Samy Mmaee is the new player of Dinamo

Three consecutive seasons in the groups of UEFA competitions, strength in duels, emphasized power and combativeness, experience of playing in the national team... These are some of the characteristics of the new Dinamo defender who will strengthen the Maksimir defense in the upcoming season. Moroccan center-back born in Belgium, 27-year-old Samy Mmaee, has signed a multi-year contract with Dinamo.

He was born on September 8, 1996 in the Belgian town of Halle, developed through the youth ranks of Gent and Standard, played for Dutch club Maastricht, upon returning to Belgium he played for St.Truiden and from February 2021 he was with Hungarian club Ferencvaros with whom he won the league title in each of his seasons, a total of four, along with a cup victory.

Mmaee has played in the group stage of UEFA competitions with Ferencvaros in the last three seasons, in the first two in the Europa League, and then in the Conference League. They have qualified for the spring part of the European calendar two consecutive times. His teammates at the Budapest club included three former Dinamo players: Roko Baturina, the brother of current Dinamo's number ten Martin, as well as Marijan Čabraja and Amer Gojak.

Mmaee once played for the Belgian U-17 and U-19 national teams, but eventually chose Morocco. His first call-up to the Moroccan senior national team was made by former Dinamo coach, the celebrated Vahid Halilhodžić, in October 2020. He has since played 10 games for the national team.

The sporting director Marko Marić also shared his opinion on the new addition to Dinamo's defensive line.

- This is a player who is definitely a huge reinforcement for us, I think we can compare him to Theophile when he arrived at our club, also at a similar age as Samy. A player with great experience, he has around 200 matches at a very high level, he is very physically powerful. He can cover a player in wide spaces, which is rare to find today. Samy is excellent with the ball at his feet, calm and opens up the game brilliantly, he is technically extremely gifted. Personally, I like players from that region, Moroccans have attitude, strong character, they are great professionals. Besides, Vahid Halilhodžić coached him in the national team and spoke very highly of him. With Samy, we have gained a player we can rely on in terms of mentoring and educating our younger players, such as Zebić, Jakirović, and Mikić. Kevin and Samy are the ideal profile of players for such things.

Samy Mmaee also spoke about his expectations and ambitions upon signing the contract.

- I am glad to have become a new member of Dinamo. I played in Ferencváros with some former Dinamo players - Roko Baturina, Marijan Čabraja and Amer Gojak, so Gojak told me a lot of nice things about the club. I am aware that this is a step up for me personally in my career, and my goals are very clear and simple - to win the championship, qualify for the Champions League, earn as many points as possible and go as far as possible in Europe. Thank you to the club's management for their trust, I promise to give my all on the field and hope that together we will achieve many successes that we will fondly remember, said Samy.

Welcome to Dinamo, dear Samy!