كيف يولد حلم تمثيل المغرب لدى ابناء المهجر؟

Despite his Belgian nationality, Zakaria Bakkali of Moroccan origin chose to represent his homeland. The 22-year-old spoke about his decision to join the “Atlas Lions” national team in an interview with “Yalla Kora”.

Bakkali joined the Belgian club Youth Club in 2016, then moved to Standard Liege and then to Wydad Casablanca in Morocco in 2018, before settling in the UAE team since 2020.

In his interview with “Yalla Kora”, Bakkali explains the reasons for leaving Wydad Casablanca and heading to the UAE, saying that he wanted a chance to play which he did not find with the Moroccan team.

The young Moroccan added that despite the privileges he received in the UAE, including the golden residence, he decided to leave and return to Europe.

Bakkali’s goal and European thinking was to return to the Moroccan Youth team, especially since his coach demanded that he move to one of the European leagues to return to the “Atlas Lions” team.

Bakkali revealed during his interview with “Yalla Kora” that he will join the Spanish team Atletico Marbella, describing this step as distinctive, given the influence of the club’s president.

The Moroccan international also spoke about the advantages of the president of Atletico Marbella, as he is also the former vice-president of Roma and the president of Genoa and has many special relationships with top clubs on the European continent.

Bakkali also mentioned that he received several offers from Italian and Greek clubs, including Brescia, before settling in Spain.

As for his position on representing the Moroccan national team or joining the Belgian team, Bakkali confirmed that he will choose Morocco by 100%, praising the current level of the “Atlas Lions” team with Walid El Karti, which made the team one step away from qualifying to the World Cup (Qatar 2022).

The former Wydad player continued to speak about the capabilities of El Karti, stating that all Moroccan players with dual nationality should feel 100% Moroccan in their hearts and blood, no matter where they were born.

Bakkali also praised what the chairman of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, has done since he took over the football administration in Morocco since 2014, saying “Moroccan players now want to represent the national team and achieve victory.”