The boy who turned down France & Zidane: Thanks, but I'll play for Morocco
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 17.06.26. | 16:55
The Atlas Lions wonderboy chose the road less travelled and, as things stand, made the right decision
Imagine this hypothetical situation: you're an 18-year-old football player. One day, your phone rings. It's an unknown number. You answer and hear Zinedine Zidane's voice on the other side. He asks you if you want to play for the France national team. You, naturally, say yes, of course.
This actually happened to Ayyoub Bouaddi, except for one minor difference. He said no!
Yes, the 18-year-old Lille midfielder had an opportunity to represent Les Bleus at the international level. The future national team head coach and the football icon, Zidane, called him, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted.
🚨🇨🇵 𝐍𝐄𝐖 | Zinedine Zidane tried to convince Ayyoub Bouaddi (18) to remain in France set-up before Morocco decision - the story.@GFFN pic.twitter.com/wf2RZrZ8A0
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 | 𝐄 (@TheExtratimeX) June 16, 2026
Bouaddi has never been a "Blue" - he's always been an "Atlas Lion".
Although a teenager, the Moroccan faced one of the most important decisions he would ever make and chose the road less travelled. There are a number of African players who decided to represent European countries, but the youngster showed he was different.
According to RMC Sport, he was initially close to accepting Zidane's proposal. However, Zizou couldn't make any promises about playing time or potential call-ups, which led Bouaddi to change his mind.
As things stand, it appears he made the right call.
He played the full match in Morocco’s World Cup opener against Brazil (1-1) and put in a fantastic performance, drawing the attention of the Premier League champions, Arsenal.
The Atlas Lions’ head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, believes in him, as well as his teammates. Despite his young age, he has a spot on the team and is one of the key players.
And when things are this close to perfect, who needs France?
WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE
Monday, 15.06.
Ivory Coast - Ecuador 1-0 (0-0)
/Diallo 90/
Sweden - Tunisia 5-1 (2-1)
/Ayari 7, 90+6, Isak 30, Gyokeres , Svanberg 84 - Rekik 43/
Spain - Cabo Verde 0-0
Belgium - Egypt 1-1 (0-1)
/Hany 66 og - Ashour 20/
Tuesday 16.06.
Saudi Arabia- Uruguay 1-1 (1-0)
/Amri 41 - Araujo 80/
Iran - New Zealand 2-2 (1-1)
/Ramin 33,Mohebi, 64- Just, 7,54/
France - Senegal 3-1 (0-0)
/Mbappe 66, 90+6 Barcola 82 - Mbaye 90+5/
Wednesday
Iraq - Norway 1-3 (1-2)
/Hussein 39 - Haaland 29, 43 Ostigard 76/
Argentina - Algeria 3-0 (1-0)
/Messi 17, 60, 76/
Austria - Jordan 3-1 (1-0)
/Schmid 21, Al-Arab 76 og, Arnautovic 90+12 pen - Olwan 50/
20.00: (1.30) Portugal (5.20) Dr Congo (11.0)
23.00: (1.75) England (3.90) Croatia (5.00)
Thursday
02.00: (2.25) Ghana (3.20) Panama (3.40)
05.00: (8.50) Uzbekistan (4.50) Colombia (1.42)
19.00: (1.80) Czech R. (3.50) S.Africa (4.70)
22.00: (1.65) Switzerland (3.60) B&H (5.80)
Friday
01.00: (1.32) Canada (5.10) Qatar (10.0)
04.00: (2.10) Mexico (3.30) S.Korea (3.70)
22.00: (1.65) USA (3.85) Australia (5.50)
Saturday
01.00: (4.70) Scotland (3.50) Morocco (1.80)
03.30: (1.12) Brazil (10.0) Haiti (16.0)
06.00: (2.10) Turkey (3.35) Paraguay (3.60)
20.00: (1.72) Netherlands (3.60) Sweden (5.30)
23.00: (1.58) Germany (4.00) Ivory Coast (5.90)
Sunday
03.00: (1.12) Ecuador (9.50) Curacao (19.0)
07.00: (6.50) Tunisia (3.60) Japan (1.60)
19.00: (1.10) Spain (10.5) Saudi Arabia (22.0)
***odds are subject to change***