The Moroccan Soufiane Benjdida, who arrived in Belgium two years ago, saw his experience at Standard de Liège end in a bad way. He will try to bounce back, but a notch below.
At only 23 years old, Soufiane Benjdida, former Moroccan U20 and U23 international, is going through a delicate period in his career. Arriving at Standard de Liège in May 2024, the promising striker seemed ready to take a step forward in European football after having cut his teeth at Raja Casablanca. However, halfway through the season, the situation is very different for this young talent, who found himself at a crossroads.
Before his arrival in Belgium, Soufiane Benjdida had built a solid reputation at Raja Casablanca. Between 2021 and 2023, he was one of the rising figures of the Moroccan club, attracting attention with his liveliness and sense of goal. This rapid rise earned him a place in the Moroccan youth teams, where he showed great promise as a versatile attacker. But also a ticket to Europe: his potential convinced Standard de Liège to bet on him in 2023. After a season spent with the reserve team (SL16 FC), Benjdida finally joined the first team during the season 2024-2025. However, the story did not take the expected turn.
A frustrating replacement role
Since the start of the season, Soufiane Benjdida has participated in 16 matches with Standard de Liège, scoring 2 goals and providing an assist. Modest statistics, far from reflecting the expectations placed on him. Under the leadership of the current coach of “Rouches”, Ivan Leko, the young Moroccan never really managed to establish himself as an indisputable holder. This role of eternal substitute began to weigh on the former Raja player. Eager to play more and regain confidence, the Moroccan set out in search of a solution.
An imminent transfer to relaunch his career
This is how Racing White Daring de Molenbeek, a club playing in the Belgian second division (D1B), formalized its arrival this Tuesday in the form of a loan with a purchase option. This transfer could offer Benjdida the opportunity to regain playing time and exploit his potential in a less demanding environment.
Signed in the summer of 2023 for a two-year contract with an option to extend for two additional seasons, Soufiane Benjdida no longer seemed to feature in the plans of Standard’s technical staff anyway. A departure to Molenbeek was necessary and represents much more than a simple transfer: it is a chance to get back on track and show that he can still become the promising player that many saw in him.
