“We know football. It goes fast in both directions…” Azzeddine Toufiqui was fatalistic. Five years ago he was part of the professional team of Paris Saint-Germain. His training mates were called Kylian Mbappé, Neymar or Marco Verratti. On January 31, 2024, Azzeddine Toufiqui signed for AG Caen, then relegated to National 3. “I turned down an offer from an eastern country. I rejected others during the winter. Romania, all that, is not for me. »
Pascal Dupraz “kicked him out”
Neither is the French fifth level, a priori. Azzeddine Toufiqui has a left paw which should allow him to express himself more loudly. Paris sought him out while he was in the training center of Stade Malherbe, after the complicated departure of his brother Sabri to Stade Rennais. PSG also offered him his first professional contract.
It was a dream… I experienced it, you can’t take it away from me. When you are with big stars, you can only improve.
Azzeddine Toufiqui
Logically expelled from the Capital club, the offensive midfielder thought to start his career in Caen, at home, in 2019. He played two games upon arrival and disappeared from view. Go to the reserve team. He spent two seasons there, in National 3 and then in National 2. Pascal Dupraz did not want that. “He kicked me out. If it was Nicolas Seube, I would have already played. Football is also a matter of luck. »
Azzeddine Toufiqui was very good with the reserves of Stade Malherbe, which he attended for two years. ©Aline CHATEL
Azzeddine Toufiqui moved to FC Emmen, Netherlands in 2021. He played a lot there in his first year, contributing to his team’s D2 title. Gore, the following season, he fell off the radar again. ”
The coach sent his player back on loan, I didn’t play. At least I learned English. It was a great experience for me despite everything. » Azzeddine Toufiqui played at Philips Stadium PSV Eindhoven. In May 2023, at the end of the two-year contract, he returned home.
A winning project with AG Caen
The requests were not rushed. “I trained with Avranches, I had to sign the next day. But the death of the president happened, which canceled everything. »Azzeddine Toufiqui knocked on the door of AG Caen in December. His brother Sabri played his second season there.
I didn’t want to have an off season. Sometimes you have to go back to recover better.
Azzeddine Toufiqui
Azzeddine Toufiqui initially contented himself with training. He made his decision when the winter transfer window ended. Avangarda took advantage of the opportunity. “The agreement was that he would not be without a game,” explains Christophe Duboscq, his coach. He has only played three games, and there are already coaches, in the higher leagues, who have asked me for feedback on him. »
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Sabri Toufiqui and Azzeddine, her brother, number 10. ©Aline CHATEL
“He changed the face of the team”
The 24-year-old has “changed the face of the team”, according to his coach. This is no surprise to anyone. “He holds the ball very well under pressure. He has good passing skills, very good vision of the game. I’ve seen good players go through when I coached the Avranches reserves, like Jonathan Clauss, Azzedine Ounahi or Jamal Thiaré. Azzeddine is one of the good players. »
Azzeddine Toufiqui from AGC, it’s a win-win project. The player must help the club stay in the National 3. The club must help him stand out so that he quickly finds a higher league. The French Moroccan has no intention of staying in the fifth division for long. “The level is lower than before in the region,” he notes.
Between brothers
Hérouvillais does what he has to. “He has a perfect spirit,” Christophe Duboscq appreciates. The presence of his brother Sabri by his side is a nice bonus. “We have understood each other since childhood. It’s a pleasure to play with him. We have the same game.” The two have never played in the same team. They faced each other only in the reserve, when Azzeddine was in PSG and Sabri in HAC. “We would like to play together at the highest level. » They didn’t give up on their dream. “We know football, we must not give up.