Morocco's Amine Adli is halfway into his third full season at Bayer Leverkusen. - © Imago
Morocco's Amine Adli is halfway into his third full season at Bayer Leverkusen. - © Imago
bundesliga

Amine Adli: Who is the Bayer Leverkusen and Morocco attacker?

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Xabi Alonso has tipped Amine Adli for a bright future at Leverkusen. bundesliga.com profiles the Morocco international attacker...

Stats correct as of 19 January 2024

Amine Adli

Age: 23 (born 10 May 2000)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Winger/ second striker/ false No.9
Country: Morocco (four caps/ one goal)

Key stats

Adli was Leverkusen's third best player for combined goals and assists in 2022/23. Despite missing the opening part of the campaign, the 5'7" Frenchman scored five and set up three across 26 Bundesliga appearances. Leverkusen's No.21 also ranked third for goal attempts and fifth for passes to a shot, while the Beziers-born left footer won both penalties that Exequiel Palacios coverted in a famous win against Bayern Munich on Matchday 25.

It maked a marginal improvement on Adli's debut Bundesliga campaign (three goals and two assists in 27 matches), but fell just short of matching his career-best single-season return of eight goals and seven assists in 33 2020/21 Ligue 2 outings for former club Toulouse.

A former France U21 international, who has a contract with Bayer through to summer 2026, Adli opted to represent Morocco at senior level, debuting in September 2023. He was called up to represent The Atlas Lions at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, after scoring five and assist eight goals for Leverkusen during the first half of 2023/24.

Watch: Amine Adli scored one and made another against local rivals Gladbach

Plays a bit like: Moussa Diaby

A high-speed forward comfortable flying down his natural left-hand side or cutting in off the opposite flank, Adli is a very similar type of player to ex-Leverkusen teammate and counter-attack maestro Moussa Diaby. Current Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has also put the youngster to good use through the middle as a second striker and false No.9.

Did you know?

Adli is best buds with Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone, the duo having climbed the ranks together at Toulouse. They were reunited in the blue of France at the 2023 U21 Euros, before Leverkusen star switched allegiances and turned out for Morocco.

"The connection is not lost," Adli told So Foot of his friendship with Kone ahead of the finals, where les Espoirs reached the quarter-finals. "It's a real source of pride we've made it into the U21s together."

Watch: Adli on his freindship with Manu Kone and Nathan Ngoumou

What they're saying

"Amine shows hunger, intensity and he has that quality. If he can combine the lot consistently, we'll see what a good player he can be." - Xabi Alonso

"Amine's very fast, has good technique, is extremely agile and skillful." - Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes