Explore 3 Moroccan Players and whats makes them Extraordinary

Paul | November 30, 2023 | Morocco, Sports | No Comments

Sofiane Boufal

Sofiane Boufal (Arabic: سفيان بوفال; born 17 September 1993) is a professional footballer renowned for his skills as a winger or attacking midfielder. He currently plays for Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan and represents the Morocco national team on the international stage.

Sofiane Boufal made his debut for the Morocco national team on 26 March 2016, starting in a 1–0 African Cup of Nations qualification victory against Cape Verde. Unfortunately, he withdrew from Morocco’s squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations due to injury. Surprisingly, he was also unexpectedly omitted from the final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup by coach Hervé Renard.

Despite these setbacks, Boufal continued to represent Morocco at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Unfortunately, he was one of two Moroccan players who failed to score in their 4–1 penalty shootout defeat to Benin in the Round of 16.

On 10 November 2022, Sofiane Boufal was named in Morocco’s 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

On 31 January 2023, Boufal joined Qatari club Al-Rayyan SC on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Boufal made his debut against Al-Gharafa SC and scored his first goal for the club against Al-Duhail SC

Noussair Mazraoui

Noussair Mazraoui (Arabic: نُصَيْر مَزرَاوِيّ; born 14 November 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. He can also play as a left-back and a winger. Born in Netherlands, he plays for Morocco national team.

Mazraoui began his international career as a youth player for Morocco and made his debut for the national team in 2018.

In November 2021, Mazraoui disclosed a strained relationship with Moroccan national team coach Vahid Halilhodžić. On March 13, 2022, both Mazraoui and his Moroccan teammate Hakim Ziyech initially declined Halilhodžić’s invitation to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round against DR Congo. However, Mazraoui later agreed to join the national team after Halilhodžić was replaced by Walid Regragui.

In November 2022, he was selected for Morocco’s 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He played a pivotal role in Morocco’s journey to the semi-finals, contributing to their historic achievement as the first African side to reach the final four stage at the World Cup.

CONTROVERSY

In May 2023, Mazraoui expressed his support for Zakaria Aboukhlal, who chose not to wear a T-shirt in solidarity with the LGBT community, with a comment on Instagram. This led to banners being displayed by fans at the FC Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig home game, urging Mazraoui to adhere to FC Bayern’s values.

In October 2023, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, Mazraoui shared a pro-Palestinian video on Instagram, expressing support for the people of Palestine. This post faced criticism, and Bundestag member Johannes Steiniger called for Mazraoui’s extradition. Following a personal conversation, FC Bayern announced that there would be no consequences. After a Champions League match in Istanbul, discussions took place with Mazraoui and teammate Daniel Peretz, with Mazraoui expressing a willingness to meet with members of Makkabi Deutschland. Subsequently, Mazraoui met with representatives of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, including their President Charlotte Knobloch, a week later.

Munir El Haddadi Mohamed

Munir El Haddadi Mohamed (Arabic: منير الحدادي محمد; born 1 September 1995), known simply as Munir, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or right winger for La Liga club Las Palmas and the Morocco national team.

Munir was born in El Escorial, Madrid, and spent his childhood in Galapagar, a town nearby, which was described by El Mundo as a “Little Morocco.” His father, Mohamed El Haddadi Arbrqui, arrived in Spain at the age of 18 on a fishing boat and later became a chef. Munir’s mother, Saida Mohamed Haddou, is from the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla on the north coast of Africa and was formerly employed as a kitchen hand; she now takes care of Munir’s three siblings. Until the age of 14, Munir was a supporter of Real Madrid.

Munir, born and raised in Spain, is the son of a Moroccan father, making him eligible to represent either nation in international football. There were rumors that Qatar had extended a financial offer to Munir to acquire Qatari nationality and play for the national team, especially considering Qatar was set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In June 2017, reports surfaced that Munir and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) had approached FIFA to change his allegiance to Morocco. FIFA initially denied any contact and stated that the player was ineligible for a switch. Subsequently, Munir and the FRMF took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, challenging FIFA’s rules on changing allegiances. However, their appeal was rejected on May 14, 2018.

On October 1, 2020, following a FIFA rule change allowing players to switch national teams if they had made three or fewer appearances in qualifiers before the age of 21, Munir made another attempt to switch from Spain to Morocco and was called up to their national team. Nevertheless, FIFA rejected this switch, citing Munir’s participation in the Spain U21 team in September 2016 after turning 21. However, on January 28, 2021, FIFA updated the eligibility requirements, granting Munir the approval to represent Morocco, considering he had played for Spain only once before turning 21.

Munir made his debut for Morocco on March 26, 2021, playing the entire 90 minutes as the team secured a 0–0 draw away to neighbouring Mauritania, securing qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Just four days later, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, he scored the sole goal of the game against Burundi.