The Genie of NorthEast: How Alaaeddine Ajaraie became ISL's most feared forward?
He arrived with little fanfare. Few knew him, and he didn’t boast a big name or brand recognition. He didn’t seem flashy or spectacular, at least until he touched the ball.
From that first touch, Alaaeddine Ajaraie has never looked back. Since then, he's become a magic lamp of goals for India’s Northeast. He’s making a strong case as the player everyone wants in the Indian Super League.
After eight rounds of games, Alaaeddine leads the Golden Boot race by a comfortable margin, having scored 11 goals. It's not just his lead that makes his case unprecedented in the ISL—it’s the sheer intensity of his performance.
Alaaeddine hasn't just scored 11 goals; he’s scored in every game he’s played, equaling and breaking records along the way.
The legendary numbers of Ogbeche and Corominas suddenly seem modest beside the Moroccan’s form. Currently, he's scoring at a rate of one goal every 58 minutes—a rate no one has matched in league history.
This article provides a statistical breakdown of every aspect of Ajaraie’s incredible form. Zone of Activity
Alaaeddine has mostly played as an inside forward on the left flank in Northeast’s 4-2-3-1 formation, though he's led the line as a central striker in a couple of games.
His pass-receiving pattern is intriguing. Although positioned on the left and receiving most passes there, his goal-scoring instincts are triggered once he’s in the box. Nearly 60% of passes he’s received in the box have led to immediate shots.
His threat is reflected in Northeast's moves, which often flow down the left through Alaaeddine. His off-the-ball work is also integral to Benali's press, as Northeast has averaged 3.25 high turnovers (ball recoveries in the final third) per game, with Alaaeddine contributing one per match.
Alaaeddine Ajaraie's passes recieved in ISL 24-25 till Matchweek 8 Visualised Shot-taking
Ajaraie takes a lot of shots—the most in the league. So far, he’s taken 43 shots (excluding a penalty), 17 more than the next highest player, Sadiku.
He’s adept with both feet, with a third of his shots coming from his weaker left.
Interestingly, seven of his 11 goals have come from his left foot, where he’s especially accurate—almost 50% of his left-footed shots result in goals.
This raises the question of whether he’s truly right- or left-footed. Alaaeddine Ajaraie's shot-map in ISL 24-25 till Matchweek 8 Visualised
Another intriguing aspect of his shot-taking is his foot preference based on location: in the box, he’s almost exclusively left-footed, with 13 of 24 shots taken with his left.
Outside the box, he shifts to his right, with only 2 of 19 shots taken with his left. Ajaraie’s shot locations display a mild left-side bias, expected from his role as a left-sided inside forward.
Shot variety
Alaaeddine has been impossible to keep quiet. He’s taken 29 shots from open play, scoring five.
He’s also managed five counter-attack shots, scoring three—his best scoring percentage by game situation.
His dead-ball accuracy is excellent too. He’s taken four central free kicks slightly farther out than the ideal range, landing two on target and scoring once due to a Sachin Suresh error.
He’s taken four shots from corners, including a stunner against Odisha, and converted a penalty against Chennai. Underlying Numbers
In expected goals (xG) from non-penalty situations, Ajaraie again leads the league, accumulating 4.5 xG. But it’s his outperformance of this metric that stands out: his 10 goals from 4.5 xG represent a remarkable +5.5 overperformance, the highest in the league.
Top strikers often overperform their xG, though this sometimes suggests a potential future dip.
Only time will reveal if Ajaraie can continue to defy both fan and statistical expectations.
Another measure, expected goals on target (xGOT), indicates shot placement quality. Higher xGOT suggests better placement toward goal corners.
Ajaraie has exceeded his xG by up to +25% on his xGOT, which indicates his finishing quality.
With 10 goals from an xGOT of 5.7, he has overperformed by +4.3, making it unlikely he can sustain his current rate of 1.55 goals per game indefinitely. Not just goals
It’s not all about scoring. Alaaeddine has also contributed heavily to Northeast’s chance creation alongside Jithin M.S. The Moroccan accounts for 19% of the team’s chances created, with 15 open-play chances, just one behind Jithin. Together, they lead the league in open-play chance creation.
Overall, he’s been electric, often unplayable.
It’s been a long time since the ISL saw a consistent, all-around goal threat like him.
Northeast hopes he defies the statistical limits and continues to exceed expectations. India may be witnessing another Moroccan star at the absolute peak of his powers.
