Today, France and Morocco will determine the second finalist of the World Cup, the match is at 21:00.
The two formations have opposite destinies. As is characteristic of the most immodest and most modest countries, some attract human potential, and from others (such as Bulgaria) it runs out. Let’s go through the obvious and probably unnecessary clarification that each person chooses his or her homeland, and the blood comes from God, and… And it shows a process that has been natural since childhood.
Of Morocco’s 26-man squad (including the recently injured, they are still in Qatar), 12 were born in Morocco. However, Abdelhamid Sabiri has been growing up in Germany since he was 3 years old. And Abde Elzazouli, at the age of 7, moved with his parents to Spain, where he learned to play football. Yassin Bono was born in Canada, but from the age of 3 he was in Morocco, where he became a goalkeeper. Let’s draw a line: 11 national teams are a product of the Moroccan football tradition. With the remaining 15 diversity reigns. One is learning the game in Germany – clear now. There is also a second son of Italian football, also born at Botusha: Walid Shedira.
Ashraf Hakimi (in the Real Madrid school) and Munir Mohamedi (in the autonomous cities of Melilla and Ceuta in African land next to Morocco) were born and developed their talent in Spain.
From the Netherlands are Nusair Mazraoui (Ajax academy), Sofian Amrabat (Utrecht), Hakim Zies (Heerenveen) and Zakaria Abuhlal (PSV). Without the first, the others played in the junior or youth national teams of the “tulips”.
Born and raised in Belgium: Anas Zaruri (Zulte Waregem school), Bilal el Hanous (Anderlecht and Genk), Elias Shair (Bruges, etc.), Selim Amalah (Anderlecht, etc.). The first two have matches for the junior and youth national teams of the “red devils”.
From France come Romain Saiss (several schools) and Sophien Boufal (Angers).
In short: Morocco has 13 Europeans by birth and one North American, and 15 Europeans by football destiny. All have Moroccan (Arab and Berber) blood. However… However, Captain Sais’ mother is… French. Shair is Polish, Amalah is Italian. Abuhlal’s father is Libyan.
Yes, this is the world.
Of the starters for the quarterfinals with Portugal (1:0), six turned out to have grown up in Europe, and of the five reserves – two.
Probably since the dawn of time, people have changed their homeland. Sometimes they have both (somehow the plural of this word doesn’t work). It’s not a sin, it’s not bad. There are enough Bulgarian Turks who respectfully call their homeland Bulgaria along with their love for Turkey. The example with the millions of our emigrants abroad is similar, even though the grandchildren of most of them do not know the Bulgarian language and know their “grandparents’ homeland”. Sometimes this word homeland sounds a little strange in this world, but it’s so beautiful.
Clearly, the Moroccans have exploited the potential of European football. Many have dual citizenship. Perhaps if they had been selected for the Netherlands or Belgium men’s national teams, they would not have played for their first country. Perhaps. But now the same guys are throwing themselves with rare wit, exhilaration, passion and flight for their native flag. He is Moroccan and they are proud to be Moroccan.
Where is the counterpoint? 12 years ago Levski’s ace, Gara Dembele, was disturbed by a question about Mali, where his blood comes from: “I’m French! I come from Paris, from the 12th arrondissement”. Which didn’t stop him from playing 7 games for the Mali national team.
The homeland is often changed for material interests. A better place to live. Somewhere they give more money for the same work. Some national teams are more prestigious than others. And his heart finds a new home. Or with the same passion she returns to the old house.
You and I have no right to doubt Ibrahim Konate’s freedom to say: “Mali? I’m French! From Paris, from the 11th arrondissement.” As well as.
But it is also an axiomatic fact of how much power African roots have given to more than one European national team.
Of the “Roosters”, only three were not born in France. Marcus Thuram was born in Parma, where at the time the famous father Lilian played, number 1 in matches with the French blue team and emigrated from Guadeloupe.
Eduardo Kamavinga was born in a refugee camp in Angola to parents from the Republic of the Congo. The little boy was 2 years old when he moved to France. Steve Mandanda was born in Kinshasa, has lived in France since he was 2 years old. His brother Parfe maintains for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire, there is a separate Republic of the Congo).
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Of the 24-man squad (excluding the injured Karim Benzema and Luca Hernandez), only one is not a product of the French academy. This is younger brother Theo Hernandez. He and Luca have a father, a Spanish emigrant in Monaco. They were born in France, but from an early age (Theo was 4) they moved to Madrid and grew up at the Atlético school, and their father soon abandoned the family.
Axel Disassi (DR Congo-Angola), Jules Kunde (father from Benin), Aurelian Chouameni (Cameroon), Kylian Mbappe (Cameroon-Algeria), Ousmane Dembele (father from Mali, mother from Mauritania and Senegal) have African roots. , Randal Kolo Mouani (Congo), Youssef Fofana (Mali), William Saliba (Lebanon-Cameroon), Dayo Upamekano (Guinea-Bissau). We add Mandanda, Konate and Kamavinga. And finally, Matteo Genduzzi’s father is from… well, Morocco. They become 13. The “African” in the French composition is of the caliber of the “European” in the Moroccan.
Finally, a paradox occurs. If we count genes, Africans will play in the semifinals. If we count the field and the football school, it will mostly be played by Europeans. And the main language in the field will be French, because it’s the third most spoken in Morocco after Arabic and Berber – the country is a former colony of France.
Even the “Roosters” have Asian origins: Alphonse Arreola’s parents emigrated from the Philippines. He also has Caribbean roots (North and Central America) – Kingsley Coman (Guadeloupe), Raphael Varane (father of Martinique) plus the aforementioned Thuram.
There are more to list. Hugo Lloris’ father is Spanish like the Hernandez brothers. Antoine Griezmann’s father is the son of emigrants from Germany and his mother is the daughter of immigrants from Portugal. Olivier Giroud is half Italian through both grandmothers.
Benjamin Pavard, Adrien Rabiot and Jordan Verretou remain 100% French by gene. This does not take away the sacrosanct right of the remaining 21 people to be one hundred percent French in conscience. And be proud of this fact. And play for the tricolor.
Summary – Morocco uses its foreign blood and traditions. And France uses foreign blood and its own traditions.
AND? Long live France! Long live Morocco!
Photo: Getty Images
