Ayyoub Bouaddi has been one of the driving forces behind near-perfect start to the . At just 18, the composure and authority he brings to the pitch is that of a player double his age, while his ball control, movement and decision-making are reminiscent of those of a seasoned veteran.
“He plays with a lot of maturity and class”, acknowledged Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who praised the young prodigy’s stunning debut in the and has started in three of the four World Cup matches so far.
“He’s the type of player that I always love having in my team. He always plays with his head up and carries himself with real authority,” added Ouahbi. “He’s a modern player and is super intelligent – it’s a pleasure to be able to work with him.”
To understand Bouaddi’s talent and maturity, one needs to take a step back and look beyond the football pitch. Hailing from the northern French town of Senlis, the youngster possesses exceptional intellectual ability and has already built an impressive list of achievements away from the pitch. At 15, he won a public-speaking competition at the Elysee Palace; a year later, he graduated from secondary school with top honours; and he is now working towards a degree in mathematics.
Ouahbi is not surprised by his unusual profile: “It didn’t take him many training sessions to understand how the team plays. Football today requires players who reflect and understand the game and he grasped how I want my team to play straight away.
“When I worked at Anderlecht with the youth teams, we noticed that the players who managed to break through and play for the first team were those who had completed their secondary education.”
With co-hosts Canada next up on Saturday, the 49-year-old coach will again turn to his midfield “brain”, as he affectionately calls him, to provide the link between the lines and prise open The Reds’ defence. He also struck an optimistic tone about his team’s chances:
“We’re feeling confident and we know what we can do,” said Ouahbi. “We showed that we’re capable of playing beautiful football and that we can go really far in this competition.” As he comes face to face against his former Lille team-mate Jonathan David, the midfielder knows exactly what his coach is expecting of him on the pitch.
“I know my job. I’m there to bring balance to the team”, said Bouaddi. “I know that I’m not there to score hat-tricks, even though I’d love to do that. If that does happen one day, I’ll be so happy."
Whether he scores or not matters little in the end. To make further history and reach the quarter-finals of the flagship tournament for the second time in a row – which would be a first for an African nation – Bouaddi and his team-mates will need to draw on their collective strength.
“The connection between the players and staff is incredibly strong”, added the young Moroccan, who is now on the radar of many of Europe’s top clubs. “We’re happy to be living together. We’re like brothers on and off the pitch. It feels like a real family.”
The close-knit Moroccan side is determined to prolong its stay in North America and has its sights set on lifting the World Cup and making the Moroccan people proud.
Sources: FIFA Official
