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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Luke Entwistle

France’s match with Morocco sums up this diverse, multicultural World Cup

France Morocco World Cup Ayyoub Bouaddi Kylian Mbappé Celeste Amarilla FFF
Ayyoub Bouaddi switched his allegiance from France to Morocco earlier this year.
Ayyoub Bouaddi switched his allegiance from France to Morocco earlier this year. Composite: Joao Bravo/SPP/Alamy

When Ayyoub Bouaddi steps on to the pitch in Boston for the World Cup quarter-final on Thursday, he will do so in a Morocco shirt. Just 101 days prior, he was wearing a France kit as he captained the under-21 side to a 2-1 win over Iceland in a European Championship qualifier.

Bouaddi had been coveted by Morocco and, speaking before that game, he said he needed some time to consider his international future. “I don’t want to rush things,” added the Lille midfielder. Six weeks later, he was named in the Morocco squad for the World Cup. “A big loss,” is how Hubert Fournier, the technical director of the French national team, described it. “A lost treasure,” said L’Équipe.

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