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Join on Telegram Marrakech – Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal is slowly establishing himself as one of Ligue 1’s most promising defenders. In Rennes’ 4-1 thrashing of AS Monaco, the Moroccan center-back delivered another impressive performance.
The 19-year-old, fresh off a successful international debut with the Atlas Lions against Uganda, put together a complete performance against visitors Monaco where he scored the opening goal for Habib Beye’s side, constantly broke lines in build-up with his sharp passing, and provided defensive security in the backline for Les Rouge et Noirs.
2 goals + 1 assist in his last 4 matches… as a centre-back. 🛡️
19-year-old Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal. 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/CgwhyBjQn0
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 22, 2025
Ait Boudlal’s goal highlighted one of his greatest strengths: his willingness to take initiative and provide numerical superiority in midfield and in attack.
The Moroccan international had fingerprints all over Rennes’ opener. First, he broke through the Monaco press by playing a one-two with Przemysław Frankowski on the edge of his own box. Then, he carried the ball all the way up the field and into the final third.
Where most center-backs would have stopped and rushed back to their defensive position, Ait Boudlal continued his effort, and made a darting run into the box. There, he was able to get on the end of Mahdi Camara’s cross, deflecting the ball into the top right corner with an unorthodox finish with his thigh.
Offensive contributions are becoming more frequent by the day for Ait Boudlal. Over his last four Ligue 1 matches, the defender has amassed three goal contributions – an impressive figure for a center-back.
Rennes’ head coach Habib Beye says that Ait Boudlal’s ability to contribute offensively was discovered during training.
“Often, a coach discovers a player’s quality through what he produces in training,” he said. “At times, we realized that when he had 30 meters in front of him, there was nothing that could stop him. We told ourselves he could bring this superiority to the center through this capacity to carry the ball.”
The former Senegal international did not withhold any praise for the Mohamed VI Academy graduate, but also tempered expectations considering Ait Boudlal’s young age. “He’s a boy who has a lot of insouciance, quality, really, I don’t know where his limit is. He’s good in build-up, calm, composed. He contributes defensively. He is physical in duels and very rarely challenged in 1v1 situations,” he said, before adding: “He’s a young 2006-born player, who will yet make mistakes we need to accept. We will continue accompanying him.”
The next few weeks will be crucial for Ait Boudlal. If he sustains this level of performance for Rennes, the Marrakech-native could establish himself as a crucial player in Walid Regragui’s plans ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, especially as Nayef Aguerd’s fitness status remains uncertain.
