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Abdelhak Nouri, 24-year-old Ajax Amsterdam soccer player suffered a heart attack during a match this summer, sustaining permanent brain damage. Ajax and the soccer player's family have reached an agreement for the compensation of 9 million dollars.
His 34th shirt will be withdrawn. Nouri, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, suffered cardiac arrest on 8 July 2017 during a friendly match in Austria against Werder Bremen. Club General Manager, Edwin Van der Sar, said: "The number 34 will never be used again at Ajax, unless the Nouri family and the club want to make an exception together.
It is good that an agreement has been reached, we all realize that the suffering for Abdelhak and his loved ones is not over. It remains a very sad situation: this is how we feel here at Ajax too. We really appreciate the way the family takes care of Abdelhak day and night , with a lot of love and attention.
When I visit him, I am always welcomed with open arms by his loved ones. The bond between Ajax and the Nouri family will remain forever."
Career and illness
Raised in the Ajax youth academy, he made his professional debut on 13 March 2015 with the second team in the Eerste Divisie match lost 1-0 against VVV-Venlo.
Starting from the following season, thanks to excellent performances with Jong Ajax, he was called up more frequently in the first team by coach Peter Bosz and made his debut in the Eredivisie on 29 October 2016 in the 1-0 win against Excelsior.
He scores his first goal with the lancers shirt against Willem II in the national cup. He ends the season by winning the Dutch Second League Player of the Year award thanks to his performance with the reserve team. On March 31, 2020, the Dutch company communicates the termination of the contract before its natural expiry scheduled for June of the same year.
Despite this, he will continue to support medical expenses through an economic contribution to the family. On 8 July 2017, during a summer friendly against Werder Bremen, he is the victim of an arrhythmia: he is rescued for about ten minutes, even with the use of a defibrillator.
He is then transported to the hospital where the club communicates that the young midfielder's conditions are serious but stable. On 13 July, Ajax reported that the Dutchman suffered severe and permanent brain damage. On August 21, 2018, his brother Abderrahim declares that the player is able to recognize his family and communicate through gestures and movements with his head. In March 2020, his brother again communicates that the boy has returned home to continue rehabilitation.