Real Madrid’s talented young attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz has decided to represent Morocco over Spain, the country of his birth.
It comes after Spain failed to grant him an opportunity in its squad, reports say.
According to Marca’s Juan Castro, the 24-year-old Diaz had grown frustrated with being overlooked by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente despite starring for the country’s youth teams. Born in Malaga to Spanish parents, he had dreamed of representing La Roja his whole career.
However, after not receiving a senior call-up, Diaz has opted to switch his allegiance to Morocco through his paternal grandfather who was born in the country.
The Moroccan Football Federation, led by president Fouzi Lekjaa, are said to have made a concerted effort to convince the talented playmaker to join their ranks.
Diaz becomes eligible to play for Morocco, currently the highest ranked African national team, through his paternal grandfather Brahim Diaz Abdelkader, who was born in the north African country.
He will now join the star-studded Moroccan side that stunned the world with their run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He could line up alongside fellow Spanish-born superstars like Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi in a frightening attack force.
He could feature for Morocco against Angola on 22 March if he is called up to the Atlas Lions’ squad as expected.
The former Manchester City youth product, who has shone with some excellent performances for Real Madrid this season including a wonder strike against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, could make his international debut for Morocco as early as March 22nd against Angola if called up during the upcoming break.
Spain will be left to rue missing out on a blossoming talent like Diaz, who at just 24 still has his prime years ahead of him. His decision is a major blow to manager De la Fuente and the national setup.
For Morocco, however, it represents another major acquisition of a top-level player choosing to represent the Atlas Lions over a European nation. After their historic World Cup run, they have now added further firepower to their ranks from the Spanish pipeline.
Upon the international break’s conclusion, Diaz will rejoin his club Real Madrid who currently top the La Liga table, seven points clear, in their bid to reclaim the Spanish title this season.
