Chelsea's Ziyech to lead Morocco to the FIFA World Cup making U-turn on international retirement

Hakim Ziyech

Chelsea's Ziyech to lead Morocco to the FIFA World Cup making U-turn on international retirement

Jidechi Chidiezie 13:00 - 11.11.2022

Morocco will play in group F and will on November 23 play their first match against Croatia, before facing Belgium and then, Canada.

Morocco's head coach Walid Regragui has joined other African teams in making known his list of 26 players for the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off on November 20. 

Returning to the Atlas Lions is Hakim Ziyech. The Chelsea winger retired from international football in February due to clashes with the previous coach Vahid Halilhodzic and being dropped by him.

With Halilhodzic's sacking and appointment of Regragui, Ziyech rescinded his resignation and rejoined the national team for the friendly against Chile on 23 September.

Another returnee to the Moroccan national team is Al-Ittihad's Abderrazak Hamdallah who only recently, publicly apologized for having slammed the door at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.

Morocco's full squad

Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla/ESP), Munir Mohamedi (Al Wehda/KSA), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich/GER), Nayef Aguerd (West Ham/ENG), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Romain Saiss (Besiktas/TUR), Yahya Attiyat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Jawad El Yamiq (Valladolid/ESP), Achraf Dari (Brest/FRA)

Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina/ITA), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria/ITA), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege/BEL), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers/FRA), Bilal El Khannouss (Genk/BEL), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca)

Forwards: Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea/ENG), Amine Harit (Marseille/FRA), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna/ESP), Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse/FRA), Sofiane Boufal (Angers/FRA), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla/ESP), Walid Cheddira (Bari/ITA), Abderrazak Hamed Allah (Al-Ittihad/KSA)

What has been said? 

"We have an amazing team, to be honest, with a lot of quality, a lot of players who play in big leagues in Europe, also for big teams. I think we can do something special, something nobody is thinking, I think we can achieve that," said Noussair Mazraoui, Morocco and Bayern Munich defender.

Morocco will play in group F and will on November 23 play their first match against Croatia, before facing Belgium and then, Canada.

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