After his debut against PSG, the Netherlands want to reclaim this Moroccan gem
Barely having appeared in Ligue 1 against PSG, Safouane Benzahra is already attracting attention from the Netherlands. The KNVB is trying to convince the young AS Monaco player, currently a Moroccan youth international, to join the Oranje.
The 18-year-old made his debut in the French league on Friday, September 4, during Monaco’s 1-2 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain. Coming on in the final minutes in place of Aleksandr Golovin, he helped see out the match and allowed the Monegasques to preserve their advantage.
His progress has not gone unnoticed in the Netherlands. According to De Telegraaf, the Dutch federation has already held discussions with Benzahra’s entourage about his international future.
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Born in Breda, the young player already knows the KNVB. When he was playing for NAC Breda, he was invited twice to take part in training camps with the Dutch under-16 team. He has since represented the Moroccan national teams and has notably made three appearances for the under-18s. He has also been called up to Morocco’s U20 team.
Morocco and the Netherlands are once again competing for his future
The KNVB has therefore not given up on bringing him back into its fold. However, no final decision by the player in favor of the Netherlands has been announced. Morocco, for its part, continues to include him in its youth teams.
The situation recalls the many battles between Morocco and the Netherlands to attract young dual nationals. In recent months, the KNVB has already seen several promising players developed in the Netherlands definitively choose the Moroccan national teams.
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Benzahra is simultaneously enjoying a rapid rise at club level. Trained at NAC Breda since 2018 after beginning at VV Baronie, he had scored 17 goals with the U17s before leaving for Monaco in 2025. With Monaco’s U19s, he subsequently scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 18 matches.
Before facing PSG, the Moroccan had already played his first minutes with the first team during the Conference League qualifying rounds against Górnik Zabrze. Monaco now intends to secure his future: according to the Dutch press, a verbal agreement has been reached to extend his contract until the summer of 2029.
