In a heated Clasico at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the 2011 Champions League semi-final, the attacker skipped past Real Madrid defender Marcelo before setting up Lionel Messi's opener in a 2-0 win. Pep Guardiola's men drew the second-leg 1-1 and went on to beat Manchester United in the final. That influential moment was not enough to save his Blaugrana career. Unwanted at Camp Nou, he was shifted off to Greece to play for Olympiakos this summer as he looks to salvage what should have been a career spent at the top level.
The Dutchman of Moroccan descent is no stranger to fighting against adversity. Having joined PSV’s youth system at just 10-years-old, Afellay was never expected to make it in the game given his small stature. It was then PSV coach Hiddink who saw enough in the skilful and quick midfielder and brought him into the senior squad, handing him his debut.
The 67-year-old coach has always had great belief in Afellay and it is clear he still rates him as a very talented and formidable attacker. When the ex-Real Madrid boss called him up to the squad for the matches against Italy and Czech Republic, the 28-year-old had played just one game for Olympiakos, scoring on his debut.
The Oranje star has since played two more league matches for the Greek side, but his greatest contribution came in his team’s first Champions League game of the season as he scored one and set up another in their 3-2 win over La Liga holders Atletico Madrid. Afellay caused Diego Simeone's side all kinds of problems with his skill and dynamism.
The early signs are very positive for a player looking to get his career back on track. As he regains match fitness, it is clear he can become a pivotal member of the Greek club as they look to compete in Europe and maintain their dominance on the domestic front. Olympiakos have won all but two of the last 18 titles and are currently on a streak of four in a row.
And thanks to Hiddink, he has a great opportunity of developing into a key member of the Netherlands squad once again, too. He could finally get some game time when they line up against Kazakhstan and Iceland in the coming days.
"I've never been a star and never will be a star," a modest Afellay told NUSport. "The outside world only sees confirmation in the Champions League, but after my recovery I trained with the best players in the world. That helped, of course, to lift me to a higher level."
Afellay still has a long way to go and may never return to the level required for a European giant like Barcelona. But his lightning-fast start to his time in Greece, in addition to the faith Hiddink has shown in him, means he can achieve great things once again in a career that had looked doomed.
Since the link wont work i'll post the article.
When the returning Guus Hiddink named his first Netherlands squad last month for the friendly against Italy and Euro 2016 qualifier with Czech Republic, there were a few surprises in the list of 23.
The inclusion of Jeroen Zoet and Erik Pieters raised eyebrows after the duo had been snubbed by Louis van Gaal for the World Cup. Meanwhile, the presence of Virgil van Dijk, ignored for so long by Van Gaal despite his remarkable form for Groningen and Celtic, was also noteworthy.
However, there was one name which stood out more than any other - that of Ibrahim Afellay.
"Afellay has already proved he is a very good player," Hiddink explained. "He has put a huge nasty period behind him and returned."
It had been almost two years since the ex-Barcelona winger had featured for the national team in a friendly against Germany in November 2012. Since then, the Utrecht-born player had been remarkably unlucky. He picked up a chronic hamstring injury after that match and was kept out of action for the remainder of his season on loan at Schalke. It only compounded the misery of the previous campaign, which Afellay missed almost entirely.
It has been a nightmare few years for a player who joined Barca from PSV in January 2011 with a dream of becoming a star for the Catalan giants. He had looked set for big things having emerged in the PSV first-team at the age of 17, becoming captain at 23.
He arrived at Camp Nou as a fresh-faced 24-year-old, a four-time champion of the Eredivisie and a former Dutch Player of the Year. Then a key player of the Netherlands team and a member of the squad which finished runner-up to Spain in the 2010 World Cup, his stock was rising immensely.
But after a brutal series of injuries which saw him make just 21 league appearances in Spain, Afellay’s career has gone on a massive downward trajectory. He went on loan to Schalke in 2012 and had a bright start in Gelsenkirchen, playing in the first 10 games before injury struck and forced his return to Catalonia.
The highlights for Afellay in Spain were minimal. Only one great contribution stands out. In a heated Clasico at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the 2011 Champions League semi-final, the attacker skipped past Real Madrid defender Marcelo before setting up Lionel Messi's opener in a 2-0 win. Pep Guardiola's men drew the second-leg 1-1 and went on to beat Manchester United in the final. That influential moment was not enough to save his Blaugrana career. Unwanted at Camp Nou, he was shifted off to Greece to play for Olympiakos this summer as he looks to salvage what should have been a career spent at the top level.
The Dutchman of Moroccan descent is no stranger to fighting against adversity. Having joined PSV’s youth system at just 10-years-old, Afellay was never expected to make it in the game given his small stature. It was then PSV coach Hiddink who saw enough in the skilful and quick midfielder and brought him into the senior squad, handing him his debut.
The 67-year-old coach has always had great belief in Afellay and it is clear he still rates him as a very talented and formidable attacker. When the ex-Real Madrid boss called him up to the squad for the matches against Italy and Czech Republic, the 28-year-old had played just one game for Olympiakos, scoring on his debut.
The Oranje star has since played two more league matches for the Greek side, but his greatest contribution came in his team’s first Champions League game of the season as he scored one and set up another in their 3-2 win over La Liga holders Atletico Madrid. Afellay caused Diego Simeone's side all kinds of problems with his skill and dynamism.
The early signs are very positive for a player looking to get his career back on track. As he regains match fitness, it is clear he can become a pivotal member of the Greek club as they look to compete in Europe and maintain their dominance on the domestic front. Olympiakos have won all but two of the last 18 titles and are currently on a streak of four in a row.
And thanks to Hiddink, he has a great opportunity of developing into a key member of the Netherlands squad once again, too. He could finally get some game time when they line up against Kazakhstan and Iceland in the coming days.
"I've never been a star and never will be a star," a modest Afellay told NUSport. "The outside world only sees confirmation in the Champions League, but after my recovery I trained with the best players in the world. That helped, of course, to lift me to a higher level."
Afellay still has a long way to go and may never return to the level required for a European giant like Barcelona. But his lightning-fast start to his time in Greece, in addition to the faith Hiddink has shown in him, means he can achieve great things once again in a career that had looked doomed.
Last edited:
BerkeleyBernie
Senior Member
Deflection, but still, the game winner against a parked bus. Go Ibrafellay!
MessiDinho10
New member
Assisted the equaliser and scored the winner versus Kazakhstan. Playing very well lately.
Ibi
. We can still use him as the Don's temp replacement till Denis is ready and Ibi enters his twilight as well
Sunny Mir
Member
Ibi
He is in very good form from the start of the season and I would have loved to have him and send S.roberto on loan and I think his contract expires at the end of this season.
He played as winger not midfielder in Barcelona, so he wasn't competing against Iniesta at all.
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