Adam Aznou Ben Cheikh (Arabic: أدم أزنو بن الشيخ; born 2 June 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Everton. Born in Spain, he plays for the Morocco national team.
Early life
Aznou was born in Barcelona, Spain to Moroccan parents.[3]
Club career
Early career
Aznou started his career with Damm, before moving to Barcelona‘s La Masia academy in 2019.[4]
Bayern Munich
On the summer of 2022, having reportedly rejected a number of clubs across Europe, Aznou signed with German side Bayern Munich.[5][6] In March 2023, he trained with the Bayern Munich senior squad for the first time.[7]
Aznou received his first call-up with the Bayern Munich senior team on 27 January 2024, featuring on the bench as an unused substitute for a Bundesliga 3–2 away win match against FC Augsburg.[8]
On 19 February 2024, he made his professional debut for Bayern Munich II on a 1–0 home loss Regionalliga Bayern match against Greuther Fürth II, starting the game.[9] Later that year, on 15 May, he signed his first professional contract with Bayern Munich until 2027.[10]
On 2 November 2024, Aznou made his senior debut for Bayern Munich, substituting Alphonso Davies, in a 3–0 Bundesliga home win over Union Berlin.[11]
Aznou made his UEFA Champions League debut with Bayern Munich during their sixth league phase game on 10 December 2024, at a 5–1 away win against Shakhtar Donetsk, substituting Konrad Laimer.[12]
On 11 June 2025, Bayern Munich announced their 32-player final squad for the FIFA Club World Cup, which included Aznou.[13]
Loan to Valladolid
On 3 February 2025, Aznou was loaned to Spanish La Liga side Valladolid for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[14]
Everton
On 29 July 2025, Aznou signed for English Premier League club Everton for a €9 million estimated transfer fee.[15] He made his competitive debut for Everton on 10 January 2026, in an FA Cup match against Sunderland. Shortly after coming on, Aznou won a penalty, which Everton’s James Garner scored to equalize and send the game to extra time. Everton would lose 3–0 in the subsequent penalty shootout.[16]
International career
Aznou was eligible to represent both Morocco and Spain at international level. He represented Morocco at under-15 level before switching to Spain, with whom he played at under-16 and under-17 level.[2][17]
In March 2023, he reportedly opted to represent Morocco at senior international level.[17] In August 2024, Aznou received his first call-up with the senior Morocco national team for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Gabon and Lesotho, on 6 and 9 September 2024 respectively.[18] He made his debut against the latter at the Adrar Stadium.[19]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 January 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bayern Munich II | 2023–24 | Regionalliga Bayern | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| Bayern Munich | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Valladolid (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Everton U21 | 2025–26 | — | — | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Everton | 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
- ^ Includes FA Cup
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
International
- As of match played 18 November 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
Honours
Bayern Munich
References
- ^ “FIFA Club World Cup 2025 – Squad List: FC Bayern München (GER)” (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2025. p. 15. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ a b Adam Aznou at WorldFootball.net
- ^ “FC Bayern verpflichtet Nachwuchsspieler Adam Aznou” [FC Bayern signs young player Adam Aznou]. fcbayern.com (in German). 28 July 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Martínez, Ferran (27 May 2022). “El Bayern de Múnich, a punto de firmar a su primera perla de La Masia” [Bayern Munich, about to sign its first pearl from La Masia]. mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ “Offiziell: Aznou wechselt von Barça zu Bayern” [Official: Aznou moves from Barça to Bayern]. Kicker (in German). 28 July 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ “El Bayern Múnich ficha a Adam Aznou, de 16 años, del Barcelona” [Bayern Munich sign Adam Aznou, 16, from Barcelona]. as.com (in Spanish). 28 July 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Ben Berkane, Hanif (4 March 2023). “Bayern Munich : Adam Aznou, la pépite marocaine qui toque déjà à la porte des pros” [Bayern Munich: Adam Aznou, the Moroccan nugget who is already knocking on the door of the pros]. footmercato.net (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ “Augsburg nutzt nur einen von zwei Elfmetern – Bayern trotzen Personalproblemen”. kicker (in German). 27 January 2024.
- ^ “Hülsmann-Patzer öffnet die Tür: Kleines Kleeblatt entführt wichtige Punkte aus München”. kicker (in German). 19 February 2024.
- ^ “Profiverträge für Lovro Zvonarek, Noel Aseko Nkili und Adam Aznou” (in German). FC Bayern Munich. 15 May 2024.
- ^ “Adam Aznou gibt in der Bundesliga sein Debüt und wird gelobt”. Sky Sport (in German). 2 November 2024.
- ^ “Shakhtar vs. Bayern München”. UEFA. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ “FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Squad List” (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ “Adam Aznou llega cedido”. Real Valladolid (in Spanish). 3 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ “Aznou signs for Everton”. evertonfc.com. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ “Adam Aznou leaves Everton fans saying the exact same thing after debut vs Sunderland”. everton.news. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b “Adam Aznou, jeune pépite du Bayern Munich, opte pour le Maroc” [Adam Aznou, young nugget from Bayern Munich, opts for Morocco]. lematin.ma (in French). 15 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Zouiten, Sara (29 August 2024). “Walid Regragui Announces Morocco’s Squad for AFCON Qualifiers Against Gabon, Lesotho”. Morocco World News.
- ^ “Lesotho v Morocco game report”. ESPN. 9 September 2024.
- ^ “FC Bayern München deutscher Meister 2025: Leverkusen patzt gegen Freiburg in Bundesliga”. FAZ.NET (in German). 4 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
External links
- Adam Aznou at Soccerway