Ibrahim Afellay was once one of Europe's brightest prospects... his career stalled at Barcelona but Stoke hope promise remains

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The baby-face of Ibrahim Afellay, now 29, cannot hide those memories of his bold emergence onto the European scene a decade ago. Yes, it has been that long.

Despite his enduring youthful appearance, we can recall Afellay as the mercurial light of a PSV Eindhoven side which dominated Dutch football and made an impression in the Champions League.

He earned recognition from his country as long ago as 2007, manager Marco Van Basten counselling the cause of Holland, Afellay’s birth nation, over Morocco, the land of his parents.

Ibrahim Afellay spent last season on loan at Olympiacos before joining Stoke this summer

The 29-year-old Holland international played 27 times for the Greek champions, scoring six goals

Afellay played a key role for PSV as they won four Eredivisie titles in a row between 2004-05 and 2007-08

He was an automatic signing for any aspiring boss on Championship Manager, as it was then. He learnt at the side of Phillip Cocu in midfield. Yes, it has been that long.

This season he will aim to recreate the form that brought him the attention at Stoke City, who have so far enjoyed another productive transfer window at relatively little cost.

Mark Hughes is peppering his squad with technical players to continue the evolution of style he started two years ago. Afellay is Stoke’s fourth ex-Barcelona recruit, following defender Marc Muniesa and creative spark Bojan, a huge success before injury curtailed his season. Winger Moha El Ouriachi joined earlier this summer.

Afellay should bring something different yet again, a fluent dribbler and provider of note, even if the wide assumption is that his best years came at the start of his career.

It is precisely because of that belief that Stoke have been able to snaffle a player who, upon signing for Barca in January 2011, had an £85million release clause inserted in his contract.

Repeated injuries and an inability to dislodge the world’s greatest players at the point of Barca’s attack meant that price was rendered utterly redundant, but Afellay did make telling contributions in his time at the Nou Camp.

Afellay is fourth ex-Barcelona player at club after Bojan Krkic (above), Marc Muniesa and Moha El Ouriachi

Stoke manager Mark Hughes will hope to benefit from a fully fit Afellay when the season kicks off

He played 23 times for Pep Guardiola in his first half-season and came off the bench with 20 minutes to go in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

He set up Lionel Messi’s breakthrough goal, shimmying past Marcelo and crossing for the Argentine to poke home. Barca won 2-0 and then beat Manchester United in the final at Wembley 3-1. Afellay has a winners’ medal, Guardiola sending him on with seconds to go.

Afellay wrapped the Berber flag around his body during the celebrations, in recognition of his North African roots. He was the first player of Moroccan heritage to play for Barcelona.

Yet injuries put paid to him building on that platform, and he made only a handful more appearances in the famous shirt.

In 2012-13 he went on loan to Schalke and scored three times in the opening months, including at Arsenal in the Champions League. But a groin problem ended his season abruptly in November.

Afellay was a regular for Barcelona under Pep Guardiola in the second half of the 2010-11 campaign

The former Barcelona head coach issues instructions to Afellay from the touchline in April 2011

The next campaign was a write off but he emerged to fitness and something like fruition last season on loan at Olympiacos, where he played 27 times scoring six goals in a Championship-winning season.

He once again performed in Europe’s elite competition too, finding the net against Atletico Madrid in a group stage victory.

A recall to the Dutch national team followed, and he won his 50th cap coming on as a substitute in the March win over Spain. He was a member of the squad which reached the 2010 World Cup final although sat out the defeat by Spain.

Playing regularly in the Premier League should see a bright Oranje future, even if this will be the first time he has not had the opportunity to compete in a European club tournament.

Afellay celebrates after scoring against Arsenal for Schalke in the Champions League in 

Afellay made his 50th cap for Holland in the victory against Spain in March earlier this year

In an odd way, his move to the midlands brings his career full circle. Back in red and white, he will have the confidence of his manager to affect games consistently.

It was thus at PSV, when he earned his debut under Guus Hiddink and continued to perform for Ronald Koeman and subsequent managers. He won four Eredivisie titles in a row.

In 2007 he played against Arsenal and Liverpool in the Champions League, and was presented the Johan Cruijff Award for being the most promising youngster in Netherlands after six goals and a catalogue of assists.

Despite his looks, he is no longer a youngster. But Stoke hope the promise remains.