Ibrahim Afellay
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Ibrahim Afellay (born 2 April 1986) is a Dutch former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or winger. He played youth football at Elinkwijk before joining the
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...
youth academy at age 10. After debuting in 2004, he represented PSV for eight seasons, helping them to four
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
titles before moving to
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
for €3 million in January 2011. Rarely used by Barcelona and marred by injury, he was loaned to
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
and
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
before signing for Stoke City in 2015. Afellay spent three seasons with Stoke before ending his career back at PSV. Making his Netherlands national team debut in 2007, Afellay appeared at the
2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, contributing to the Dutch side finishing in second place in the tournament. He was also present at
Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...
and
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
, making over 50 appearances in total.


Early life

Afellay is of Moroccan Riffian descent; his parents left their hometown
Al Hoceima Al Hoceima ( ber, translit=Lḥusima, label= Riffian-Berber, ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ; ar, الحسيمة; '' es, Alhucemas'') is a Riffian city in the north of Morocco, on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains and on the Mediterranean coast. It i ...
in the 1960s to work in the Netherlands. He grew up in Overvecht, a neighbourhood in
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
with a large immigrant population. Afellay and his brother, Ali, were brought up by their mother, Habiba, after his father died when he was young.


Club career


Beginning of career

Afellay started to play football at local side VSK, but joined
USV Elinkwijk Utrechtse Sportvereniging Elinkwijk, known as USV Elinkwijk is a Dutch football club, based in Utrecht. It played professional football during the years 1955–1970. Marco van Basten was a player of the club during his youth years. History The ...
after one season.


PSV

Afellay left Elinkwijk in 1996 for PSV. Afellay's official debut for PSV was on 4 February 2004 during a KNVB Cup match against NAC Breda at the age of 17. His first
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
fixture followed ten days later against
FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...
. Afellay played one more senior match in the 2003–04 season. He signed a new contract at PSV in May that would run until 2007. In the next season, Afellay got a place in the first eleven against
Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisi ...
in December. But during the winter break training camp in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, he suffered a broken toe. Afellay was unable to play for three months. He played nine matches in total in the 2004–05 season; his most memorable being PSV's final home match against
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...
(2–4). Afellay scored twice and provided an assist in the match. He also won the KNVB Cup after appearing as a substitute in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
against Willem II, which PSV won 4–0. In the 2005–06 season, Afellay established himself as a first-team regular at PSV. He formed a midfield partnership with
Timmy Simons Timmy Simons (born 11 December 1976) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was known for his tireless work ethic and penalty-taking ability, having scored 48 competitive goals through penalties, mi ...
and
Phillip Cocu Phillip John-William Cocu (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, he is the manager of Vitesse. Cocu was born in Eindhoven but raised in Zevenaar, playing youth football for local clubs DCS and De Gra ...
. In his first four matches (Johan Cruijff Shield and league), Afellay received four yellow cards, resulting in an immediate suspension. In September, Afellay made his Champions League debut against
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
(1–0 win). Overall, he managed to play a total of 23 league matches during a season hit with a string of minor injuries. PSV won the Eredivisie in 2006; Afellay's second title in a row. In the next season, he played 27 league matches and scored six goals for PSV. The team won the Eredivisie on a single goal difference after defeating Vitesse (5–1) in the last league round. Afellay made the third goal of the match. For his performances that year, Afellay was awarded the
Johan Cruijff Award The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
for being the most promising youngster in The Netherlands. Afellay started the 2007–08 season well by scoring the first goal and assisted the second in the away match against Heracles Almelo (0–2). A month later, a broken toe forced Afellay into a two-month recovery. He extended his contract until 2011 in December. Afellay played 24 Eredivisie matches in the 2007–08 season. He missed second-to-final match against
FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...
in which PSV could seal the championship, but the team failed to do so. The league title was eventually won in the last match against Vitesse with Afellay in the team. The start of the 2008–09 season was troublesome for Afellay when he received less holiday then desired after
Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...
. His season started well though, with the Johan Cruyff Shield victory against
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...
(0–2) and three goals in the opening two Eredivisie matches. Afellay scored 13 league goals in total, including the only goal in the home match against Feyenoord in December. The 2008–09 season, in which PSV finished fourth, ended prematurely after he suffered an injury in April. For the 2009–10 season, Afellay shifted to a more defensive midfield position under new coach
Fred Rutten Fredericus Jacobus Rutten (; born 5 December 1962) is a Dutch football coach and former player. As a player, he spent his entire career with Twente during the years 1979 to 1992. Following his playing career, Rutten also managed Twente, before m ...
. In February, Afellay was promoted to second captain of the team. But because first captain
Timmy Simons Timmy Simons (born 11 December 1976) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was known for his tireless work ethic and penalty-taking ability, having scored 48 competitive goals through penalties, mi ...
was mostly on the bench that season, Afellay was effectively the new captain. In March, Afellay received a three-match ban after video evidence showed foul play against
Eyong Enoh Eyong Tarkang Enoh (born 23 March 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Olympiakos Nicosia in the Cypriot First Division and for the Cameroon national team. During the span of his career, En ...
in the match against Ajax. PSV and Afellay ended the Eredivisie season in third. In the summer, he was officially appointed as team captain. In October, Afellay announced he would not sign a new contract with PSV. With the contract nearing its end, PSV was willing to sell in the winter break. On 15 November, it was
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...
who agreed on a deal with PSV. Afellay signed a contract for four-and-a-half years. In his last PSV match against Roda JC, he was granted a farewell by the fans.


