Aziz Ouattara Mohammed

Aziz Ouattara Mohammed
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-01-04) 4 January 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 KV Mechelen
Number 32
Youth career
2017–2019 ASEC Mimosas
2019 → Hammarby IF (loan)
2019–2020 Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Hammarby IF 24 (2)
2020 → IK Frej (loan) 26 (2)
2022– Genk 40 (2)
2022–2023 → Jong Genk 9 (0)
2024– → KV Mechelen (loan) 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 November 2024

Aziz Ouattara Mohammed (born 4 January 2001) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or central midfielder for Belgian Pro League club KV Mechelen on loan from Genk.

Early life

Ouattara was born in the Ivorian capital Abidjan. At age three, Ouattara moved to his grandmother in the neighboring country Ghana, where he mostly grew up. At age 15, he moved back to Abidjan and started to play football in the youth academy of local club ASEC Mimosas.[1][2][3]

Club career

Hammarby IF

On 23 May 2019, Ouattara joined Swedish side Hammarby IF on loan, alongside ASEC teammate Bayéré Junior Loué, after a successful trial.[4] Their chief scout Mikael Hjelmberg compared his playing style to that of compatriot Odilon Kossounou, who just had been sold for a club record fee to Club Brugge.[5] Both Ouattara and Loué completed a permanent transfer to Hammarby IF on 30 December 2019, signing four-year deals with the club.[6] In 2020, Ouattara went on loan to Hammarby's affiliated club IK Frej in Ettan, Sweden's third tier. He played 26 league games, and scored twice, as the side finished 9th in the table.[7]

On 1 April 2021, Ouattara made his competitive debut for Hammarby IF against Trelleborgs FF in the quarter-final of the Svenska Cupen, the main domestic cup. His side won 3–2 after extra time, with Ouattara coming on as a half-time substitute.[8] Three days later, Ouattara started and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against rivals Djurgårdens IF in the semi-final.[9] On 30 May 2021, Ouattara won the 2020–21 Svenska Cupen with Hammarby IF, through a 5–4 win on penalties (0–0 after full-time) against BK Häcken in the final.[10][11] He featured in four games as the side reached the play-off round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, after eliminating Maribor (4–1 on aggregate) and FK Čukarički (6–4 on aggregate), where the club was knocked out by Basel (4–4 on aggregate) after a penalty shoot-out, although Ouattara scored in the second leg at home.[12][13][14][15] Following his performances in 2021, Ouattara reportedly attracted interest from other clubs, such as Rennes[16] and Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1, as well as from Al Ain in the UAE Pro League.[17]

Genk

On 7 January 2022, Ouattara completed a transfer to Belgian Pro League club Genk, signing a contract until the summer of 2026.[18][19] The transfer fee was reportedly set at around 30 million SEK (€2.9 million at that time).[20] In July 2024, Ouattara signed a one-season loan with fellow Pro League club KV Mechelen.

Career statistics

Club

As of 4 December 2021[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
IK Frej (loan) 2020 Ettan 26 2 0 0 – 26 2
Hammarby IF 2021 Allsvenskan 24 2 4 1 4[a] 1 32 4
Career total 50 4 4 1 4 1 58 6
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Hammarby IF

References

  1. ^ "Från Elfenbenskusten till södra Stockholm" (in Swedish). Svenskafans. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. ^ ""Chelsea är målet, men Belgien först"" (in Swedish). Supportrarnas Matchprogram. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Från Vikingavallen till världen – Aziz vindlade fotbollsresa" (in Swedish). Fotboll STHLM. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Efter provspelet – Hammarby tecknar låneavtal med ivoriansk duo" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Ny ivorian testar i Bajen: "Fan, har Odilon en tvillingsbrorsa?"" (in Swedish). Fotboll STHLM. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Hammarby skriver avtal med Aziz, Loue och Leon Hien" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Spelarfakta: Ouattara Mohammed Aziz" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Kämpainsatsen gav cupavancemang" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Bragdderby säkrade platsen i titelmatchen" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Hammarby cupvinnare efter straffdrama" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Historisk och dramatisk cupfinalseger mot Häcken" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Maribor 0 – 1 Hammarby". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Hammarby 5 – 1 Čukarički". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Hammarby 3 – 1 Basel". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Ett slut att glömma efter 210 minnesvärda minuter" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  16. ^ "AVSLÖJAR: Storklubbar jagar Ouattara – Bajen vill ha minst 20 miljoner" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Avslöjar: Ouattara nära Al Ain för 30 miljoner kronor" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Aziz klar för Genk" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Welkom Aziz Ouattara" (in Dutch). K.R.C. Genk. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Säljer succéspelaren för 30 miljoner kronor" (in Swedish). Expressen. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  21. ^ Aziz Ouattara Mohammed at Soccerway