Ending speculation in Spain, Brahim Díaz was named for Morocco’s national squad.
After much discussion over the Real Madrid winger’s potential future with the Spanish national team, Brahim Díaz was included on Wednesday in Morocco’s squad for two friendlies later this month.
Earlier this week, the relocation was announced by local media outlets and the Spanish daily Marca. Díaz made his decision, according to Spanish media, because the national team wasn’t interested in him, despite Morocco actively seeking to sign him.
In response to those claims, Luis de la Fuente, the coach of Spain, stated he would respect Díaz’s decision. He went on to say that only those who wished to represent Spain would be welcome to join his team.
Díaz frequently participated in the young teams of Spain, some of which were led by De la Fuente.
In a friendly match against Lithuania in June 2021, he scored a goal and earned his first senior cap. The game ended 4-0. Due to senior players isolating themselves because of C𝓞VID-19, the under-21 team was called up for that match.
FIFA, the global governing b𝓸dy of soccer, is required to handle any request from a member federation for a player to alter their eligibility for the national team; however, Diaz’s case is straightforward because he has never participated in a competitive senior game for Spain.
The 24-year-old Díaz was expected to be included in De la Fuente’s team for the friendlies against Brazil and Colombia on Friday, given his performance for Real Madrid this season.
Rather, he will be playing with Morocco in their matches against Mauritania and Angola.
Díaz joined Real Madrid in 2019 after starting his senior career with Manchester City. In addition, he spent a considerable amount of time on loan with AC Milan from 2020 to 23.
In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco defeated Spain in a penalty shootout to advance to the round of 16.
Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid and Diego Lopez of Valencia, on the right, compete for the ball during the La Liga match between Valencia and Real Madrid.
