Moroccan right back Achraf Hakimi will hope to knock out his country of birth (Spain) in a bid to lead Morocco to their first ever quarterfinal appearance in the FIFA World Cup when the two teams face each other later today in a Round of 16 clash at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.
The Madrid-born star started his football career on the streets of Spain at the Getafe-based academy Colonia Ofigevi before joining the Real Madrid youth team setup in 2006.
The defender made his first team debut for Los Blancos on October 1, 2017, and scored his first goal on December 9 of the same year.
He has since then played for German outfit Borussia Dortmund, won the Serie A title with Italian giants Inter Milan, and currently plies his trade in France with a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain team.
Hakimi turned down the offer to represent the Spanish youth team on several occasions, citing differences in beliefs as a reason for choosing his parents’ country.
“I felt it was not the right place for me, I did not feel at home. It was not for anything in particular, but it was not how I lived at home, which is the Arab culture, being Moroccan,” he told Marca newspaper.
Hakimi is not a stranger to La Roja, having played against the side in a 2-2 draw at the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Prior to their matchup against the Luis Enrique-led team, Hakimi emphasized the significance of the team having a winning attitude and the knowledge they have gathered along the way.
“Four years of experience since have meant I’ve come with a more mature mentality,” he said.
“Spain are a top five team and always come to the World Cup to win. But our coach has also taught us to have a winning mentality; it doesn’t matter who we are up against. We are going to try to play our way and try to beat them.
“We finished first in the group and I think we deserve a little respect. I think that Spain knows that and that they have to be a little afraid of us. And why can’t we pull off a surprise again?”, he said.
After suffering a thigh injury in the opening game against Croatia, and coming off as a substitute in their last two games, Hakimi is racing against time to be ready for the Round of 16 encounter.
Morocco won Group F to guarantee a matchup against Spain in the knockout round, making it the first time since Nigeria in 1998 that an African nation has topped their group at the World Cup.
