He scores a hat-trick, and Morocco and Germany immediately vie for Younes Ebnoutalib

Three goals were enough to suddenly revive Younes Ebnoutalib’s international prospects. On Saturday, the German-Moroccan striker scored all three of Eintracht Frankfurt’s goals in a 3-3 draw away to Union Berlin.

The 22-year-old equalized in the 10th minute before scoring again less than a minute later. He completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute. Eintracht Frankfurt points out that no club player had scored three goals on the opening day of the Bundesliga since Bernd Nickel in 1977.

Younes Ebnoutalib’s hat-trick did not go unnoticed by Morocco. Mohamed Ouahbi was in the stands in Berlin to watch the striker in person.

On Bladi.net : Six goals and three assists : the Atlas Lions’ crazy weekend

The coach is said to have gone further since then. Ouahbi met Ebnoutalib and reportedly told him that he intended to call him up for the next Atlas Lions gathering.

This promise would now place the striker much closer to a first appearance for Morocco.

Germany does not want to leave Morocco a clear path

The matter is nevertheless far from settled. Younes Ebnoutalib also holds German nationality and remains eligible for the Mannschaft.

The German Football Federation has reportedly begun contacting the player’s entourage in order to convince him to choose Germany. These efforts come as his performances are beginning to attract much greater attention in the Bundesliga.

The Bundesliga’s official website is itself wondering whether the player could be called up by Jürgen Klopp. It presents Ebnoutalib as one of the profiles who could feature in the new German project’s plans after his spectacular start to the season.

This would not be an unexpected scenario for the player. At the end of July, while his international future remained undecided, Ebnoutalib had publicly expressed his disappointment after being left out of Morocco’s plans. Asked about the possibility of answering a call-up from Germany, he had left the door wide open, explaining in particular that it would be difficult to turn down such an opportunity.

The situation has completely changed in just a few weeks. After a long period disrupted by injury, the striker is now a starter in Frankfurt and has just scored his first hat-trick in the Bundesliga. His three goals against Union also came from his three shots on target in the match.

On Bladi.net : The Atlas Lions: Why the choice of Mohamed Ouahbi is one of audacity

Morocco is therefore now trying to take the lead. Mohamed Ouahbi, who has made renewing the Atlas Lions one of his priorities, knows the young dual nationals trained in Europe particularly well and seems determined to prevent the Ebnoutalib case from slipping away from him.

Germany nevertheless has an important argument: the player was born in Frankfurt, completed all his training in the country and now plays for one of the Bundesliga’s leading clubs. The possibility of playing for the Mannschaft is therefore not merely theoretical.

For now, Younes Ebnoutalib has announced no final decision. But after his hat-trick in Berlin, the time when the striker could wait calmly before choosing seems to be over. Morocco and Germany now each have a reason to try to convince him quickly.