Ihattaren revives career at Fortuna in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, 24-year-old attacking midfielder Mohamed Ihattaren continues to revive his career at Fortuna Sittard. In the match against ADO Den Haag, he scored two goals and provided an assist, helping his team secure a 3-2 victory.
As The National (UAE) reports, Ihattaren's second goal effectively secured Fortuna's win. The footballer took advantage of a defensive error, beat an opponent and struck with his left foot, with the ball hitting the underside of the crossbar and going into the net. At the start of the new season, he has three goals and two assists in five matches, while Fortuna have climbed to fourth place in the table.
Regular playing time
In the 2025/26 season, Ihattaren played 28 matches in the Dutch championship, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists. It was his first period of regular appearances after several years during which his career was repeatedly interrupted.
Fortuna coach Danny Buijs, who has worked with the player for 15 months, told ESPN that he wants to limit excessive public attention around Ihattaren. According to him, the footballer needs to focus on the game and work away from the media space in order to achieve his goals.
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Career after PSV
Ihattaren was born in Utrecht and made a bright start to his career at PSV. In 2019, when he was 17, former Netherlands international Pierre van Hooijdonk named him the best player in the match against Ajax.
The death of his father in October 2019 significantly affected the footballer. Ihattaren later said that his father was “everything” to him. After leaving PSV in 2021, he signed a four-year contract with Juventus. During his loan spell at Sampdoria, he did not play a single match, while Ajax did not make his move permanent. In 2023, a deal with Turkish club Samsunspor fell through, and Ihattaren did not spend a single minute on the pitch for Slavia Prague.
In 2025, Ihattaren stated that he wants to represent Morocco internationally. He previously played for the Netherlands youth national teams but has not yet made his debut for the senior national team of either country.
