Ex-Ceuta Star Nayim: "Morocco Offered More International Opportunities"

The question of whether a footballer from Ceuta can play for Morocco has been debated during the last legislature in Ceuta. The case of Anouar Tuhami, a footballer born and raised in the autonomous city, but who chose to defend the colors of Morocco, has rekindled the debate on this issue.

For Nayim, author of a mythical goal with Real Zaragoza against Arsenal in 1995, the answer is "very simple". "We like to play international matches and it’s clear that with Morocco, we see more opportunities to qualify for a World Cup or win an Africa Cup of Nations. In Spain, there are a lot of very high-level players," he told El Debate.

And he added: "You can feel Spanish or Moroccan or something else. After all, it’s the professional world, it has nothing to do with feelings. You can love two countries, but you won’t stop being Spanish for having played for another team." Nayim admitted that he would also have liked to play a World Cup with Morocco in 1994, "but a law did not allow it".

Nayim is celebrating his 56th birthday this Saturday. The former footballer plans to create football schools to "pass on" his experience and the values of a team to the children of Ceuta, believing that football, as a team sport, can help many children get out of drugs and violence.