Ayyoub Bouaddi names Andres Iniesta as his biggest footballing inspiration

At 19, Ayyoub Bouaddi is regarded as the biggest hope in Moroccan football. The Manchester City midfielder has revealed that Andres Iniesta was the player who inspired him most during his childhood, although he did not see much of the Spanish great playing live.

Speaking in an interview with his club, the Morocco international discussed the players who influenced him as he was growing up. In fluent English, Bouaddi immediately named the former world champion when asked about his childhood hero.

The former Lille player has made a promising start to the season and has been praised by his manager for his performances in the Champions League. He then explained how YouTube played a major role in his introduction to Iniesta’s football.

“Andres Iniesta. He is the player I watched the most,” Bouaddi said. He added with a smile: “I did not see him play much, but what I saw was incredible. I grew up with the generation of YouTube compilations. Every day, when I was young, I would type ‘Iniesta skills’ on YouTube.”

The midfielder’s story underlines the generation gap between the two players. When Iniesta left FC Barcelona in 2018, Bouaddi was only 11.

Rather than watching the Spain international regularly in real time, Bouaddi mainly discovered him through online compilations featuring his close control, dancing dribbles, vision and decisive goals. Iniesta was also part of Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning team.

The interview ended with a lighter moment when Bouaddi was asked whether he had ever watched compilations of his own performances. Clearly embarrassed by the question, he admitted that he had seen a few, but did not elaborate.

His choice of Iniesta is understandable given the similarities in their footballing profiles. The two midfielders do not have the same build and their styles are not identical, but both have been noted for qualities beyond physical strength.

Like his Spanish idol, Bouaddi is distinguished by his understanding of the game, technical ability and capacity to operate in tight areas. Those attributes have helped him emerge with LOSC before continuing his development at Manchester City.

He has already attracted attention with the Lions de l’Atlas, including during the 2026 World Cup, and is viewed as part of the future of Morocco’s midfield.

Bouaddi still has a long way to go before he can be compared with Iniesta, but he has taken at least one lesson from his role model: in midfield, technique and intelligence can make all the difference.