Real Madrid playmaker Brahim Diaz has made his decision to play for Morocco, amid criticism for the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The 24-year-old, who was born and raised in Malaga, will play for the country of his parents’ heritage, after he was called up by Walid Regragui to face Angola and Mauritania.
Brahim initially wanted to play for Spain, and has been capped once by La Roja in 2021, after a squad of under-23s stepped in for senior side which were suffering a bout of Covid-19 ahead of the Euros. However Morocco have been persistent in their efforts to persuade Brahim to play for them, and feeling he would not get into Spanish squad, has decided to play for the Atlas Lions.
The RFEF and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente have come under fire for not calling Brahim up and locking down his future, or at least speaking privately with him to keep Brahim feeling as if he as close to the team. De la Fuente told the press on Monday that first and foremost, players ‘have to want to play for Spain’.
There is little argument to say that Brahim should have been called up again ahead of others until this international window, other than to secure his international future. It’s certainly a curious case though, as La Roja have always been quick to move for the likes of Bojan Krkic, Munir El Haddadi and most recently Lamine Yamal.
