Zaïd Bafdili (16) hopes for extra playing minutes at Jong Genk in 2024: “I’m waiting for my chance, and I will certainly seize it”

Football Challenger Pro League Jong Genk

Zaïd Bafdili during the first training of the season at Jong Genk. — © Dick Demey

Meise

For Zaïd Bafdili, 2023 has been an unforgettable year: on November 10, he made his professional debut in the shirt of Jong Genk. In the 3-1 defeat against SL 16, trainer Jelle Coen had him come on as a substitute a few minutes before the end. “It was seven to eight minutes, if you take the added time into account,” corrects the Brussels-born Meisenaar. “It’s a pity that I made my debut with a defeat, but a professional debut always remains remarkable.”

Zaïd, you must have been happy that the promising teams were integrated into professional football in 2022?

Zaïd Bafdili: “Just be sure. It remains First Class B. That is a certain level. It is nice that I was able to get my foot in the door in a professional competition at the age of sixteen.”

On the first day of the match you were only fifteen. Just like Konstantinos Karetsas and Brad Manguelle, who both stood out against Beveren. Karetsas by scoring immediately, Manguelle by getting red at half time.

“I was also selected for that match, but did not play. Konstantinos then played a good first half. Brad too, despite his eventual red card. I blame it on stress. I reassured him afterwards, partly because we had won the match despite his red card. Brad is a good friend of mine, I know him from the national youth teams and he was often my opponent when I played for Anderlecht.”

Tell something about yourself. Did you start at Meise?

“No, not at all, my first club was RSC Anderlecht. I played there for eight seasons, from U6 to U13. I played there together with Nunzio Engwanda from the RSCA Futures and Michée Ndembi, who is now at Benfica. After that I played for KV Mechelen for a year and a half. I am now in my second year at Genk.”

One and a half years of KV Mechelen? Was there a winter transfer somewhere that I missed?

“No, but there was the corona pandemic. Because there were so few matches for a certain period, I consider my spell at KV Mechelen to be one and a half years long. Although in theory I was there for two years.”

And suddenly you were told that your adventure with Purple & White was over. From Anderlecht to KV Mechelen, that is – with all due respect – a small step back.

“You can indeed see it as a step back, but for me it was an extra motivation to show Anderlecht that I could return to a top club. And KV Mechelen remained elite youth football. I was motivated to come back stronger.”

You were right, because now you play professional football with Jong Genk.

“‘That’s an opportunity I have to seize.”, I immediately thought. It has already paid off. Of course I want to play more. The coach tells me to be patient and that my chance will come. I answer that I am waiting for my opportunity and will certainly seize it. I sometimes drop back to a lower youth category, but that will soon be over, then I will focus entirely on Jong Genk. This is what it says in my three-year step-by-step plan that was drawn up when I transferred from KV Mechelen to Genk.”

Your coach, Jelle Coen, was at KV Mechelen last season. That’s handy.

“When I was with the U15 of KV Mechelen, he coached the U18 and I sometimes trained under him. He also knows my cousin Bilal very well, because last season he was his coach with the reserves of KV Mechelen. Coach Jelle has exchanged one Bafdili for another.”

You can probably ask Bilal how best to approach the coach.

“That’s not necessary. I have to earn my spot on the field and not by approaching the coach off the field. But we do talk about him every now and then, that’s true.”

Just as you may have been steering with your brother Dalil, six years older, on June 4 of this year. You as a youth player for Genk, he as a player for the U23 team of Union Sint-Gillis, which was on loan to Olympic Charleroi at the time.

“Beats. Unfortunately, none of us became champions that day. (laughs)

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