Barcelona

After completing the €3 million transfer, Afellay signed a contract for four and a half years at FC Barcelona. He made his Blaugrana debut on 5 January 2011 in the
Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
match against Athletic Bilbao, replacing
David Villa David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. ...
in injury time. He continued to play 28 Barcelona matches in his first season, of which 18 were as a substitute. Afellay was given his first start on 19 January 2011 against
Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...
in the Copa del Rey. His first goal also occurred in the Copa del Rey against
UD Almería Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001, when it was renamed ''Unión D ...
in February. Afellay scored his first league goal in a 3–1 away win against Málaga CF on the last day of the season. The 2010–11 season ended in the title win for Barcelona and the fifth league championship for Afellay overall. He made his Champions League-debut for Barcelona against Arsenal and went on to appear in the quarter-finals against Shakthar and the semi-finals against Real Madrid. He assisted
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
to score the opening goal of Barcelona's 2–0 away victory over Madrid. Afellay and Barcelona eventually won the Champions League after beating Manchester United (3–1). Afellay came on in the 90th minute of the final. Afellay had a minor hamstring injury in the 2011–12 pre-season, therefore missing out on the Supercopa de España matches against Real Madrid. He returned in time for one Champions League and one La Liga match before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during training in September. After undergoing surgery, Afellay went through a seven-month recovery period. On 29 April, he returned to the field as a substitute in the 71st minute replacing teammate
Sergio Busquets Sergio Busquets Burgos (, ; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona, where he is captain. He is considered to be a deep-lying playmaker capable of directing gameplay ...
against
Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Li ...
on a 7–0 away trashing win for the Catalan side. Although he appeared in two more La Liga fixtures, manager Pep Guardiola did not call-up Afellay for the major matches against
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and Real Madrid.


Schalke 04 (loan)

In the build-up for the 2012–13 season, Barcelona manager
Tito Vilanova Francesc "Tito" Vilanova Bayó (17 September 1968 – 25 April 2014) was a Spanish professional football central midfielder and manager. After a career which consisted of a total of 26 La Liga matches in three seasons, all with Celta, he went o ...
notified Afellay of his decreased playing time in the upcoming year. It prompted him to accept a loan offer from FC Schalke 04 on 31 August. He was reunited with
Jefferson Farfán Jefferson Agustín Farfán Guadalupe (; born 26 October 1984) is a Peruvian former professional footballer who mainly played as a winger. Commonly known as Farfán or the nickname ''Foquita'' (Spanish for ''Little Seal''), he is known for his ...
and coach Huub Stevens. Afellay made his debut the next day against
FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
. He scored four goals at Schalke, including the opening goal in the
Revierderby The Revierderby () is the name given to any association football match between two clubs in the Ruhr region – also known in German as the ', a contraction of ''Bergbaurevier'' (mining area) – in North Rhine-Westphalia, but almost always refe ...
against
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
(1–2) and a goal against Arsenal in the Champions League. Afellay played his last Schalke match on 10 November; he picked up a muscle injury in a Dutch national team friendly against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
a few days later. The injury prevented Afellay from playing until January, when he suffered a similar muscle strain in a friendly against
Al Sadd SC Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the ...
. With the recovery this time taking the remainder of the season, Afellay returned to The Netherlands after expressing his discontent with the medical treatment at Schalke 04. Although both parties kept in contact, Afellay did not return to Gelsenkirchen anymore after the injury; a move that led to criticism from Schalke's general manager
Horst Heldt Horst Heldt (born 9 December 1969) is a German football executive and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the former general manager of 1. FC Köln. Playing career Heldt was born in Königswinter. He played at 1. FC Köln from 1990 ...
. Afellay returned to Spain in May to evaluate his problems with the FC Barcelona medical staff. He decided to start training two weeks earlier than the rest of the squad in order to focus on his recovery. But in August, Afellay had to undergo another surgery on a thigh injury in Barcelona, sidelining him for another four months. Although he was originally not given a squad number, Barcelona assigned Afellay the number 19 jersey after the transfer window deadline had passed.


Olympiacos (loan)

On 10 August 2014
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
announced the acquisition of Afellay on a season long deal. He scored his first goal in the Superleague on his debut on 23 August, receiving the ball in the 32nd minute following a pass from Alejandro Domínguez. Afellay enjoyed a successful
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
in Greece with Olympiacos as they won the league and cup double. At the end of the 2014–15 season, he was released by Barcelona after his injury hit stay at the club.


