Aras Özbiliz

Ajax

Özbiliz is a product of the Ajax youth academy. Prior to moving to Ajax as a youth, he played for HVV Hollandia in his home town of Hoorn where he grew up. At the age of 8, he participated in tryouts for the Amsterdam side, and was chosen to play for Ajax, having represented Ajax on every stage of the youth academy, before making his debut for the A selection in 2010 under then coach Martin Jol. On 24 July 2007, in a friendly match against Argentinean club Independiente, he managed to score three goals within 7 minutes, which turned out to be a personal record. In February 2009, Özbiliz agreed a contract for two and a half years with Ajax. In the same year, on 9 June 2009, the attacking midfielder was named Talent van de Toekomst, which is an award signifying the most talented young player in the team to emerge from De Toekomst (Ajax training ground). His performances in the junior team saw him included in the first team for the upcoming 2010–11 season. In November 2010, Özbiliz twice found himself as a candidate for a match, first in the championship game against PSV Eindhoven, and then in the UEFA Champions League match against the Real Madrid, but he remained on the bench. The anticipated player's Eredivisie debut took place on 28 November 2010 in a game against the guest VVV-Venlo. On the field, the 20-year-old appeared immediately after the break, replacing the Finnish midfielder Teemu Tainio. Özbiliz seriously enhanced the game on the left side of…

In mid-May 2010, Özbiliz was invited by the Football Federation of Armenia to take part in the formation of the youth national team of Armenia. Özbiliz stated that while had never been to Armenia he hoped to gain a spot in the youth team. In the Armenian capital Yerevan, Özbiliz arrived on the evening of 30 May. He immediately started working in Pyunik Yerevan, allowing the head coach of the team Vardan Minasyan to get closely acquainted with him. In training, Özbiliz was also presented with the coach of the Armenian national team, Dane Flemming Serritslev. He noted that the Özbiliz made a good impression, but as of now he could not play for the national team because he had a problem with his documents. In early February 2011, the Armenian head coach Minasyan said Özbiliz was going to choose between the teams of Armenia and the Netherlands. To persuade the player to play for Armenia, vice-president of the Football Federation of Armenia Ashot Manukyan went to the Netherlands to negotiate with Özbiliz. Manukyan, in turn, said that Özbiliz was in no hurry with his choice of the national team and wanted to gain a foothold in Ajax and then make a final decision, and he was likely to help the Armenian team in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Russia. The vice-president of the Football Federation of Armenia stressed that the question of citizenship in Armenia for Özbiliz was no problem and to be resolved by the president of the country's approval. In late March 2011, the…

Özbiliz was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey to Armenian parents. He was named after the Aras River, a body of water in Armenia. His ancestors adopted the surname "Özbiliz", literally meaning "one, who preserves his identity." In the early 1990s, his family emigrated from Turkey to the Netherlands. Five years later, he started playing football for the youth team of HVV Hollandia. When he was eight years old, he joined the youth team of Ajax. While playing for the youth team, Özbiliz received two serious injuries, first tearing a cruciate knee ligament, after which he needed an operation, and then a shoulder injury.

Özbiliz was raised in Hoorn, Netherlands and holds Armenian citizenship. On 25 April 2021 he lost his Dutch citizenship. He received his Armenian passport on 4 October 2011, as he wanted to represent the Armenia national team, making his debut for Armenia on 29 February 2012 during a friendly match with Canada and scored a goal in that same match. Özbiliz' sporting idol is Lionel Messi.