The all-action midfielder
Naouirou Ahamada might still be in the earlier chapters of his career, but the midfielder has already made a significant impression on the senior stage.

Naouirou Ahamada might still be in the earlier chapters of his career, but the midfielder has already made a significant impression on the senior stage.
Despite being just 20 years of age, Ahamada has already adapted to and played in three different countries; represented France at up to Under-18s level; and finished third with his country at the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup Finals in Brazil.
Born in Marseille, Ahamada’s European tour began at local club FC Istres, from where he was scouted and recruited by Juventus in 2018 as a 16-year-old.
Despite only playing in Turin for two years, Ahamada became a regular for Juve’s Under-23s side and impressed against top European academies in the UEFA Youth League.
That rapid progress brought Ahamada to the attentions of Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart, whom the then-18-year-old joined – initially on loan – in the summer of 2020.
Starting out with Stuttgart’s development squad, Ahamada’s senior debut took little time to follow; the midfielder made his Bundesliga bow in February 2021 and his first professional start just two months later.
Despite a challenging 22/23 season for the German side, the young midfielder was a near ever-present for Stuttgart prior to joining Palace, starting 17 of his team’s 18 games in all competitions.
During that time, Ahamada scored twice, including Die Roten’s first goal of the campaign – a placed effort from outside the box against RB Leipzig – and registered two assists.
Ahamada cites fellow Marseille local Zinedine Zidane, “a special player for me”, as his idol, but feels that he still has room for growth as a player, saying recently: “I want to always keep working, learning and getting better.”
Ahamada made his debut for the Eagles as a second-half substitute for fellow midfielder Cheick Doucouré at Old Trafford in February 2023. He made eight apperances in total during his first half-season in south London, coming on as a substitute each time.