Dutch defensive gem Ismaël Baouf on Dortmund’s radar | OneFootball

The Keuken Kampioen Divisie is usually not one of the leagues in the spotlight. However, even in the second-highest division of the Netherlands, numerous promising talents can be found. One of them is Ismaël Baouf.

The 19-year-old Baouf holds the defense together at SC Cambuur Leeuwarden. The Frisians are currently in second place and have chances of being promoted to the Eredivisie. So far, the Yellow-Blues have spent a total of nine seasons in the top tier.

But it's not just the club aiming for the first league; Baouf also has ambitions to play at a higher level. Last October, he celebrated the greatest success of his young career. With Morocco, he won the title at the U20 World Cup in Chile. In the final, the North Africans defeated Argentina 2-0.

Baouf was on the field from the first to the last minute in six of the seven matches. Only in the insignificant third group match against Mexico (0-1) did he sit on the bench until the 73rd minute. Throughout the tournament, he shone with impressive statistics: The 19-year-old won 11 out of 14 ground duels and 11 out of 21 aerial duels.

Fan Favorite in Leeuwarden

Due to the U20 World Cup, the defensive jewel missed a total of seven matchdays in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. In the remaining eight matches, Baouf didn't miss a single minute. He scored twice.

According to information from Africafoot, not only have the top Dutch clubs Feyenoord Rotterdam and Ajax Amsterdam set their sights on the youngster, but also Borussia Dortmund. Despite his young age, Baouf impresses with his game intelligence. According to his coach Henk de Jong (61), he is considered "one of the best defenders in the world" in his age group.

The Moroccan transferred from RSC Anderlecht to SC Cambuur in the last summer transfer window. There, he established himself as a fan favorite. His contract in Leeuwarden runs until 2028. The club also has an option for another year. Transfermarkt.de values Baouf's market worth at 700,000 euros. An amount that does not deter interested clubs like BVB.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.