Abderrahim Ouakili played for numerous clubs in Germany, was a Moroccan international and has now passed away at the age of 53.
As FSV Mainz announced, the Moroccan-born player passed away on Monday “after a long and serious illness” at the age of 53. “We are deeply saddened by the news of his untimely death and our condolences go out to his family and friends,” Chief Sports Officer Christian Heidel was quoted as saying in the Mainz press release. “Abdul belonged to the generation of players around Jürgen Klopp and Sven Demandt who raised soccer at Mainz 05 to a new level under our coach Wolfgang Frank. It was a very formative time on and off the pitch, and the connections to the players of that time have remained correspondingly deep. Abdul often put a smile on our faces with his style of play and ball skills, and that’s how we want to remember him.”
Ouakili, who only celebrated his 53rd birthday on December 12, played for FSV Mainz 05 from 1994 to 1997 and in the 2000/01 season, making 113 second division appearances. Under former coach Wolfgang Frank, he was one of the most influential players at the Rheinhessen club in the 1990s.
He also left his mark at TSV 1860 Munich, Tennis Borussia Berlin and Karlsruher SC, where he also ended his career in 2005. At KSC, the Moroccan international played 49 games under the then coach Lorenz-Günther Köstner. Ouakili played a total of 40 Bundesliga games for the Lions between 1997 and 1999.
