Until last month, France-based teenage soccer player Ayyoub Bouadi probably thought he would experience this year’s FIFA World Cup like most 18-year-olds – watching on TV, surrounded by friends and family, and probably rooting for Les Bleus, one of the pre-tournament favorites and his future team.
Bouadi developed through the French youth system and joined the French national team’s program, where he was noted as a future talent.
But Bouadi was no ordinary 18-year-old. He recently became the youngest player to make 50 appearances in Ligue 1, the top level of French club football.
Despite his incredible talent, France coach Didier Deschamps wants the curly-haired teenager to remain in the country’s youth ranks, and as recently as March he captained France’s Under-21 team.
Morocco saw an opportunity and jumped on it.
Deschamps’ reluctance to call up Bouadi for the World Cup squad is currently a major controversy in France.
Former Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco midfielder Jerome Wroten expressed his regret while analyzing Morocco’s World Cup opener against Brazil in New Jersey.
Amid the cacophony of noise as the five-time world champion and tens of thousands of fans gathered on the cauldron at New York-New Jersey Stadium, Bouadi stood out for his mental and physical strength.
“I’m shocked to hear coach Didier Deschamps’ words,” Wroten told French sports broadcaster RMC Sport.
“In the case of Bouadi, we didn’t have to wait to see what he did against Brazil and realize that he was a young player who was ahead of his time,” praised the midfielder.
amazing talent
Staying ahead of the curve has been a theme throughout Bouadi’s career. In 2024, on the eve of his 17th birthday, the rising star helped Lille to a famous Champions League victory over Real Madrid.
On a special October night in northern France, Bouadi faced France’s midfield consisting of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Choameny.
After Saturday’s match against Brazil, soccer experts praised Bouadi’s ability to absorb pressure and emerge as Morocco’s midfield maestro.
Despite his young age, pressure was no problem for the boy, who was raised to withstand pressure from an early age. I owe it to my exposure to first-class football and to my father.
Former handball player Hassan Bouadi pursued a post-sport career, working as a bank director while also serving as deputy mayor of Creil, a town about 50 km north of Paris.
The elder Buadi had a vested interest in ensuring that the city’s youth had access to sports infrastructure.
The same sports-loving spirit carried over to Ayyub, who played for local soccer club AFC Creil at the age of five. We focus on education.
The midfielder took the French Baccalaureate exam a year early when he was 16 and is now pursuing a degree in mathematics.
Bouadi’s versatility can also be seen on the pitch. Holding midfielders are usually known for their defensive ability to protect the defense from opposition attacks by cutting off passing lanes, but this young talent’s repertoire also includes the ability to initiate attacks.
In the match against title favorites Brazil, he completed 91 per cent of his passes, including all 16 in the attacking third of the pitch.
His two-way play against Brazil was so effective that defensive veteran Casemiro, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, had to be sent off at half-time.
Was it Deschamps’ versatility that guided his decision? The French manager has a wealth of talent in attack, including Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Bundesliga player of the year Michael Oliseh and La Liga’s top scorer Kylian Mbappé.
Therefore, French midfielders are expected to run horizontally rather than vertically to cover their teammates.
symbol of new morocco
A photo of 10-year-old Bouadi in the stands wearing a Morocco uniform during the 2018 World Cup in Russia went viral on social media in the aftermath of the match against Brazil.
However, his choice to play in Morocco was not a foregone conclusion.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouabi told the media after the match against Brazil, “We had many meetings to get him to choose Morocco, and he was great.”
An application for change of nationality was submitted in May and approved by FIFA.
In appointing Wabi, who won the 2025 U-20 World Cup with Morocco, the Moroccan Football Federation was hoping to inject new blood and a new style into the national team.
Many of the veterans, who have ties to former coach Walid Reglagui, who led Morocco to the semi-finals of the Qatar 2022 tournament, exited from stage left along with the defensive tactics that Morocco have executed brilliantly over the past few years.
Bouadi is now the symbol of this new team and a rising star among Moroccan fans.
“He’s amazing. What a talent, what a professional at 18 years old,” Mohamed, a 29-year-old Moroccan fan and manager of Restaurant El Salen in Barcelona, Spain, told Al Jazeera.
“He was a surprise to all of us as we had never heard of him before this game! Now we are told Arsenal want to sign him.”
Lille extended Bouadi’s contract last year and is expected to ask suitors to start bidding for 100 million euros ($114 million) as he has three years left on his contract.
“Those who slept without watching Brazil vs. Morocco missed the opportunity to discover the new (Sergio) Busquets,” soccer commentator Khalil Jadala said of Bouadi’s talent.
“He can pass, he can defend, he can carry the ball, he can control the tempo… he can do all these things and he’s only 18 years old.”
One particular moment caught Jadara’s attention, and he says it speaks to Buadi’s natural talent.
“He dribbled past a Brazilian in front of his own area towards the end of the game. He has an incredible amount of confidence.”
Morocco’s games against Scotland and Haiti are still to come, so fans will be looking forward to seeing what Bouadi will do in the encore.
If he rises to the occasion, Morocco could make another big breakthrough at the World Cup.
