Sofyan Amrabat

Sofyan Amrabat (Arabic: سفيان أمرابط; born 21 August 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United, on loan from Serie A club Fiorentina, and the Morocco national team.

Amrabat is a graduate of Utrecht's youth system. He made his first-team debut for the club in November 2014, and went on to make 54 appearances for them in total, before being signed by Feyenoord in 2017. One year later, he joined Belgian team Club Brugge, who loaned him to Italian club Hellas Verona in August 2019. Verona purchased him and immediately sold him to Fiorentina in January 2020. He joined Manchester United on loan in September 2023.

Born in the Netherlands, Amrabat played youth international football for both the Netherlands and Morocco. He made his senior international debut for Morocco in March 2017, and has represented the country at two FIFA World Cups and two Africa Cup of Nations.

Club career

Utrecht

Amrabat joined Utrecht's youth system in 2007 from HSV De Zuidvogels. He made his first-team debut for Utrecht against Vitesse on 2 November 2014.

Feyenoord

Amrabat joined Feyenoord in the summer of 2017. He signed a four-year contract and Utrecht received a transfer fee of €4 million.

Club Brugge

In August 2018, he joined Belgian team Club Brugge on a four-year contract, with Feyenoord receiving €2.5 million. He was sent on loan to Italian club Hellas Verona in August 2019.

Hellas Verona

In January 2020, Hellas Verona exercised their option to purchase Amrabat from Club Brugge for €3.5 million. They immediately sold him to Fiorentina for a transfer fee of €20 million, with the deal containing potential add-ons of €1.5 million. Amrabat remained on loan at Hellas Verona until the end of the 2019–20 season, as he was not permitted to play for more than two clubs during the season. In July 2020, he won Hellas Verona's Player of the Season award.

Fiorentina

Amrabat made his debut for Fiorentina in a 4–3 loss to Inter Milan on 26 September 2020. He started and played every minute of Fiorentina's 2–1 defeat to West Ham United in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final.

Manchester United

Amrabat joined Manchester United on loan from Fiorentina on 1 September 2023, on a deadline day until the end of the 2023–24 season. Manchester United paid Fiorentina a loan fee of £8.5 million, with the deal containing an option to buy for £21.4 million. On 23 September, he made his Premier League debut, coming off the bench in the 89th minute replacing Jonny Evans, in a 1–0 away win over Burnley. Three days later, Amrabat made his first start for the Red Devils, in a 3–0 home victory over Crystal Palace in the third round of the EFL Cup, where he played 60 minutes before being replaced by debutant Dan Gore. On 1 November 2023, Amrabat was nominated for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year by CAF. Amrabat started in the FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest, receiving a lot of criticism for his first half performance. However, fans such as Mark Goldbridge agreed his second half performace was elite, despite not being started in a game since the game against Liverpool in December. He also received compliments from former teammate Sergio Reguilón and current teammate Amad.

International career

Netherlands under-15 team

Amrabat was eligible to represent the Netherlands or Morocco at international level. At first, he represented the Netherlands, making four appearances at under-15 level.

Morocco

Amrabat was selected in the Morocco under-17 national team for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made three appearances at the tournament.

On 28 March 2017, Amrabat made his senior debut for the Morocco national team in a 1–0 friendly win over Tunisia. In May 2018, he was named in Morocco's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

On 10 November 2022, Amrabat was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. As Morocco clinched 4th place in the tournament, his strong performances led to an increase of interest for his services across Europe.

Amrabat appeared for Morocco at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where he was sent off in the 83rd minute of the team's 2–0 loss to South Africa in the round of 16.

Personal life

Amrabat was born in Huizen in the Netherlands, to parents of Moroccan descent. He is the younger brother of former Morocco international Nordin Amrabat.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2024

International

As of match played 11 June 2024

Honours

Feyenoord

• KNVB Cup: 2017–18
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2017, 2018

Club Brugge

• Belgian Pro League: 2019–20

Fiorentina

• Coppa Italia runner-up: 2022–23
• UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2022–23

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 2023–24

Individual

• Eredivisie Player of the Month: November 2017
• Hellas Verona Player of the Season: 2019–20
• Gazzetta dello Sport Best African Player in Serie A: 2020
• IFFHS Africa Team of The Year: 2022
• CAF Team of the Year: 2023

Orders

• Order of the Throne: 2022

References

External links

• Sofyan Amrabat at the Manchester United FC website
• Sofyan Amrabat – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Sofyan Amrabat – UEFA competition record (archive)
• Sofyan Amrabat at WorldFootball.net
• Sofyan Amrabat at Soccerbase
• Sofyan Amrabat at Soccerway