June 14, 2026
For a teenager playing a first competitive international, Ayyoub Bouaddi looked completely at home as Morocco more than matched Brazil in their opening World Cup outing on Saturday.
The 18-year-old carried an imperious air as he moved relentlessly across the pitch, constantly looking for work in an eye-catching midfield performance that helped the North Africans hold the five-time world champions to a 1-1 draw in their Group C clash.
Frequently he would surge forward, the ball stuck to his feet and defenders bouncing off him, in an impressive display of power. The post-match statistics had him making more touches (86) than any of his teammates and with over 90% passing accuracy.
He has been a rising star for some while now at Lille in Ligue 1 and it is no wonder the Moroccans relentlessly pursued trying to persuade the French-born prodigy to switch international allegiance.
