Ajax have marked the 21st birthday of Abdelhak Nouri by sharing a moving video to their social media channels.
Nouri, known as ‘Appie’ by many of his friends and teammates, suffered cardiac arrest during a preseason game with Werder Bremen in Austria last July. It was later confirmed that he sustained ‘severe and permanent’ brain damage as a result of the incident.
Nouri was regarded as one of the brightest young footballers in the Netherlands and had broken into the Ajax first team last season having risen through the club’s youth ranks.
The video features highlights of his time at the club and is accompanied by a caption which reads: ‘We think of you every day, but a little more on your birthday.’
Lieve Abdelhak,
We denken iedere dag aan je, maar op je verjaardag net een beetje meer… ❤️#StayStrongAppie pic.twitter.com/MCV4WNC3KT
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) April 2, 2018
After being airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck following his collapse, Nouri was eventually transferred to a medical facility in his home city of Amsterdam where he has continued to receive treatment.
As it emerged that he had been left with permanent brain damage, hundreds of Ajax supporters gathered outside Nouri’s family home in a show of solidarity.
Emotional moments of #Ajax players going to visit Nouri! #StayStrongAppie pic.twitter.com/NT9cBqZVJL
— Diego Montalvan (@DMontalvan) July 15, 2017
