From Ballon d’Or Hopeful to Football Outcast: What Happened to Hachim Mastour?
What Happened to Young Football Star Hachim Mastour?
Hachim Mastour was tipped for greatness after his early rise to prominence, but he faded very quickly after hitting adult age.
So, what exactly happened to this young rising star? And why did he never realise his full potential?
Crippy Cooke tells the full story for The Sporting Blog!
Football star Hachim Mastour
Hachim Mastour is 25 years of age and playing for Botola Pro side Union de Touarga in Morocco - a far cry from the career he was tipped to have when bursting onto the scene ten years ago.
Mastour had the world at his feet in his early teens, nearly becoming AC Milan’s youngest Serie A debutant, but he never fulfilled his potential and now finds himself in football obscurity.
The trajectory of most football players is them either rising through the youth ranks to the first team before they age out of the U18s, or being released because they didn’t make the cut.
It’s not uncommon for clubs to sign highly-rated children and teenagers for their future potential, but Mastour was bought as a real youngster and he was promoted to the senior squad at an incredibly young age, too.
The talented trequartista was named in The Guardian’s 50 Best Young Talents in 2015 and he dreamed of winning the Ballon d’Or.
However, he never managed to make a first-team appearance for the Rossoneri before his departure.
So how did it all go wrong? Read on to find out.
Mastour’s Youth Career
Hachim Mastour was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy to Moroccan parents on June 15, 1998. Football was his passion from an early age and his goal was to become the best in the world.
He developed enough to be signed for his hometown club AC Reggiana (2008 - 2012) from the age of 10 and impressed enough to earn the attention of Inter Milan.
Mastour was barred from leaving Reggiana before turning 14, so he could only represent the Nerazzurri in tournaments.
These Football Times write that after an outstanding showing at the 2012 Torneo Memorial Roberto Ielasi, Inter were hoping to sign him on his 14th birthday but had stiff competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus and AC Milan.
Mastour gained notoriety on social media after posting videos of his skillset and freestyle ability, showcasing fantastic dribbling and quick feet while having a good awareness of space, a great eye for a pass and being able to score.
It was little wonder so many clubs wanted the 14-year-old, but Milan would win the race for his signature in 2012.
The Rossoneri paid €500k (£425k) for Mastour and had him training for their Primavera side, but he wasn’t allowed to play for them until he turned 15.
Mastour made mincemeat of his age group in his first season at Milan (2012/13), growing in fame due to more online footage on social media.
Mastour even featured in a freestyle video with Neymar to show how much his stock and reputation had risen in the football world, but things really blew up when he finally played for Milan’s U19s in 2013/14.
The Moroccan made his debut from the bench in a 1-0 defeat to Brescia on March 29, 2014, playing nine minutes at the age of 15.
His second and last outing of the season was an 11-minute outing on May 3 against Atalanta.
Milan manager Clarence Seedorf promoted the teenager to the first-team for their last game of the campaign but didn’t bring him off the bench.
Mastour could have been Milan’s youngest ever Serie A debutant if he’d have featured in their 2-1 win over Sassuolo on May 18, but he was an unused substitute.
Hachim Mastour received his first contract at a young age. Picture credits: @NOT_MOTD
It was the same story in 2014/15 too, with Mastour sitting on the bench for Milan’s opening day victory over Lazio, but that would be the best it got in Italy.
After training with the senior squad, the Moroccan would have hoped for regular playing time in the U19s, but he made only nine appearances due to injury problems.
He played in only three games between September 2014 and January 2015, and then managed only two further appearances up until late-April due to knee surgery.
Mastour’s development unsurprisingly took a hit, resulting in him being left on the bench for a handful of first-team outings at Milan, so he was loaned out in a bid for more opportunities.
Beginning of the End at Milan
The wonderkid had just turned 17 when his two-year loan deal at Malaga was confirmed in the summer of 2015, but he would only make one appearance all season.
Not only were Malaga a top-flight side at the time, Javier Gracia preferred Juanpi, Pablo Fornals and even Fábio Espinho over Mastour, so he didn’t get a lot from the experience.
Mastour was given five minutes from the bench in November’s 1-0 defeat to Real Betis and didn’t make the matchday squad in any other La Liga game.
He was an unused substitute in one Copa Del Rey leg but had his loan cut short at the end of the campaign.
He did represent his national team once that summer though, picking Morocco as an adult after playing for Italy at youth level.
The 18-year-old joined PEC Zwolle on a season-long loan in July 2016 and featured in three of their first four Eredivisie games.
Mastour would manage only two more appearances from September to May, however, spending most of the campaign on the bench due to stiff competition from Anass Achahbar, Stef Nijland and Wouter Marinus.
Mastour struggled so much for playing time that he ended up amassing more minutes in the reserves (732) than first-team (150).
But it was another unsuccessful loan, so Milan weren’t considering promoting him to their first-team upon his return in the summer of 2017.
Mastour continues to update his fans via social media. Picture credits @fantasyhachi
2017/18 was Mastour’s final season at the San Siro. He made only two appearances for the U19s and was turning 20 at the end of the campaign.
Mastour had failed to progress from his early teens and was now out of contract.
“I had a great time at Milan. It was a family for me. But maybe, in hindsight, at 14 I could have chosen a European club like Ajax, who were interested in me, and which maybe it would have kept me more distant from the Italian spotlight,” – Mastour told TMW in 2019.
Hachim Mastour’s time playing for Milan. Picture credits: @fantasyhachi
Nomadic Career at Milan Exit
Mastour joined Greek outfit Lamia in 2018/19 but would make only six appearances before his stay at the Lamia Municipal Stadium was cut short.
The 20-year-old was rumoured to have gone missing midway through the season and ended up having his contract terminated in March - there was a dispute between his father and Lamia over an alleged injury that wasn’t treated.
Hachim Mastour signs with Greek team Lamia. Picture credits: @greekfootball_
Mastour amassed only 64 minutes of Super League football, however, so he didn’t exactly set the place alight in Greece.
He trained with Parma after his early exit but would end up signing for Reggina 1914 in the summer of 2019 – five years as a professional without scoring a goal.
The 21-year-old made just one appearance for the Serie C-C side due to fitness problems, so his debut season (2019/20) couldn’t have gone worse.
Mastour made 11 appearances the following campaign but managed just one assist, so he was loaned out to AC Carpi for the remainder of 2020/21.
Hachim Mastour training for a match. Picture credits: @fantasyhachi
Mastour was a regular for Biancorossi with 10 appearances from 14 league games between January and February, and finally bagged his first professional goal, but his season was cut short due to injury.
A muscle problem saw the 21-year-old play just one game in the last three months, so it was little surprise he was moved on over the summer.
Mastour was a free agent between July 2021 and June 2022, but he finally found a move that suited him, going to Morocco to join Renaissance Zemamra of the Botola 2 – a club with a 1000-capacity stadium.
This move was a real departure from his Milan days, but it saw Mastour get game time and put in some good performances.
Hachim Mastour moved to Morocco to continue his career. Picture credits: @MaghribFoot
The 24-year-old scored two goals in 10 appearances as Renaissance Zemamra won the league title, but he left in Summer 2023 to join Union de Touarga who are in the same division.
Mastour peaked at such a young age and fell under the weight of expectation at Milan. He never managed to settle at another club but is still young enough to forge a career.
Read more fascinating stories on our football blog
