Botafogo Signs Hakim Ziyech Through 2028

Overview

• Botafogo announced the free signing of Hakim Ziyech on Thursday and formally presented him to supporters at Estádio Nilton Santos ahead of Saturday’s match.
• The club gave Ziyech the number 22 shirt and he was welcomed in Rio with an airport reception and an on‑pitch ceremony that featured a large fan banner and children forming a corridor.
• Ziyech has passed medicals but remains ineligible to play until his registration is entered in the CBF’s BID and he completes a short conditioning program that the club says could take up to two weeks.
• The 33‑year‑old arrives without a transfer fee after ending his spell with Wydad Casablanca, having last played in June, and brings a European pedigree that includes Ajax, Chelsea and Galatasaray plus international experience with Morocco.
• The signing has drawn broad attention — including an official Chelsea social post shared by Ziyech and public praise from Botafogo Social president João Paulo Lins — and some outlets report a likely first appearance could come against Mirassol once registration and fitness are cleared.