Last update 22 April, 2024 by Alberto Llopis
Zakaria Bakkali pointed ways but ended up being one of those for star players who were but then they stayed away from it. And it is that with just 15 years, it was said that he was the best player in the world of his age. This made it one of the most coveted pieces on the football market.. That someone even nicknamed him “The new Pelé”, Crown jewel, maybe the new Romario or the best Ronaldo, For this reason, that at that time he was in the ranks of PSV.
A) Yes, this footballer of little more than 1.64 meters that had innate qualities to play soccer never reached that level that was assumed of him. It was never the perfect complement to the Hazards, Mertens and company in the Belgium national team.
What became of Zakaria Bakkali?
Born in Morocco but raised in Liège where he started in the ranks of Standard to take his first steps as a footballer, to the 15 it already was “the best player in the world of that age” and one of the goals of Manchester City and United, always interested in having the best for their quarries. You can say that there have been many young people who promised and then came to nothing –Freddy Adu be the most notable case- and unfortunately, in case of Zakaria Bakkali it was one more.
He debuted with the PSV first team with just 17 years. Then Valencia was made with his signing in 2015 with scarcely 19 years. In the Mestalla club he hardly played 40 matches in 2 seasons and upon arrival in 2017, Marcelino decided to discard it. He went to the Depor where he played 24 games as loaned by Valencia in the relegation of the Coruña team in 2018 to later return to the Valencian club where Marcelino discarded him again and ended up in the Anderlecht Belgian. Tras pasar sin pena ni gloria por el K. Beerschot V. A firmó en el RKC Waalwijk holandés donde sigue en la temporada 2023-24.
Unfortunately it was another player of these who stayed on the way until they became at least, a top-level footballer and not one more of the many that we find on the international scene.