Foxborough (United States) (AFP) – Ayyoub Bouaddi had the talent to lead France's midfield for the next generation, but he decided he didn't want to wait for his chance.
Issued on: 07/07/2026 - 17:06
3 min Reading time
So on Thursday the teenager will start for Morocco against the French in the World Cup quarter-finals.The story of the 18-year-old Lille player is a remarkable one -- from captaining the France Under-21s three months ago to pledging his senior international allegiance to Morocco ahead of this World Cup, and now plotting the downfall of the country of his birth.When France coach Didier Deschamps was asked about Bouaddi in March, he indicated it was too soon for a call-up."Of course we are following his performances. There is a lot of competition. It will be his choice to make," Deschamps said then.Instead of going with France to the USA for a friendly against Brazil, he stayed behind and skippered the Under-21s against Luxembourg.Morocco sensed their chance, and swooped to tie down a player destined for a huge future, with the promise that he would go straight into their World Cup squad.Last December, he told sports daily L'Equipe that his dream was "to win the World Cup, the Champions League, win everything".He made an impressive World Cup debut against Brazil on June 13, and has not looked back. On Thursday, from his position at the base of Morocco's midfield, Bouaddi will try to stop Michael Olise from pulling the strings and feeding Kylian Mbappe.France will be hoping they are not left to regret letting Bouaddi -- who grew up near Paris in a family of Moroccan origin, and is pursuing a degree in mathematics -- slip away."Bouaddi is a talent we've followed for many years...we know that in his age group, there's no other Bouaddi. It's a significant loss for our federation, but it's his choice," Hubert Fournier, the French Football Federation's technical director, told The Athletic.Bouaddi was barely 16 when he made his Lille debut, and produced a midfield masterclass in a Champions League win over Real Madrid on his 17th birthday in late 2024."He understood that he was on the extended list. But we couldn't offer him the opportunity to go to the World Cup right now," Fournier added when asked about Bouaddi making France's senior squad.Hence the headline in Tuesday's edition of L'Equipe, describing him as "the lost treasure".New generationThere have been 99 French-born players involved at this World Cup. Morocco, meanwhile, have become extremely adept at securing talented players who were born in different countries but were eligible to represent them.