Stoke City

Afellay joined
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
side Stoke City on a two-year contract on 27 July 2015. He made his debut on 9 August, in a 1–0 defeat against
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
at the
Britannia Stadium The Bet365 Stadium (stylised as ''bet365 Stadium'') is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and the home of EFL Championship club Stoke City. The stadium was previously called the Britannia Stadium but was ...
, playing 78 minutes before making way for
Peter Odemwingie Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward and winger. Odemwingie grew up in Uzbekistan and Russia and began his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria Premier League. ...
. He was sent-off against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
on 29 August 2015, for slapping
Craig Gardner Craig Gardner (born 25 November 1986) is an English professional football coach and former player who made 260 appearances in the Premier League and a further 67 in the Championship. He joined the coaching staff at Birmingham City in January 20 ...
. He scored his first goal for Stoke on 1 December 2015 in a 2–0
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
victory against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
. Afellay scored his first Premier League goal on 13 February 2016 in a 3–1 win against AFC Bournemouth. He scored his second Premier League goal on his 30th birthday in a 2–2 draw with Swansea City on 2 April 2016. On 22 April 2016 Afellay suffered a serious knee injury in training, ruling him out for up to eight months. In total Afellay played 36 times for Stoke in 2015–16 scoring three goals as the side finished in ninth position. Afellay made his return from injury against Liverpool on 27 December 2016. Afellay signed a two-year contract extension with Stoke on 2 March 2017. He suffered another injury in April 2017 and under went knee surgery. Afellay managed to make 13 appearances in 2016–17, of which 3 were starts as Stoke finished in 13th position. He returned from injury in September 2017 but was unable to establish himself in Mark Hughes' in 2017–18 team making just six appearances. Afellay then had a training ground bust up with new manager
Paul Lambert Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town. Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...
in March 2018 and was told to stay away from the club. Afellay returned to the club for pre-season ahead of the 2018–19 season and scored in a friendly against
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
but suffered another long term knee injury. His contract with Stoke was terminated by mutual consent on 28 January 2019.


Return to PSV

On 18 June 2019, PSV announced the return of Afellay after nine years. On 31 January 2021, Afellay announced his retirement from professional football. He stated: "What I wanted has not happened. But I am at peace with it. You know that this moment will come sooner or later. It's fine like this."


International career

Afellay and his family are Moroccan Dutch. After both the Moroccan and the Dutch national teams managers selected him for their squads, he was caught in the dilemma to either play for the Moroccan national team, because of his Moroccan descent, or to play for the Dutch team, the Netherlands being his place of birth and residence. He ultimately decided to play for the Dutch national team despite the heavy competition for places in midfield. He made his international debut in a Euro 2008 qualifier against
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
on 28 March 2007. He played in the 2008 European Championships as a substitute. Just seconds after replacing Dirk Kuyt in the group match against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
he nearly scored a goal but his shot hit the top of the crossbar. In their last group match against
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, he was given a place in the starting eleven alongside
Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his gener ...
in midfield. On 12 October 2010, Afellay scored his first international goals in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Sweden.


2010 World Cup

Afellay was part of the Dutch team for the
2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
managed by
Bert van Marwijk Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch football manager who was recently the head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV and Fortuna Sittard amongst other club ...
. The player came on as a substitute for their first and second matches in the competition, a 2–0 victory over
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
and 1–0 victory over Japan respectively, as well as the round of 16 match against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.


Euro 2012

Despite being injured for most of the 2011–12 season, he was included in the Netherlands'
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
squad. On 2 June 2012, Afellay scored two goals in a 6–0 friendly win over
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, which was the Netherlands' final match ahead of the tournament. In the first match of the tournament, his team suffered a 1–0 loss to
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
. He was part of the starting eleven against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as well. After the second loss, the head coach
Bert van Marwijk Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch football manager who was recently the head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV and Fortuna Sittard amongst other club ...
decided to replace him with
Rafael van der Vaart Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant manager of Danish 2nd Division club Esbjerg fB. Van der Vaart began his c ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Afellay goal.''


Honours

PSV *
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 * KNVB Cup: 2004–05 * Johan Cruyff Shield:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Barcelona *
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
*
Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
: 2011–12 *
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
Olympiacos * Superleague Greece: 2014–15 Netherlands *
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
runner-up: 2010 Individual *
Johan Cruyff Trophy The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
: 2007


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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Afellay, Ibrahim 1986 births Living people Footballers from Utrecht (city) Dutch people of Riffian descent Dutch sportspeople of Moroccan descent Association football wingers Dutch footballers Riffian people Eredivisie players La Liga players Bundesliga players Super League Greece players Premier League players PSV Eindhoven players FC Barcelona players FC Schalke 04 players Olympiacos F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Netherlands youth international footballers Netherlands international footballers UEFA Euro 2008 players 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2012 players USV Elinkwijk players Dutch expatriate footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Spain Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Germany Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Greece Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Greece Expatriate footballers in England UEFA Champions League winning players