Nayef Aguerd is a Hammer!
The Morocco centre-back has joined West Ham United from Rennes and becomes David Moyes' first signing of the summer, ahead of what promises to be a thrilling 2022/23 season!
Having previously represented Dijon, FUS Rabat and become a regular starter for his national team as well, there is plenty to know about our new No27!
1. He was born on Morocco's Atlantic coast
Nayef Aguerd was born and raised in the port city of Kenitra in north western Morocco. With a population of just over 430,000, Kentira is the ninth largest city in the North African country, which declared independence in 1956. Aguerd joined the city’s leading club, four-times Moroccan champions Kenitra AC, as a schoolboy and remained there until the age of 12.
2. He trained at the King's Academy
Aguerd was spotted by scouts from the Mohammed VI Football Academy, which was created by King Mohammed VI as a national training centre for younger footballers, and became one of the first 45 players aged 12 and 13 to join in September 2009. The young Aguerd moved into the Academy, situated 30 miles down the coast in the city of Salé, as a boarder, enabling him to concentrate on his football and education full-time.
3. He's a champion in his homeland!
Aguerd remained at the Mohammed VI Football Academy until the age of 18, converting from a midfielder to centre-back and training alongside the likes of current Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri. He then joined leading Moroccan top-flight club Fath Union Sports, based in the capital city Rabat, in 2014. Under the guidance of coach Walid Regragui, Aguerd reached the Throne Cup final in 2015 before winning the Moroccan League title in 2016, shortly after his 20th birthday.
4. Dijon thought he was mustard...
After two more seasons as a first-team regular for Fath Union Sports, Aguerd was increasingly linked to a move to Europe and joined French Ligue 1 club Dijon. The young defender scored four goals in 24 appearances across two seasons at the Stade Gaston-Gérard before moving to the more established Stade Rennais in the summer of 2020.
5. He made history at Rennes
Aguerd quickly established himself as a first-team regular for Rennes, starting the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League tie against Krasnodar in September 2020 and featuring in four group-stage matches. After making 40 appearances in 2020/21, the centre-back matched that number last season, including nine in the UEFA Europa Conference League as Rennes reached the round of 16 before being eliminated by Leicester City.
6. He's been an international since the age of 19
Aguerd has been involved in the Morocco national-team setup since 2015, when he featured in the Maurice-Revello Tournament in France, helping his country reach the final. In 2018, he won the African Nations Championship – an international competition in which only players playing domestically in their home country can participate – on home turf.
7. He's a regular starter for Morocco
The defender’s full international debut for Morocco arrived in August 2016, when he started a goalless friendly draw with Albania. Aguerd was an ever-present at the delayed CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January this year, where his country reached the quarter-finals before losing to Egypt on penalties. Then, in March 2022, he started both legs as Morocco beat Arthur Masuaku’s DR Congo 5-2 on aggregate to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar.
8. He's been one of the best centre-backs in French football
Aguerd was one of the most highly-rated centre-backs in French football in 2021/22. Of all players in that position who made 25 or more Ligue 1 appearances, the Moroccan was ranked fourth by respected analytics website WhoScored, with his rating of 6.88 lower than only Metz’s Boubakar Kouyaté, Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo (6.90) and Brest’s Brendan Chardonnet (6.89) and ahead of the likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Prisnel Kimpembe and level with Marseille’s William Saliba.
