Adam Maher (; born 20 July 1993) is a Dutch professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
for
Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...
club
Damac. Born in Morocco, he played for the
Netherlands national team.
Club career
Maher made his professional debut for
AZ on 15 December 2010 in a
2010–11 UEFA Europa League
The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, with ...
game against
FC BATE Borisov
FC BATE Borisov (, ''FK BATE Borisov'' ; , ''BATE Barysaw,'' ), commonly referred to as BATE or BATE Borisov, is a Belarusian professional football team from the city of Barysaw. The club competes in the Belarusian Premier League, of which th ...
and scored a goal on his debut. He was the youngest player playing for a Dutch football club ever to score a goal in the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
and
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
. When AZ won the 2013 KNVB Cup Final Maher scored the first goal as they defeated
PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
2–1.
On 1 July 2013, Adam Maher moved to
PSV for a fee of €6.5 million. He signed a five-year contract and was one of 5 players that PSV signed. Maher returned to AZ in the 2018–19 season, before joining
FC Utrecht
Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...
in the summer of 2019.
On 11 July 2022, FC Utrecht announced the departure of Maher to
Damac FC
Damac Football Club () is a Saudi Arabian professional sports club based in Khamis Mushait, that currently competes in the Saudi Pro League, the Saudi football league system, top division of Football in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian football.
The ...
on a permanent transfer. On 15 February 2024, Maher joined
Qatar Stars League
The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...
club
Al-Wakrah
Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...
on a six-month loan.
International career
Born in Morocco, Maher moved to the Netherlands at a young age.
He was a member of the Netherlands squad for the
2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the thirteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria from 24 October to 15 November 2009.
Switzerland national under-17 football team, Switzerland won the tournament, beating the host team and holde ...
. In February 2012, Maher was called at the preselection of the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
team by
Bert van Marwijk
Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch Association football, football manager who is a member of the supervisory board for MVV Maastricht. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ Alkmaar, AZ, MVV Maastricht, MVV and For ...
. On 7 May 2012, he was named in the provisional list of 36 players for the
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
tournament, one of nine uncapped players to be chosen by
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
manager
Bert van Marwijk
Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch Association football, football manager who is a member of the supervisory board for MVV Maastricht. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ Alkmaar, AZ, MVV Maastricht, MVV and For ...
as part of the preliminary squad, but eventually did not make the final cut. He made his debut for the Netherlands in a friendly match against German club
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
. On 15 August 2012, Maher earned his first official cap under new manager
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...
in the 4–2 loss against
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
in a
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
. He later played in three competitive matches during the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
AZ
*
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
:
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
PSV
*
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
:
2014–15,
2015–16
*
Johan Cruyff Shield
The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
:
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
Individual
*
Johan Cruijff Trophy: 2011–12
*
Eredivisie Player of the Month:
October 2019
References
External links
Adam Maherat ''
Voetbal International
''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running.
History and profile
''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM. It l ...
''
* ()
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maher, Adam
1993 births
Living people
People from Diemen
Sportspeople from Drâa-Tafilalet
Dutch men's footballers
Netherlands men's international footballers
Netherlands men's youth international footballers
Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers
Moroccan men's footballers
Moroccan emigrants to the Netherlands
Dutch sportspeople of Moroccan descent
Men's association football midfielders
AZ Alkmaar players
PSV Eindhoven players
Jong PSV players
FC Twente players
FC Utrecht players
Damac FC players
Al-Wakrah SC players
Ankaraspor footballers
Eredivisie players
Eerste Divisie players
Süper Lig players
Saudi Pro League players
Qatar Stars League players
Dutch expatriate men's footballers
Moroccan expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
21st-century Dutch sportsmen
21st-century Moroccan sportsmen