Trade tennis courts for the pitch as the AFCON champion journeys from France’s lower leagues to Bundesliga stardom, fueled by a breakout World Cup and Serie A success.
Neil El Aynaoui grew up with two sports competing for his attention.
One was tennis, the family business. His father, Younès El Aynaoui, reached No. 14 in the world in 2003, won five ATP titles and spent years travelling the professional circuit. The other was football, which gradually became impossible for his son to ignore.
There were tennis courts, naturally. But there were also football videos, Barcelona matches and long afternoons with a ball at his feet.
The family lived for several years in Gavà, south of Barcelona, while Younès pursued his career. It was there that El Aynaoui joined local club CF Gavà and began to develop an attachment to FC Barcelona. Andrés Iniesta, rather than any tennis player, became his sporting reference point.
The contrast says something about the career that followed. El Aynaoui's route to the top was not a straight line, and it certainly was not an overnight success.
He joined AS Nancy's academy at eight, eventually making his professional debut in 2021. When Nancy fell into the third tier, El Aynaoui stayed and played 33 matches during the 2022-23 season.
At that point, the Champions League was still a distant idea.
Then came Lens.
His move to RC Lens in 2023 changed the trajectory of his career. Ligue 1 followed, then Champions League football, and eventually a more productive attacking role. In the 2024-25 season, he scored eight league goals, the sort of return that made it increasingly difficult to view him simply as a developing midfielder.
Roma came calling.
He spent the 2025-26 season in Serie A, making 35 appearances across competitions and adding another layer of experience before his next move, this time to Leipzig.
But while his club career was accelerating, another decision was taking shape.
Born in France to a French mother and Moroccan father, El Aynaoui could have represented either country. He waited. In September 2025, he finally chose Morocco.
The decision has since turned him into something approaching a cult figure among Moroccan supporters.
His international career has moved at the same pace as his club career. He made his debut against Niger, became part of a talented Morocco side featuring Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz and Ismael Saibari, and then helped the Atlas Lions win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
At the 2026 World Cup, he started all six matches as Morocco reached the quarter-finals.
Now, Leipzig gets to see what comes next.
With Neil El Aynaoui, we are bringing in a player who fits our profile and our style of play extremely well. He is a very energetic and aggressive player, offers a high level of intensity off the ball and can also provide dynamism and creativity in midfield with his quality in possession. He knows how to assert himself both on and off the ball and is capable of covering large areas of the pitch.
“At the World Cup, Neil once again showed that he can showcase his quality at the highest level. At 25, he already has a great deal of experience while still having plenty of room to develop.
El Aynaoui arrives on loan from Roma with an option to buy, bringing with him the résumé of a player who has taken an unusual route through European football. He has played in the French third tier, the Champions League and Serie A. He speaks French and Spanish fluently, understands English, and learned Italian after moving to Rome.
RB Leipzig has an excellent reputation, and the RBL style of play, with its high intensity, dynamism and ambition to dominate possession. It suits me and my strengths very well. I’m really excited about this new challenge. I can’t wait to get out on the pitch with the team and want to play my part in helping us achieve our goals straight away.
Germany will be another language, another league and another test.
For a player who has spent much of his life moving between countries and sporting cultures, that may be exactly what makes the Red Bulls such a natural next chapter.
