"An Easy Choice": El Aynaoui Explains His Move to Leipzig

The offer from RB Leipzig was a stroke of luck for Neil El Aynaoui. “It’s one of the biggest clubs in the country. When they contacted me, it was an easy choice,” said the Moroccan national team soccer player. The defensive midfielder is on loan from AS Roma for one year.

In the 5-0 win over Hamburger SV, the 25-year-old made his first start and impressed in the holding midfield role with his passing accuracy (93%) and work rate (12 km). “Moroccans like to run. Maybe it’s in my blood. It was already like that when I was a youth player,” explained El Aynaoui.

An Unfortunate Year in Rome

The World Cup participant was signed on the last day of the transfer window. He came up through the ranks at AS Nancy, then moved to Rome via RC Lens, Leipzig’s opponent in this year’s Champions League. There, he made only eight starts in the league last season.

El Aynaoui has known life as a professional athlete since childhood. His father was a professional tennis player who reached No. 14 in the world rankings in November 2003. Younes El Aynaoui reached the quarterfinals twice at both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, and four of his five tournament victories came on clay.

Advice from His Father

A career as a tennis player was never an option for the son. “My father gave us complete freedom, and I liked soccer right away,” said the national team player. Off the field, he picked up a few things from his father: “He always said: You have to sleep well, recover well, and eat well.”

El Aynaoui has since found an apartment in Leipzig. Whether he’ll stay in Leipzig after this season isn’t just up in the air—it’s not even on the midfielder’s mind right now. “I always try not to look too far into the future,” said El Aynaoui.