The €100m teenager: a ‘beautiful person’ aiming to emulate City legend Rodri
MANCHESTER CITY FC Ayyoub Bouaddi, who represented France at youth level, passed his exams a year early and has a passion for chess Ayyoub Bouaddi’s maturity and intelligence mark him out as a rare talent with big shoes to fill at the Etihad ‘Very comfortable technically, he is always in the right position. And he’s a charming boy’ 27 Aug 2026 - The Guardian Will Unwin 'He’s like a computer,” the former Lille head of academy recruitment, Mathieu Frison , says of the €100m (£85.7m) Manchester City recruit Ayyoub Bouaddi . “You teach him something, he learns it and can do it immediately.” Bouaddi has the mountainous challenge at his new club of replacing the world’s best central midfielder. It would be difficult for anyone but at 18 it feels monumental, although those who know the Morocco international best would not bet against him. Bouaddi has known only Lille and Ligue 1 but is entering one of the biggest clubs in the world where a season without a trophy is de...