Former Bordeaux Star Chamakh Reflects on Career: Youth Struggles and Moroccan Success

"If I felt injustices in my career? No, frankly no. At the youth academy yes, that’s what pushed me to go to Valencia (on trial), but in the pro world, never again," said Marouane Chamakh, a guest on a Soccer212 Twitter Space. The former Bordeaux striker explains that as far as he is concerned, he had chosen to play for Morocco "to live there in particular. [...] Then, the youth academy is complicated, you can come across a bad coach who doesn’t like you."

Talking about the young Mehdi Harfi, a Moroccan prodigy from Bordeaux’s reserve team who was trained at the youth academy, Chamakh says he doesn’t understand why this talent is not being valued. "I don’t know the player, I can look into it, but you’re right, he can be a victim of a form of injustice, but if he insists, they’ll see with their own eyes that they have no choice," he adds, stressing that the young player is already a Moroccan international with the under-23s, a chance he didn’t have.

"He (Mehdi Harfi) is lucky to be able to go to the Moroccan team, because they (the Bordeaux leaders) didn’t give me that opportunity! When I was called up to the French team, they let me go, but when I was called up with the Moroccan under-23s, no, not at all! As soon as I had call-ups with the A team, I always went. If it was the club that prevented me from going with the under-23s? Well yes exactly! On the fact of directing young people towards a national team? Maybe it’s less noticeable now because of the media... But in the 2000s it was a bit more complicated," he confides.