Had things gone to plan, Mohamed Ihattaren might be a global star by now – a full international returning from a summer spent competing against the elite at the 2026 World Cup.
Instead, he watched at home before reporting for pre-season training at Fortuna Sittard, the modest Eredivisie outfit and seventh club of the 24-year-old attacking midfielder's turbulent career.
Ihattaren is one of European football’s great lost talents – like a Dutch-Moroccan version of former Manchester United attacker Ravel Morrison. He was a teen sensation whose manic private life saw him make countless headlines, but less and less for his football.
Early in his career, he caused controversy in the Netherlands by contemplating a switch to Morocco, having played for the Oranje at every youth level before eventually declaring for the Dutch after a personal intervention by then national team manager Ronald Koeman. That alone showed how highly he was regarded.
In 2025, after his career had collapsed, he reversed that decision, but is yet to win a senior cap for either nation.
A tempestuous romance played out in the Dutch tabloids, and even in the courts, after allegations by his then girlfriend, now reportedly his ex-wife, Yasmine Driouech, of domestic abuse. He completed 60 hours of community service.
At the same time, links to members of the so-called 'Mocro Mafia' were uncovered by a police investigation sparked when a high-ranking gangland figure arrived at court in a car registered in Ihattaren’s name.
The rise and fall
Ronald de Boer isn’t known for being easily impressed. But in March 2019, the usually stoic Dutch legend couldn't help himself. “I watched with real amazement. In the first 35 minutes especially, that boy didn't play one bad ball … Mature, effortless. It was all good. Every ball was the right speed.” De Boer had just watched Ihattaren's first 45 minutes as a starter for PSV Eindhoven.
“By far the best player on the field,” said striker turned TV pundit Pierre van Hooijdonk, who compared him to Clarence Seedorf after watching a 17-year-old Ihattaren glide around the pitch during a 1-1 draw with Ajax in September that year.
With respect to Van Hooijdonk, his languid style, fluid dribbling and cultured left foot might make Riyad Mahrez a more apt comparison.
The Utrecht-born youngster quickly nailed down a place in PSV’s starting XI, but within a year the cracks had already started to appear.
Just as Ihattaren seemed on a fast track to the top, the death of his father in October 2019 had a profound impact on him and preceded a series of disciplinary problems that derailed his career at the Philips Stadion.
“My father was my hero, the man. I find it very difficult that he is no longer here,” he told Voetbal International in 2020.
Later, in the documentary De Beproeving (The Ordeal), he said: "[My father] was my hero. He was my everything. If he were still alive, I would have been further [in my career].
“I apologise to my father for the mistakes I made when I was young, which he would not have approved of."
His form, fitness and commitment dwindled, with his PSV coach Roger Schmidt lamenting his lack of professionalism. His relationship with the late super-agent Mino Raiola was also a concern for the club's board, with his contract set to expire in 2022.
The breaking point came in the summer of 2021 when he was pictured at Nice’s training ground alongside Raiola after being granted sick leave by PSV.
He joined Juventus a few weeks later on a four-year deal, but it was the start of a decline that threatened to consign him to football's scrapheap.
Ihattaren joined Sampdoria on loan but never made an appearance amid accusations of poor conduct. Ajax took a punt on him and brought him back to Dutch football, but then opted against making his loan permanent as the off-field scandals mounted.
Club legend Wesley Sneijder had tried his best to mentor him, but to no avail. “We all know his qualities … It has to be right in his head, and he needs the right people around him,” said Sneijder.
Juventus tore up his contract, and a deal with Turkish side Samsunspor fell apart in the summer of 2023 before he eventually joined Slavia Prague that December. Four months later, he was released, having not played a single minute. It was the same old story: lots of ability, but no fitness or dedication.
By the time he joined RKC Waalwijk on a short-term contract in September 2024, Ihattaren, once tipped for greatness, had played just one senior game – as a substitute for Ajax – in nearly three-and-a-half years.
Rebuilding away from the limelight
Last Saturday, Ihattaren scored twice and assisted a third as Fortuna won 3-2 at ADO Den Haag. Despite everything, his immense natural talent remains.
His second goal, to effectively seal the win, was a reminder of the sublime quality that once made him arguably the most gifted young player in the Netherlands. Ihattaren seized upon a defensive mistake, jinked away from his man and rifled an unstoppable left-footed strike in off the underside of the Den Haag crossbar.
Understandably, media outlets wanted to hear from the former prodigy now rebuilding his career down in Limburg, but Danny Buijs, his protective manager, decided to speak for him.
“I have been working with him for 15 months now, and I have come to the conclusion that he needs to keep his world as small as possible if he still wants to make his dreams come true,” Buijs told ESPN. “It is not good for him if he makes statements that stick with him for months.
“If he says something again today, there will still be websites writing about it in five weeks. I don't think that's good for him. He needs to let his feet do the talking and work hard behind the scenes. This is my responsibility. I think this is best for Mo.”
After years of spurned second chances, the 2025/26 season finally saw Ihattaren return to playing regular football, scoring six times and providing 10 assists in 28 Dutch top-flight games.
Crucially, he has picked up where he left off, with three goals and two assists in the opening five games of the new campaign to help Fortuna climb to fourth in the table. Physically, he can still improve – fitness and conditioning have never been his friends.
Yet, while it has seldom been harder to win a cap for the Atlas Lions, Ihattaren, who was once the subject of a concerted charm offensive by the Moroccan FA, has made it clear what he desires.
“The Netherlands is completely out of the question,” he said in an interview with ESPN in 2025, explaining that his loyalty to the nation of his birth was shaken by the negative reaction and coverage of his fall from grace.
“I play for Morocco or I don't play international matches," he concluded.
His progress at Fortuna has been impressive, and flashes of brilliance like Saturday’s brace against Den Haag suggest that, at 24, elevation to the game's highest levels cannot yet be completely ruled out for a player with Ihattaren's natural gifts.
