Since his childhood, football has been part of his daily life. Between Sport and studies, Hanna El Mokadem finds her balance perfectly today. In recent months, the goalkeeper from Oyonnax has been called to join the Moroccan women’s selection under 16 (U16), in preparation for the World Cup in her category, scheduled for 2025. “I don’t I never had any hesitation about playing for the national team. As soon as I was asked to join, I accepted without thinking long. It was obvious to me”, confides to Yabiladi the one who plays with Jura Sud Football in club.
Born in 2008 to a working-class family from Al-Hoceïma, Hanna played eight seasons with the Arbent-Marchon Sports Union (USAM), initially as an outfield player. Since 2020, she has decided to wear the gloves, before joining the mixed U15 boys at Jura Sud Foot, then the senior women’s team. Since then, the young goalkeeper has made her mark, participating in more than half of the R1F team’s matches. With the national eleven, she has already had her baptism of fire, during a friendly match against Tunisia (6-1).
“At first, Hanna was called for tests with a view to joining the Morocco U17 team. But in the meantime, a U16 team has been formed and for which Hanna has been summoned, from April 1 to 9, 2024 for preparations for the 2025 World Cup,” his father, Jamal El Mokadem, himself passionate about, tells us. of football. Sister of four brothers with whom she practices her passion, the young prodigy is particularly supported by her family circle, starting precisely with her parents. For her training under the colors of Jura Sud Foot, she travels 30 kilometers from Oyonnax, four times a week.
“We encourage her in all the decisions she makes herself; We accompany him in particular to his training, due to the lack of a club in his category in the city where we live. Sport is always important for the mind and body, with positive effects on all other aspects of life. So we support her in what she does.”
Jamal El Mokadem
In addition to her family circle, Hanna found unconditional support from her club in France, as well as the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) in her home country. In her progress on the pitch, she is “continuously supported by the directors of USAM, François Sanches and his coaches, as well as Paul Grappe at Jura Sud and his current coach, Mathieu Morel”. “We thank everyone who is interested in her and are very proud to see her called up to the Moroccan national team,” Jamal El Mokadem told us.
“A pride” in wearing the colors of Morocco
Seeing his daughter’s precocious talent for football, it was in fact the father who enrolled Hanna in a club, when she was only five years old. Since then, football has been an integral part of his life, just like his studies. A regular at football stadiums as a supporter as well as a professional, she remembers having accompanied her brothers on the field for a long time. Her childhood was also marked by the matches that she always loved to watch on television.
“I wasn’t influenced by a particular football star at the time, but I really liked the game on the pitch and that pushed me to do the same,” Hanna El Mokadem tells us. During the last Women’s World Cup and even before being called up by Morocco, the young goalkeeper supported the teams of her two countries, but particularly the Atlas Lionesses whose game, competitive spirit and of group.
“For me, it’s a Source of pride today to wear the same jersey as that of the players I saw participating in a World Cup for the first time,” says Hanna El Mokadem, who is now wearing and already in the thick of the next World Cup. In the meantime, she is also and above all focusing on the club championship, currently in progress.
