Three months ago Walid Regragui was resting after a great season at Wydad Casablanca. He had won the title of Moroccan league champion and the African Champions League. He failed to clinch the treble as he lost the Throne Cup title on penalties against Berkane. The coach born in Corbeil-Essonnes (France) but of Moroccan origin decided not to continue in his position and soon after would be unexpectedly happy.
It was the month of September when the Moroccan federation contacted him to replace the severe Valhid Halihodzic, a 70-year-old Serbian coach with whom they had disagreements over the planning of the World Cup in Qatar. In record time, Regragui managed to rebuild a team in which many players had been banned by the coach. The Lions of the Atlas were reborn in such a way that they have become a family and, thanks to this, one of the most important revelations of the World Cup in Qatar.
Regragui has united a bloc torn apart by Halihodzic’s overly authoritarian methods. He has recovered players not born in Morocco but with a firm commitment to the land of his parents and who were banned by the Bosnian. Of the 26 players called up, 15 were born far from Morocco, something that adds a greater emotional commitment to them. So Amallah, Chair, El Khannous, Zarouy and Ziyech, the Chelsea star, returned to the group. Together with Achraf Hakimi, born in Madrid and trained at Real Madrid, and Bono and En-Nesyri from Sevilla, they are the main leaders of the Belgian and Canadian executioners.
Regragui was also born outside of Morocco, in Corbeil-Essonnes (France). His career as a footballer took place between France and Spain, where he played for Racing Santander for three seasons (2004-2007). Despite this, the influence of Morocco has always been present in his life. His family origins are very close to the border with Ceuta and a good part of his childhood was spent in the Moroccan town of Castillejos, about 7 kilometers from the autonomous city. Every summer he and his family returned to a town that they will always carry deep inside.
After getting the pass to the round of 16, Regragui has become a celebrity in the Moroccan country. 36 years later, Morocco returns to a knockout phase and will face its neighbor to the north. Spain will have to fight against a crowd next Tuesday at the Education City Stadium in Doha, but above all against a team with a deep feeling for what Morocco means in their lives.
