Former youth player Attaibi about time at Ajax: “Look back a bit bittersweet”

‘I look back a bit bittersweet’, Attaibi opens. At a young age he had to deal with Robin Pronk in the D1. That turned out not to be good for him: ‘I loved playing for Ajax. I’ve always done well there, but from the moment that coach was there… That was really not a nice man. It has ended a bit.’

According to Attaibi, the pleasure of playing football at Ajax became less and less due to Pronk: ‘Under him anyway, but if I just played football on the street, the fun was still there. You’re not going to take that away from me.’

After his term, Attaibi went to AFC, although there was also interest from professional clubs. However, a switch was not easy, given the Moroccan background of his parents: ‘That was a different time. I also have parents of the first generation and they did not speak the language. They couldn’t call for you and that’s why it was a different time. So it started nice, but it just ended a bit less. I’m glad I experienced it.’ Attaibi plays with Van der Wiel

After a period at Almere City FC, Attaibi switched to indoor football. Before that he played in the Ajax Youth together with Gregory van der Wiel. According to Attaibi, where is the difference between Van der Wiel and himself, which made the right back successful in the professional field? ‘I don’t think it would have been due to the discipline of both of us. Somehow I think I just didn’t like soccer anymore. I didn’t go for it anymore either. I didn’t think the whole culture around it suited me either and maybe it didn’t suit my qualities either. I was good in small spaces, which is useful on the field now, but I felt that was less appreciated than now.’

Attaibi compares the response to players who are good in the small spaces with his time: ‘For example, when I see how Frenkie de Jong can run all the time on the field, everyone says “great, he dares” . If you used to do that, they say “pass the ball”. Greg might have had the mentality to get everything out of it. I didn’t necessarily have the ambition to do anything on the field anymore.’