The convincing victory of the National Team against the Central African Republic was widely commented on on social networks. Without three of its biggest stars, Hakim Ziyech, Noussair Mazraoui and Brahim Diaz, the team performed flawlessly technically, tactically and in terms of attitude. She showed that she was resourceful and that bodes well.
Brahim Diaz, one of the best current players in the Moroccan national team, particularly stood out. About a month ago, he was injured during the match between his club, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. He had felt pain which forced him to abandon his comrades after twenty-three minutes of play. This injury came at a bad time for the national team and for his club. He was in dazzling form and had just shone with the Atlas Lions by imposing his style, full of finesse, enhanced with devastating dribbles.
Since then, his club has suffered from his absence. He brought technical quality to the attack and an ability to penetrate the best grouped defenses with disconcerting ease. His style of play, based on short dribbling and speed, opened up spaces for other attackers and contributed to increasing opportunities and scoring chances. Last season, in 31 matches, including 18 as a starter, he participated in 14 goals for Real, scoring 8 goals and providing 6 assists. Only Jude Bellingham, with 25 contributions including 19 goals and 6 assists, Vinícius Junior (15 goals and 5 assists), and Rodrygo (10 goals and 5 assists) did better than him, and even then, they benefited a lot from more playing time. If we refer to assists alone, with 6 assists, he is on the same level as Bellingham and Luka Modrić; only Toni Kroos with 8 assists and Federico Valverde, with 7, do better. We’re still talking about the team that won the Champions League-Liga-UEFA Super Cup treble. His absence was felt during Real’s last matches, including an unexpected defeat against Lille in the Champions League (new formula).
While his return to the pitch was expected at the end of November, he seems to have regained his energy and recovered from his injury. Everything indicates that he will be called up again by his club for the next matches, probably by the end of the month.
He was also missed by the national team where he is starting to find his feet and automatisms with the rest of the players. He is part of this new and young generation from whom we expect a lot during the next African and world events. He is young, talented and has experience in big matches which makes him one of the team’s technical leaders, before becoming a leader in general. For this, he made an impression this week by joining his comrades in Oujda to encourage them during the first match against the Central African Republic team. A gesture greatly appreciated by the technical staff, by his teammates and by the public who gave him an ovation commensurate with his immense talent.
Brahim Diaz is part of this new generation of well-educated and disciplined young players. He is disconcertingly simple, generously committed and exudes a lot of sympathy through an always smiling face. He is the prototype player Morocco needs to continue to benefit from the soft power of football.
Football is about performances but also about influence and a beautiful image to project to the rest of the world. A study by a former winner of Al Akhawayn University, published on social networks (Le Collimateur), measured using algorithms the impact on Morocco of the National Team’s journey during the 2022 World Cup The results are incredible: online searches for non-sports topics increased by 400%. They concern cuisine, tourism, culture; all important elements when it comes to developing Morocco’s soft power internationally.
This was not the first study. Another carried out by Cabinet Carma, based in the United Arab Emirates, indicated that “the visibility of Morocco increased by 277% in the media and that messages on social networks concerning Morocco increased by 764%”. The report also mentions an increase in attendance at tourist sites with “a performance of +154% for Tripadvisor Morocco”. This visibility is a blessing whose positive effects must be maximized and transformed into a lever of influence. Nothing should disturb this excess of notoriety; the arrival of a player with the personality of Brahim Diaz consolidates the good image conveyed by sporting performances. He is not alone in bringing this renewed positive notoriety: players like Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Amir Richardson, Ilias Akhomach and Bilal El Khannouss also contribute. They are smiling, accessible and warm, like Morocco and its children.
Pride of belonging must be accompanied by conviviality and good humor. The good vibes transmitted by Brahim Diaz, as well as by a large majority of his teammates, are almost as important as their technical contribution and their talent. The strength of this generation and the previous one lies in the family spirit embodied by the mothers during the World Cup in Qatar and by the brotherhood of the elders as well as their kindness towards the youngest. Well-behaved and talented players are welcome. They bring with them one of the secrets of future success.
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