A draw (1-1) with the taste of victory. This is how Girona celebrated their point against once again disappointing Real Madrid. And if the Catalan club, currently 16th in Liga, was able to look the ogre Merengue in the eyes, it owes it to the capital performance of Azzedine Ounahi. Metronome found, the Moroccan delivered a recital, dictating his law to the Madrid community for more than 80 minutes. Landed from Panathinaikos in the final moments of the transfer window, the former Marseillais had only one obsession: La Liga. Despite the summer requests, Ounahi favored Michel’s game project. A paid choice. Surfing on his relaunch season in Greece, the former OM undesirable instantly blended into the demanding Girona collective, without going through the adaptation box.
From September 23, 2025, he left his mark (and the opening goal) with a splendid volley against Bilbao at San Mamés. Míchel, under the spell, praised not only his silky technique, but above all a defensive aggressiveness and tactical intelligence that he was sometimes denied in the past. Slowed down by a foot injury in October, the Lion of the Atlas returned hungry. After gaining momentum against Betis, it was against Real that he exploded. Facing Kylian Mbappé’s squad, the former Angevin was a magnet for balls, making the game more fluid and scoring the only goal (and what a goal) for his team. Man of the match? An obvious fact both for La Liga and on social networks which unanimously praised his evening performance.
The Spanish press enjoys Ounahi’s performance
The Iberian press wasted no time in getting excited. Marca evokes a first period “exceptional», recalling that this performance “the catalog again as a big player», distant echo of the praises of Luis Enrique after the famous Spain-Morocco of the 2022 World Cup. For As, the observation is clear: “Ounahi is the new heir to the throne of Girona» in the absence of Captain Stuani. Same story in Catalonia, where we are savoring the misstep of the Madrid rival. Mundo Deportivo incense “Ounahi the star”, emphasizing “that he has magic and has once again led the way“. Sportfor his part, describes a player who has “brought light and unleashed madness in the spans of Montilivi“.
With 3 goals and 1 assist in just 9 La Liga games, Ounahi is coming back to life. A blessing for Walid Regragui in the run-up to the CAN and the 2026 World Cup, but also for Girona, which is seeing its midfielder’s rating skyrocket (around €10 million). A resurrection carefully observed from Marseille: having a resale percentage, OM could well benefit indirectly from the explosion of its former protégé, which should not last forever in Catalonia if it maintains this level.
