Morocco coach Walid Regragui has confirmed efforts to persuade Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal to play for the Atlas Lions in the future.
Yamal who was born in Spain to Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother currently plays for Spain’s U19 team but he is still eligible to represent either Morocco or Equatorial Guinea at the senior level.
He has proved to be one of the promising prospects in La Liga this season after his starring role in Barcelona’s 4-3 victory against Villarreal on August 28.
During the game at Estadio de la Ceramica, the teenager also became the youngest ever player to provide an assist in a La Liga match at the age of 16 years and 45 days.
During his squad announcement for Morocco’s AFCON 2023 qualifiers against Liberia and a friendly match against Burkina Faso in September, Regragui admitted that Yamal faces a difficult decision with the country’s scout trying to lure him.
“As for Lamine Yamal, he is a young player aged 16. We have invested efforts to convince him to join our team, however, this is a personal decision that is complex for him,” the 47-year-old said.
“From the start of my mandate as the head of the national team, its integration was a priority. Our network of recruiters has been working assiduously for some time on this file.”
Morocco have qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast but they are second in group K with a point behind leaders South Africa.
The Atlas Lions will face Liberia at the Report Stade Adrar in Agadir on September 9.
