Noureddine Amrabat Returns to Europe with Utrecht

Noureddine Amrabat is back in Europe. At 39, the Moroccan winger has signed for Dutch side Utrecht as a free agent, returning to a league and a continent that shaped much of his career.

His comeback follows a single, turbulent season with Wydad in Casablanca. The club’s new management, led by Brahim El Asri, has enforced a strict austerity drive, cutting costs and refusing to renew a raft of contracts. Amrabat was among the high-profile departures, leaving amid a financial crisis that disrupted salary payments late last season.

On the pitch, he still delivered. In 38 appearances for Wydad, Amrabat scored 4 goals and added 4 assists, offering flashes of the experience and craft that have defined his long career.

Utrecht moved quickly once the opportunity appeared. The Eredivisie club confirmed his arrival on Tuesday in a statement on their website, announcing that the former Morocco international had done enough in a short trial spell to earn a deal. Two weeks of training with the squad were sufficient to convince the coaching staff that he could still compete and contribute, and he has now been cleared to play in official matches.

Family influence helped open the door. His younger brother, Sofyan Amrabat – who came through Utrecht’s youth system before building his own high-profile career in Europe – intervened with the club’s hierarchy to secure Noureddine a trial period. The rest, after those two weeks on the training pitch, took care of itself.

For Utrecht, it is a low-risk move for a player rich in know-how. Amrabat brings a wealth of experience from his early days at Ajax, Huizen and PSV, and from a career spent adapting to different systems, roles and pressures. He offers versatility across the attacking line and a veteran’s eye for game management in a young, energetic league.

The timing is sharp. Utrecht head into a fifth-round league clash with GA Eagles on Saturday, and Amrabat is now an option. How quickly he forces his way into the starting picture will say plenty about what he still has left – and how far Utrecht intend to ride the experience of a 39-year-old who refuses to step quietly away from the European stage.