Younes Boudadi

Younes Boudadi

Boudadi with Hartford Athletic in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth	(1996-01-23) 23 January 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth	Ypres, Belgium
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
2004–2016	Club Brugge
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2017	Boston College Eagles	35	(0)
2018–2019	Creighton Bluejays	34	(1)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017	Boston Bolts	3	(0)
2018	Laredo Heat	7	(1)
2020	Reno 1868	6	(0)
2021–2022	Hartford Athletic	61	(0)
2023–2024	Indy Eleven	40	(0)
2024	Hartford Athletic	17	(0)
International career^‡
2013–2014	Morocco U17	10	(0)
2014	Morocco U20	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 July 2020

Younes Boudadi (Arabic: يونس بودادي) (born 23 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender. Born in Belgium, he has represented Morocco at youth level.

Club career

Amateur

Boudadi joined Club Brugge when he was just 7 years old and played with them for over 13 years.[1]

After leaving Club Brugge, Boudadi opted to move to the United States to play college soccer, and accepted a scholarship to play at Boston College in 2016.[2] After two years in Boston, Boudadi transferred to play at Creighton University, where he played for a further two years.[3]

Whilst at college, Boudadi appeared for fourth-tier sides in the USL PDL and the NPSL. In 2017 he played with Boston Bolts[4] and in 2018 Laredo Heat.[5]

Professional

On 13 January 2020, Boudadi was selected 102nd overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Los Angeles FC.[6] However, he did not sign with the club.

On 26 March 2020, Boudadi signed with USL Championship side Reno 1868.[7] He made his debut on 19 July 2020, appearing as a 56th-minute substitute in a 1–0 loss to Sacramento Republic.[8]

Following Reno's folding, due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boudadi signed with USL Championship side Hartford Athletic on 22 December 2020.[9][10]

On 2 December 2022, it was announced Boudadi would join USL Championship side Indy Eleven ahead of their upcoming 2023 season.[11]

Boudadi assisted club captain Tyler Gibson in the club's first league goal of the 2024 season in a 2–1 defeat at Oakland Roots on 9 March 2024.[12] He recorded a second assist to forward Sebastian Guenzatti in a 2–1 loss to Detroit City FC on 30 March 2024.[13]

On 14 June 2024, Hartford Athletic announced Boudadi had returned to the Connecticut-based club in a swap deal with Indy Eleven that saw forward Romario Williams join the Eleven. Boudadi made his second debut with Hartford on 15 June, in a 2–0 home win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.[14] He left Hartford following their 2024 season.[15]

International career

Boudadi has represented Morocco at under-17 and under-20 levels, including at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[16]

Personal life

Boudadi is a polyglot, speaking four languages: Arabic, French, Dutch and English.[16]

Racial abuse incident

After Hartford defeated Loudoun United on 4 July 2021, Boudadi received a number of racist messages on Instagram. Boudadi went public with these messages immediately and the United Soccer League was able to investigate and ban the unnamed perpetrator from all USL events.[17]

References

1. Vandenabeele, Christian (21 January 2020). "Belg in het buitenland: Younes Boudadi (23) mag zich bewijzen bij Los Angeles FC". Site-Sportmagazine-NL.
2. "Younes Boudadi - Men's Soccer". Boston College Athletics.
3. "Younes Boudadi - 2019 - Men's Soccer". Creighton University Athletics.
4. "Boston Bolts - 2017 Regular Season - Roster - #4 - Younes Boudadi -". www.uslleaguetwo.com.
5. "National Premier Soccer League". npsl.bonzidev.com.
6. "LAFC Picks Gonzalez And Boudadi In 2020 MLS Superdraft Day Two | Los Angeles Football Club". LAFC.
7. Communications, Reno 1868 FC (26 March 2020). "Reno 1868 FC signs a defender and a goalkeeper". Nevada Sports Net.
8. "Sacramento Republic FC vs. Reno 1868 FC - July 19, 2020 | USLChampionship.com". www.uslchampionship.com.
9. Straus, Brian (6 November 2020). "USL Championship's Reno 1868 Folds". Sports Illustrated.
10. Athletic, Hartford (22 December 2020). "Defender Younes Boudadi Signs with Hartford Athletic". Hartford Athletic | Connecticut's Professional Soccer Team.
11. "Eleven Signs Defender Younes Boudadi".
12. "Recap - OAK 2:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
13. "Recap - IND 1:2 DET". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
14. "Hartford Down the Hounds 2-0 at Home". Hartford Athletic. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
15. "Hartford Athletic 2025 Roster Update".
16. "Younes Boudadi | Player Profile | Reno 1868 FC". reno1868fc.com.
17. USLSoccer com Staff (14 July 2021). "USL Statement on Younes Boudadi Incident". United Soccer League.

External links

• Younes Boudadi - Men's Soccer Boston College bio
• Younes Boudadi - 2019 - Men's Soccer Creighton bio
• Younes Boudadi | Player Profile | Reno 1868 FC Reno 1868 bio
• Younes Boudadi at Major League Soccer
• Younes Boudadi USL bio