Hakim Ziyech has arrived in Brazil to complete his move to Botafogo. The Moroccan midfielder landed at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão airport on Tuesday evening after travelling from Amsterdam. A group of Botafogo fans was waiting for him outside the airport, chanting his name and waving flags. Flares and smoke were also used during the welcome.
The fans also chanted “Assalamu alaikum” as Ziyech arrived.
Ziyech said he was happy to be in Brazil and excited about his new experience. He also said Brazil had always been one of the countries he wanted to visit.
Before leaving Amsterdam, Ziyech sent a short message to the Botafogo fans: “Botafogo, see you soon.”
The 33-year-old will have a medical before completing his contract with Botafogo. The deal is expected to run until December 2028.
Botafogo’s initial offer is worth about $1.5m a year, or roughly $125,000 a month, before performance bonuses. Ziyech has asked for about $2m a year, which would be around $167,000 a month, plus bonuses.
Ziyech joins as a free agent after ending his contract with Wydad Casablanca by mutual consent on 6 September.
He spent less than a year at Wydad after joining the club in October 2025. He scored nine goals and made two assists in 16 games.
Eight of those goals came in 12 Botola Pro matches. He also scored once in four CAF Confederation Cup games. His best performance came against Hassania Agadir in May, when he scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 win.
A hamstring injury kept Ziyech out for about 25 days and caused him to miss five matches.
Wydad and Ziyech agreed a settlement of about 3.5m Moroccan dirhams ($350,000). The payment covered two months of unpaid salary, a loyalty bonus and housing costs.
Wydad said in a statement: “Some stories are shorter than we would have liked.”
Botafogo currently have 29 points from 20 matches in the Brazilian Série A, with eight wins, five draws and seven defeats.
Ziyech can play on the right wing or as a number 10. He is also known for his crossing, passing and free-kicks.
Botafogo’s squad includes forwards Arthur Cabral and Tiquinho Soares, midfielder Cristian Medina and left-back Alex Telles.
The club won the Brazilian league in 2024 and the Copa Libertadores in the same year. Botafogo beat Atlético Mineiro 3-1 in the Libertadores final.
Ziyech has previously played for Ajax, Chelsea, Galatasaray and Al-Duhail. He was also part of the Morocco team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
