World Cup 2026: Ayyoub Bouaddi – the maths whizz turned teen star who chose Morocco

No wonder Morocco and France both desperately wanted Bouaddi to play for them.

Giroud, a World Cup winner, was in his ear, “teasing him the whole year regarding picking France”.

Yet Bouaddi opted against it.

Bouaddi may have represented Les Bleus throughout the youth age groups, but he has always been immensely proud of his family’s roots.

Explaining his ultimate decision to declare for Morocco, rather than the country of his birth, Bouaddi uploaded an old photograph on Instagram.

It captured the then ten-year-old in a Morocco shirt as he watched on from the stands at the 2018 World Cup.

“I am aware of the privilege I have to defend these colours and I will give everything to best represent my country,” he vowed.

Bouaddi certainly backed up those words in the New York New Jersey Stadium.

Such was his influence, no other Moroccan player had more touches than Bouaddi (87) or completed more passes (60) in the 1-1 draw against Brazil.

As others wilted in the heat, Bouaddi repeatedly dribbled past yellow shirts and took Morocco up the pitch, even in the final minutes.

Bouaddi did not shy away from the gritty side of the game, either, winning nine duels, as Brazil veteran Casemiro discovered after being unceremoniously left in a heap at one point.

Casemiro was tellingly substituted at half-time following what Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi called a “masterclass” of a performance from Bouaddi.

However, again, to those who know Bouaddi best, such as former Creil coach Armand Doue, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“He does this kind of match every weekend on the pitches of Ligue 1,” he said.