Comments
He arrived with little fanfare. Few knew him, and he didn’t boast a big name or brand recognition. He didn’t seem flashy or spectacular, at least until he touched the ball.
From that first touch, Alaaeddine Ajaraie has never looked back. Since then, he's become a magic lamp of goals for India’s Northeast. He’s making a strong case as the player everyone wants in the Indian Super League.
After eight rounds of games, Alaaeddine leads the Golden Boot race by a comfortable margin, having scored 11 goals. It's not just his lead that makes his case unprecedented in the ISL—it’s the sheer intensity of his performance.
Alaaeddine hasn't just scored 11 goals; he’s scored in every game he’s played, equaling and breaking records along the way.
The legendary numbers of Ogbeche and Corominas suddenly seem modest beside the Moroccan’s form.
Currently, he's scoring at a rate of one goal every 58 minutes—a rate no one has matched in league history.
This article provides a statistical breakdown of every aspect of Ajaraie’s incredible form.
Zone of Activity
Alaaeddine has mostly played as an inside forward on the left flank in Northeast’s 4-2-3-1 formation, though he's led the line as a central striker in a couple of games.
His pass-receiving pattern is intriguing. Although positioned on the left and receiving most passes there, his goal-scoring instincts are triggered once he’s in the box. Nearly 60% of passes he’s received in the box have led to immediate shots.
His threat is reflected in Northeast's moves, which often flow down the left through Alaaeddine. His off-the-ball work is also integral to Benali's press, as Northeast has averaged 3.25 high turnovers (ball recoveries in the final third) per game, with Alaaeddine contributing one per match.
Alaaeddine Ajaraie's passes recieved in ISL 24-25 till Matchweek 8 Visualised
Shot-taking
Ajaraie takes a lot of shots—the most in the league. So far, he’s taken 43 shots (excluding a penalty), 17 more than the next highest player, Sadiku.
He’s adept with both feet, with a third of his shots coming from his weaker left.
Interestingly, seven of his 11 goals have come from his left foot, where he’s especially accurate—almost 50% of his left-footed shots result in goals.
This raises the question of whether he’s truly right- or left-footed.
Alaaeddine Ajaraie's shot-map in ISL 24-25 till Matchweek 8 Visualised
Another intriguing aspect of his shot-taking is his foot preference based on location: in the box, he’s almost exclusively left-footed, with 13 of 24 shots taken with his left.
Outside the box, he shifts to his right, with only 2 of 19 shots taken with his left. Ajaraie’s shot locations display a mild left-side bias, expected from his role as a left-sided inside forward.
Shot variety
Alaaeddine has been impossible to keep quiet. He’s taken 29 shots from open play, scoring five.
He’s also managed five counter-attack shots, scoring three—his best scoring percentage by game situation.
His dead-ball accuracy is excellent too. He’s taken four central free kicks slightly farther out than the ideal range, landing two on target and scoring once due to a Sachin Suresh error.
He’s taken four shots from corners, including a stunner against Odisha, and converted a penalty against Chennai.
Underlying Numbers
In expected goals (xG) from non-penalty situations, Ajaraie again leads the league, accumulating 4.5 xG. But it’s his outperformance of this metric that stands out: his 10 goals from 4.5 xG represent a remarkable +5.5 overperformance, the highest in the league.
Top strikers often overperform their xG, though this sometimes suggests a potential future dip.
Only time will reveal if Ajaraie can continue to defy both fan and statistical expectations.
Another measure, expected goals on target (xGOT), indicates shot placement quality. Higher xGOT suggests better placement toward goal corners.
Ajaraie has exceeded his xG by up to +25% on his xGOT, which indicates his finishing quality.
With 10 goals from an xGOT of 5.7, he has overperformed by +4.3, making it unlikely he can sustain his current rate of 1.55 goals per game indefinitely.
Not just goals
It’s not all about scoring. Alaaeddine has also contributed heavily to Northeast’s chance creation alongside Jithin M.S.
The Moroccan accounts for 19% of the team’s chances created, with 15 open-play chances, just one behind Jithin. Together, they lead the league in open-play chance creation.
Overall, he’s been electric, often unplayable.
It’s been a long time since the ISL saw a consistent, all-around goal threat like him.
Northeast hopes he defies the statistical limits and continues to exceed expectations. India may be witnessing another Moroccan star at the absolute peak of his powers.
https://thebridge.in/football/northeast-alaaeddine-ajaraie-isl-feared-forward-50629?infinitescroll=1
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