Morocco head into the World Cup with a team full of adopted stars who will be looking to spring a surprise or two in a tough group.
Their combination of structured defensive shape, which is guided from the touchline by suave French manager Hervé Renard, and a smattering of individual flair, could endear them to the neutrals, especially when they take on the might of Iberian giants Spain and Portugal in Group B.
They kick off their tournament with a must-win game against the other team in their group, Iran, on Friday 15th, when spectators will get an early glimpse of the Atlas Lions in action.
Only six of their 23-man squad were born in Morocco, with the majority of the group made up of French or Dutch-born converters to the cause. Moroccan legend Mustapha Hadji will also be present in his role as assistant manager.
Familiar Faces
Captain Medhi Benatia is one of the more high-profile experienced players in this side, and the Juventus centre back will be looking to lead his team into the knockout stages against the odds.
Attacking midfielder Mbark Boussoufa, now 33, once played for the Chelsea youth team, before going on to forge a career at Belgian side Anderlecht. He also spent 5 seasons in Russia later in his career.
Former Aston Villa midfielder Karim El Ahmadi is also one of the more experienced heads in the squad, along with Watford midfielder Nordin Amrabat who spent the past season on loan in Spain at Leganés.
As we will see, the team have a number of other players who are on the verge of becoming household names across Europe.
Under the Radar
One of only three Morocco-based players in the squad, striker Ayoub El Kaabi, has managed ten goals from just eight caps, putting him on course to be up there with Morocco’s most prolific scorers.
The 24-year-old, who plays his club football for RS Berkane in his homeland, could raise a few eyebrows this summer.
Elsewhere, Ruben Neves rightly took many plaudits for his midfield performances as Wolverhampton Wanderers returned to the Premier League, but alongside him Moroccan international Roman Saïss provided a solid presence on both sides of the ball.
The French-born 28-year-old operates in midfield for his club, and in terms of passing volume he was up there with his Portuguese team-mate, completing almost 2000 short passes throughout the season, putting him 5th in the league overall.
For Morocco, however, he’s likely to play at centre back alongside Benatia, and in qualifying they formed the core of a defence which didn’t conceded a single goal in their group.
Mehdi Carcela made the cut at the expense of Southampton's Sofiane Boufal whose disciplinary troubles at his club, having been banished to the U23s by Mark Hughes, have seen him left out of the World Cup. Carcela could be the wildcard in the Morocco pack, using his creative talents off the bench.
Future Stars
Big things are expected of Schalke midfielder Amine Harit, and he’s a player who’s constantly looked to challenge himself for the good of his career, even at a young age.
The 20-year-old moved from the comfort of the country of his birth, France, to ply his trade in Germany where he has caught the eye with his burst of speed, movement off the ball, and considerable ability on it. If he impresses at this tournament another challenge could lie just around the corner as clubs chase his signature.
At one point Real Madrid's teenage right-back Achraf Hakimi had more appearances for his country than for his club, but nine appearances under Zinedine Zidane this season have given him hope of breaking into the Real XI next term.
He is a big attacking threat from full-back and has two goals in La Liga this season, showing that, unlike some in this role, he has end product in front of goal as well as being able to assist others.
He’s likely to play at left-back for his country, and will battle for a place in the side with another promising player in the position, Lille’s Hamza Mendyl.
Key Player
Creative force Hakim Ziyech is on course to become one of his adopted country’s most prolific attackers. He chose Morocco over the country of his birth, the Netherlands, much to the disappointment of the Dutch FA, and he’s part of an Ajax side full of exciting young talents.
He will be the side’s playmaking hub, and should one of his favoured moves — the speculative shot from distance — find the back of the net, then he could be a good outside bet for goal of the tournament.
Though not quite as prolific as El Kaabi, he has eight goals from 15 caps, giving him the second highest goal-tally in the squad, and he’ll be key to creating or scoring the goals Morocco will need to progress.
