For most of the last three years, Anass Zaroury's career looked like a suitcase that never got unpacked. England, then a loan, then France, then another loan. So the most important thing that happened to him in 2026 wasn't a goal or a call-up. It was a club deciding it wanted to keep him. On 23 May, Panathinaikos activated the purchase option in his loan from Lens, and the Belgian-born Morocco international became a permanent part of the Athens project.
That is a quieter story than a Premier League move, but arguably a healthier one. He turns 26 in November. The question now is whether stability turns a talented, inconsistent winger into a reliable one.
Zaroury, in numbers
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anass Zaroury |
| Born | 7 November 2000, Mechelen, Belgium |
| Age | 25 (26 in November 2026) |
| Nationality | Belgian and Moroccan |
| Height | 1.76 m (about 5 ft 9 in) |
| Position | Left winger, attacking midfielder |
| Stronger foot | Right |
| Club | Panathinaikos |
| Contract until | 30 June 2029 |
| Estimated market value (June 2026) | About €7 million |
| Estimated net worth | $5 million to $8 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
Mechelen, Lommel, Charleroi
Zaroury is a product of Belgian football through and through. His youth years took in SK Heffen, KV Mechelen and Zulte Waregem before senior football arrived at Lommel. A move to Charleroi in 2021 put him in the Belgian top flight, and that's where scouts started paying attention. Close control, a willingness to take players on, a knack for finding space between the lines. England came calling quickly.
The Burnley season that made his name
Burnley signed him in the summer of 2022, and his first year could hardly have gone better. The club ran away with the Championship and returned to the Premier League, with Zaroury contributing seven goals and six assists along the way. For a 21-year-old in his first season abroad, that's a serious return.
Then the level jumped and the minutes shrank. Premier League football exposed the gap between flashes and consistency, and in February 2024 he went to Hull City on loan to get games again.
Hull, Lens and a career losing its thread
Lens bought him outright in August 2024. On paper it was a good fit: a demanding league, a club with European ambitions. In practice, 28 appearances and two goals in his first season didn't make him indispensable. By August 2025 he was heading to Greece on loan, and it was fair to wonder whether he'd become one of those wingers who drift from club to club on reputation alone.
Why Athens worked
Panathinaikos gave him what Burnley's Premier League side and Lens never quite did: a central role. He scored four league goals in the 2025/26 season and added four more, plus an assist, in the Europa League. Those aren't superstar numbers. But European goals carry weight, and the club clearly saw enough over a full season of evaluation to pay for him rather than send him back to France.
That detail matters. A loan with an option is essentially a year-long trial. He passed it.
Money: what we can estimate and what we can't
Neither Zaroury nor Panathinaikos has published his contract terms, so every figure here is an estimate. Icon Polls estimates his net worth at $5 million to $8 million, based on his contracts in Belgium, England, France and Greece, his transfer history, international appearances and likely commercial income.
His Panathinaikos salary is estimated at roughly €1.35 million a year, which works out at around €26,000 a week before tax and bonuses. The Burnley move was the big financial step; the years in England and France lifted his earnings well above anything he made early on in Belgium.
The market value of about €7 million, estimated in June 2026, is the more interesting number. It reflects age, versatility and that improved output in Greece. If he keeps producing in Europe, that figure has room to grow.
A deal to 2029
His contract runs until 30 June 2029, which covers what should be his best years. The switch from loan player to permanent signing also changes the power balance: Panathinaikos now controls his registration and any future sale. Nothing about the situation points to a quick exit. If anything, the club has positioned itself to either extend him or sell at a profit if a bigger league comes back in for him.
Cutting in from the left
At 1.76 m, Zaroury doesn't win games with physical presence. He wins them with balance and timing. His favourite move is the obvious one for a right-footer on the left: isolate the full back, shift inside, and open up a shot or a pass around the edge of the box. He can also play behind the striker, where his habit of receiving between the lines adds creativity.
His strengths are clear: dribbling, quick combinations, crossing and chance creation. The weakness is just as clear. Over his career, the end product has come in bursts. The next step is doing it for a full season, every season.
Choosing Morocco
Zaroury came up through Belgium's youth teams and looked like a possible future senior pick. In 2022 he chose Morocco instead, and the timing was remarkable. He was added to the World Cup squad as a late replacement and made an appearance during the run to the semi-finals, the first by an African nation. His role was small, but he was part of history. If you think that tournament deserves its place among the classics, you can vote in our poll on the best World Cups of all time.
Since then, competition for attacking spots in the Morocco squad has kept him to four senior caps. Regular European football with Panathinaikos is his best argument for getting back into the conversation.
Off the pitch
Zaroury keeps his private life private. He has not publicly confirmed a wife or partner, and there is no reliable announcement of a marriage. Names attached to him online come without credible sourcing, so we won't repeat them.
Answers fans keep looking for
Is Anass Zaroury still on loan from Lens?
No. Panathinaikos activated its purchase option on 23 May 2026, so he is now their player outright, under contract until 30 June 2029.
Why does he play for Morocco if he was born in Belgium?
He holds both nationalities, Belgian by birth and Moroccan through his family. After representing Belgium at youth level, he chose Morocco for senior football in 2022.
How much does he earn?
No official figure exists. Icon Polls estimates about €1.35 million a year at Panathinaikos, roughly €26,000 a week before tax and bonuses.
