Ziyad Baha
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ziyad Baha Abelhadj[1] | ||
Date of birth | 10 August 2009 | ||
Place of birth | Málaga, Spain[1] | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Real Betis | ||
Youth career | |||
FUS Rabat | |||
2023–2024 | Málaga | ||
2024– | Real Betis | ||
International career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2023–2024 | Morocco U15 | 6 | (2) |
2023–2024 | Morocco U16 | 5 | (2) |
2024– | Morocco U17 | 15 | (10) |
Ziyad Baha Abelhadj (Arabic: زياد باها; born 10 August 2009) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Real Betis. Born in Spain, he is a youth international for Morocco.
Early and personal life
[edit]Baha was born in Málaga, Spain, to former Moroccan international footballer Nabil Baha, who was playing for Málaga at the time, and Spanish former model Farah Farabian.[2][3] His sister, Mayssa Baha, is also a footballer, and currently plays in the academy of Barcelona Femení.[4][5]
Club career
[edit]Baha began his footballing career in Morocco with FUS Rabat, where he won the national youth championship in 2022, before a move to his father's former club, Málaga, in 2023.[2] Following a good season with Málaga's youth sides, scoring 21 goals, he signed for Real Betis in June 2024 on a three-year deal.[6][7]
International career
[edit]Baha was called up to the Morocco under-17 side for the 2024 UNAF U-17 Tournament in Morocco, where his three goals helped his nation to qualify for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.[8] At the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, again hosted in Morocco, he kept up his goalscoring form, netting twice against Uganda in the opening match.[8]
In the quarter-finals, Baha scored twice against South Africa to earn the Man-of-the-Match award in Morocco's 3–1 win, becoming the first Moroccan to score more than once in a knockout game at the competition.[9][10] Following Morocco's 0–0 draw in their semi-final match against the Ivory Coast, Baha scored his penalty in the resulting 4–3 shoot-out win, with his father Nabil admitting he was unable to watch his son take the shot.[11] Another successful Baha penalty in Morocco's 4–2 shoot-out win against Mali saw his nation lift the trophy.[12]
Style of play
[edit]When his father, Nabil Baha, was asked what it was like to coach his son at the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, he described Baha as a "number 10 or number 9", and highlighted that he was playing "phenomenally" against players older than him at the tournament.[13] Baha himself states that he watched clips of his father, who also played as a centre-forward, in order to improve.[14]
He was described by Spanish football website El Desmarque as a "complete forward" noted for his dribbling and ability to create chances with little space to work in.[15] This was shown in Baha's goal in a 5–1 win against Egypt at the 2024 UNAF U-17 Tournament; receiving the ball on the goal-line, he shrugged off defender Hamza El Degawy, before beating Nour Ashraf and then El Degawy again, then rifling the ball beyond goalkeeper Amr Taha.[16][17] His prolific form at under-17 level for Morocco lead to him being described as a "goal machine".[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ziyad Baha at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
- ^ a b "زياد باها .. نجم صاعد نشأ بين عالم الكرة والموضة" [Ziyad Baha... a rising star who grew up between the worlds of football and fashion]. snrtnews.com (in Arabic). 23 November 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Godoy, Félix (11 April 2025). "El malagueño Ziyad Baha brilla en la Copa África sub 17 con Marruecos" [Malaga native Ziyad Baha shines at the Under-17 Africa Cup with Morocco]. malagahoy.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Ghoua, Meryem (21 June 2024). "La marroquí Mayssa Baha ficha por el FC Barcelona Sub-14" [Moroccan Mayssa Baha signs for FC Barcelona U-14]. es.rue20.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
Mayssa Baha, de 13 años, fichó por el equipo femenino del FC Barcelona después de que su hermano Ziyad Baha fichara por el Real Betis Sub-16 este mismo mes.
[Thirteen-year-old Mayssa Baha signed for FC Barcelona's women's team after her brother Ziyad Baha signed for Real Betis U-16 earlier this month.] - ^ "زياد باها: عائلة رياضية تتألق في سماء الكرة المغربية" [Ziyad Baha: A sporting family that shines in the Moroccan football sky]. sportnador.com (in Arabic). 25 November 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Santamaría, Jordi (11 June 2024). "El Betis ficha al internacional Sub-16 marroquí Ziyad Baha" [Betis signs Moroccan U-16 international Ziyad Baha]. mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "زياد باها يوقع في صفوف ريال بيتيس" [Ziyad Baha signs for Real Betis]. hespress.com (in Arabic). 12 June 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b "زياد باها.. "ابن الوز عوام"" [Ziyad Baha.. "The son of a goose is a swimmer"]. kooora.com (in Arabic). 31 March 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ ""كان تحت 17 سنة"/ "الكاف" يختار زياد باها كـ"أفضل لاعب" في مباراة المغرب أمام جنوب أفريقيا" [Under-17: CAF names Ziyad Baha as 'best player' in Morocco's match against South Africa]. m.elbotola.com (in Arabic). 10 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "زياد باها يحقق رقما نادرا ويقترب من تحطيم رقم والده" [Ziyad Baha achieves a rare record and is close to breaking his father's record]. sport7.ma (in Arabic). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "باها عن سبب عدم رؤيته لركلة جزاء إبنه: "كنت تحت ضغط كبير.. أردت حقًا أن يسجل هدفًا لأنه طفلي الصغير"" [Baha on why he didn't see his son's penalty: "I was under a lot of pressure. I really wanted him to score because he's my little boy."]. m.elbotola.com (in Arabic). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Velilles y Baha, canteranos béticos, campeones de África sub 17 con Marruecos" [Betis youth players Velilles and Baha are African Under-17 champions with Morocco]. abc.es (in Spanish). 20 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Sabatel, José Luis (5 May 2025). "El Nabil Baha entrenador: «Soy totalmente diferente a Muñiz o Tapia»" [Coach Nabil Baha: "I'm totally different from Muñiz or Tapia."]. 101tv.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Alami, Aymen (18 April 2025). "Ziyad Baha Targets U17 Africa Cup of Nations title". moroccoworldnews.com. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Las mejores jugadas de Ziyad Baha, la nueva perla fichada del Betis: un ratón de área pura magia" [The best plays of Ziyad Baha, Betis' new signing: a pure magic box mouse]. eldesmarque.com (in Spanish). 13 June 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Sánchez-Haro, Marta (12 November 2024). "Ziyad Baha, la perla del Betis que brilla con Marruecos" [Ziyad Baha, the Betis pearl who shines with Morocco]. abc.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Ziyad Baha, campeón marroquí en ascenso" [Ziyad Baha, rising Moroccan champion]. mares30.com (in Spanish). 13 November 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "زياد باها.. ماكينة الأهداف التي تبهر القارة السمراء" [Ziyad Baha: The goal machine that dazzles the African continent]. mapress.net (in Arabic). 5 April 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- Ziyad Baha at Soccerway
- Ziyad Baha at WorldFootball.net