Ayoub Assal (born 21 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al-Wakrah.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ayoub Assal[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Maidstone, England | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking Midfielder, Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Wakrah | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Millwall | ||
| 2011–2019 | AFC Wimbledon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | AFC Wimbledon | 78 | (17) |
| 2019–2020 | → Metropolitan Police (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2020 | → Billericay Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2023– | Al-Wakrah | 20 | (6) |
| 2023 | → Al-Markhiya (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:00, 7 May 2024 (UTC) | |||
Career
Assal began his career in the youth system at Millwall, joining AFC Wimbledon at under-12 level. In April 2019, Assal signed his first professional contract with Wimbledon.[2] In August 2019, Assal joined Metropolitan Police on loan.[3] After returning to Wimbledon, he made his debut for the club on 13 November in a 3–1 EFL Trophy loss against Southend United.[4] On 11 January 2020, Assal rejoined Metropolitan Police on loan until 25 April 2020.[5]
In October 2020, Assal joined National League South side Billericay Town.[6] He returned to Wimbledon after making one appearance during his loan, and made his league debut as a substitute against Shrewsbury Town on 2 March 2021, scoring a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw.[7] On 10 April, Assal scored twice for AFC Wimbledon in a 5–1 win against Accrington Stanley,[8] and in May he signed a new three-year contract with Wimbledon.[9]
On 10 December 2022, Assal was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month Award for November 2022 having scored in all five of Wimbledon's matches across all competitions.[10] This was the second time he had received the award having also won in April 2021,[11] only the second player, after Djed Spence, to win the award twice.
On 18 January 2023, it was announced that the release clause in Assal's contract had been triggered by a bid from a club based in Qatar.[12] On 27 January, Assal completed his transfer to Al-Wakrah,[13] where he signed a five-year contract. The fee was a club record sale for the Dons.[14][15] On 29 January, Assal joined Al-Markhiya on loan for the rest of the season.[16]
International career
Born in England, Assal is of Moroccan descent. In March 2022, he was called up to the provisional England U20 squad, having previously attended a training camp with Morocco U20.[17]
Career statistics
- As of match played 7 May 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AFC Wimbledon | 2019–20[18] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020–21[19] | League One | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 16 | 4 | |
| 2021–22[20] | League One | 42 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 49 | 10 | |
| 2022–23[21] | League Two | 22 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5[a] | 3 | 31 | 10 | |
| Total | 78 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 97 | 24 | ||
| Metropolitan Police (loan) | 2019–20[5] | Southern League Premier Division South | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 19 | 2 | |
| Billericay Town (loan) | 2020–21[5] | National League South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Al-Wakrah | 2022–23[22] | Qatar Stars League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023–24[22] | Qatar Stars League | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 6 | |
| Total | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Al-Markhiya (loan) | 2022–23[22] | Qatar Stars League | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| Career total | 128 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 153 | 36 | ||
Honours
Individual
- EFL Young Player of the Month: April 2021,[11] November 2022[10]