Ibrahim Affelay

Date of Birth: - 2nd April 1986



Nationality: - Dutch



Height: - 5ft 11inches



Position: - Attacking Midfielder / Winger



Club History: - PSV Eindhoven

- Barcelona



Linked With: - PSV

- Juventus



(It is very difficult to acquire who Affelay has been linked with, as he has been out with a serious injury since September and is out for a few more months yet, so would have to prove his fitness to any team before the move.)



Estimated Value: - I'd expect around the 12million pounds mark, but all depending on how Affelay proves his fitness etc.





Club Career:



PSV Eindhoven

In 1996, Afellay joined the youth academy of PSV Eindhoven, and developed through the youth setup for around 8 years, and in the 7th year really began to make a name for himself.



4 February 2004 - Afellay made his official debut for PSV during a cup match against NAC Breda at the age of 17.



14th February 2004 - Affelay then made his debut coming on a subsitute in the Eredivisie against FC Twente after putting in an impressive shift the previous week. Affelay unfortunately didn't have much time to make an impact so was uneventful for the young Dutchman.



In the 2003/2004 season, Affelay played three official games for the first-team, followed by ten appearances in the 2004/2005 season.



15th May 2005 - Affelay started the game against Feyenoord, and immediately made a statement to the PSV coach by scoring two great goals for the Eredivisie side. However, chances would still be limited for Affelay in that season.



13th September 2006 - Afellay made his Champions League debut against Schalke 04 where PSV won the game 1-“0.



8th October 2006 - Afellay received his first international call-up for the Netherlands during the games against the Czech Republic and Macedonia, but wasn't given the opportunity to debutise.



In the 2005-“06 season, Afellay grew to be a first-team regular and was even pre-selected for the Dutch national team. He managed to play a total of 23 league matches during a season hit with a string of minor injuries, but only managed to score twice all season, but was nevertheless, good for experience for young Affelay.





FC Barcelona

16th November 2010 - FC Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven came to terms regarding the transfer of Afellay to the Catalan side in January 2011. Afellay travelled to Barcelona on 23rd December 2010 for a medical to finalise the deal. The fee was reported to be around 3million Euro's. Afellay signed a contract that will tie him to Barcelona until 2015.



5th January 2011 - Afellay made his Barcelona debut in the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao. but only played for just a few minutes.



Afellay was given his first start for the Barcelona on 19 January 2011 against Real Betis during the second leg of the Copa del Rey in which they lost 3-“1 but qualified for the semis on a 6-“3 aggregate. He scored his first goal for Barcelona against UD Almería in the Copa del Rey.



March 2011 - Afellay made his Champions League debut for Barcelona in the second match against Arsenal, and was very creative throughout the match and provided the perfect balance of passing, movement and shooting (Barcelona went on to win the match).



Later in the tournament, Afellay came on as a substitute in the 71st minute during the first Leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, and just minutes later provided the assist in the winning goal (eventually scored by Messi).



May 2011 - Affelay scored his first goal in the La Liga in a 3-“1 away win for Barcelona against Malaga CF on the last day of the 2010/2011 season.



Affelay also appeared as a substitute in the Champions League final in 2011, which for any player would provide tremendous experience, and as we all know, Barcelona eventually won fairly comfortably.





International Career:

28th March 2007 - Affelay made his international debut in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia.



12th October 2010 - Afellay scored his first international goals in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Sweden.





Club Statistics:

PSV: - 217 appearances, 38 goals.



Barcelona: - 31 appearances, 2 goals.



Total: - 248 appearances, 40 goals.





General Comments:

First of all, I knew this profile wouldn't be the largest, as I think Affelay is fairly young and a tad unknown (fact wise). However, Affelay has accomplished many things in his career already, with the likes of a Champions League winners medal, La Liga titles etc. I think for experience already he'd be a fantastic addition to any side, but who can deny this kid has some very, very good footballing ability. The problem is, he's suffered a very bad injury so there is no recent facts on him, or even recent appearances, which makes profiling very difficult, but I've sifted through the archives and I have to say, if he bounces back from this injury and play like he used to, then there's a very, very good player on his way back. Affelay has great passing, great vision, great movement and a hell of a shot on him. I also think he has substantial pace and technique and can terrorise any defence on his day, but the trouble is, will he bounce back the same? I fear that he may not make the move to the Prem, as I doubt he'd get into many first teams unfortunately, so I believe a loan-deal beckons to PSV in order to gain some confidence and some first-team football. This profile is one that will certainly need to be updated when Affelay gets back from injury, because I believe a lot of questions will be answered then.



Thanks all,



Ed022-}