Yassine Bounou moved from Lavis to Naturns this winter. © Sarah Mitterer

The missing piece of the puzzle for SSV Naturns?

After a good first half of the season, SSV Naturns signed Yassine Bounou in the winter. Since then, the Bolzano native has lived up to the high expectations placed in him.

02 April 2025

From: cst

Halfway through the second half of the season, one thing is clear: Yassine Bounou has immediately become a key player in Naturno. Not a game goes by without the technically skilled, all-round attacker contributing to the decisive moments for the Lower Vinschgau team. In short, with Bounou, Naturno's management has made a real hit with their winter signing.

The question inevitably arises: is Bounou the missing piece of the puzzle for Naturno's success—namely, the championship title in the regional league? Coach Patrick Fliri comments: "Our strength is the unity of the entire team. We already noticed in the summer that we have a very special sense of togetherness within the team this year." Nevertheless, the Naturno coach says: "Yassi is a good man. You could say he's the icing on the cake."

Huge Series D experience

Bounou played for Virtus Bozen until the summer before succumbing to the lure of Serie D side Lavis. After 11 appearances, he returned to South Tyrol, this time to Naturno in the regional league. The transfer wasn't initially planned, as Fliri reveals: "He approached us, and it worked out well for us."

Yassine Bounou also shows off her fighting skills, as shown here against Fabian Lechner from Latsch. © Sarah Mitterer

Bounou's immediate impact with the Yellow and Blues is primarily due to his quality. The 164-year-old has played 24 games in Italy's fourth division, most of them for Virtus Bolzano. In the Naturno squad, Bounou is one of only two players from the away side. "With him and De Simone, we have two top players from Bolzano. The rest are locals. This makes us very close-knit, which could be our trump card in the season finale," said Fliri.