Amine Bassi

Amine Bassi (born 27 November 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo. Born in France, he represents Morocco internationally.

Club career

Nancy

Bassi began his professional career with AS Nancy Lorraine, joining from the youth team of Épinal in 2015. During his first season with the club, he played with the reserve side in Championnat de France Amateur 2, the 5th tier of French football, where he made 21 appearances and scored 5 goals.

Bassi made his first team debut in a 3–0 Ligue 1 loss to Monaco on 6 May 2017. He finished the 2016–17 season with 1 first team appearances as Nancy were relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing 19th. He also made 22 appearances and scored 6 goals for Nancy II. On 9 May Bassi agreed to a professional contract with Nancy, with the deal running until June 2020.

Bassi established himself in the first team during the 2017–18 season. On 8 September 2017 he scored his first and second goals for Nancy the first team and picked up an assist to give ASNL a 3–0 win over Valenciennes. Bassi ended the season with 7 goals and 7 assists in 33 Ligue 2 appearances as Nancy finished 17th, 2 points above the relegation playoff. He also had a goal in 3 Coupe de France appearances and an assist in a Coupe de la Ligue game.

Bassi started the 2018–19 season slowly, but picked up form in the new year. He scored his first goal of the campaign on 19 January in a 2–1 loss to RC Lens. He scored a brace on 22 February to give ASNL a 3–1 win over Gazélec Ajaccio. On 10 May, in the penultimate match of the season, Bassi scored to give Nancy a 1–0 win over Derby Lorrain rivals Metz, who had already secured the Ligue 2 title. The result guaranteed ASNL avoided relegation. Bassi finished the Ligue 2 season with 31 appearances, 6 goals and 2 assists with Nancy finishing in 14th in the table. During the season, Bassi agreed to extend his contract until June 2021.

In the 2019 summer transfer window, Bassi wanted to join Metz and reunite with former Nancy coach Vincent Hognon. Metz made an offer of around €1.5 million, but ASNL refused to sell to their rival. While Bassi tried to force a move, he trained with the reserves and didn't play in Nancy's first 6 games of the Ligue 2 season or in their first 2 Coupe de la Ligue. After no clubs met Nancy's asking price, Bassi returned to the first team. He made his first appearance of the season in matchweek 7, getting the start in a 1–1 draw with Guingamp on 13 September. A week later Bassi recorded his first goal and assist of the season to help ASNL beat Chambly Oise 3–0. In March 2020, the FFF ended the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bassi ended the season with 22 appearances, 4 goals, and 3 assists in Ligue 2, with Nancy 12th in the table after 28 matches played. He also had 1 goal and 2 assists in 4 Coupe de France appearances.

Bassi scored 7 goals and had 3 assists in 19 appearances during the 2020–21 season, all in Ligue 2, helping Nancy finish 8th in the table.

Metz

On 19 May 2021 he signed on a free transfer with Nancy's rivals Metz, agreeing to a four-year contract effective from 1 July. He made his debut for ''Les Grenats'' on 16 August, getting the start and playing an hour in a 2–0 loss to Nantes. Bassi made 6 first team appearances for Metz prior to going on loan. Metz would go on to finish the season in 19th and be relegated.

Loan to Barnsley

On 31 January 2022 Bassi joined EFL Championship side Barnsley on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. He made his debut for Barnsley on 2 February, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Cardiff City. On 26 February he scored his first goals for Barnsley when he scored twice and recorded an assist to give Barnsley a 3–2 win over Middlesbrough. The loan was terminated on 26 April with three games left in the season and Barnsley already relegated. Bassi made 15 appearances, scored 2 goals, and had 5 assists in league play as Barnsley finished 24th in the Championship.

Bassi made 4 appearances for Metz in the 2022–23 season prior to being sold.

Houston Dynamo

On 23 January 2023, Bassi was sold to MLS club Houston Dynamo for a reported $1.5 million transfer fee. He made his Dynamo debut on 4 March, coming off the bench in a 3–0 loss to the New England Revolution. Bassi scored his first goal for the Dynamo on 18 March to help Houston beat Austin FC 2–0. On 8 April Bassi scored a brace in a 3–0 win over the LA Galaxy. His first goal in the match was a penalty kick, making him the first player in MLS history to score a penalty kick in 4 straight games.

International career

Bassi was born in France and is of Moroccan descent. He made his debut for the Morocco U21s in a friendly 4–0 loss to the Italy U21 on 11 October 2017.

Career statistics

References

External links

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ASNL Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassi, Amine
Living people
1997 births
People from Bezons
Footballers from Val-d'Oise
Men's association football midfielders
Moroccan men's footballers
Morocco men's youth international footballers
French men's footballers
French sportspeople of Moroccan descent
AS Nancy Lorraine players
FC Metz players
Barnsley F.C. players
Houston Dynamo FC players
Ligue 1 players
Ligue 2 players
Championnat National 2 players
Championnat National 3 players
English Football League players
Major League Soccer players
Moroccan expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
21st-century French sportsmen