Moroccan Defender Samy Mmaee Eyes Champions League Debut with Dinamo Zagreb

After winning the Belgian Cup in 2016 with Standard where he made his professional debut, Samy Mmaee was loaned to Maastricht in 2017. In 2018, he signed a three-year contract with Saint-Trond before joining Ferencváros TC in 2021, a club with which he won the championship and the Hungarian Cup in 2022. Today, the Moroccan defender is preparing to play the Champions League with his new club, Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. "Playing the Champions League is obviously an achievement I want to experience in my career. So it was clear that the most important criterion in my choice for Zagreb was that," confides the 27-year-old player to La Dernière Heure.

Samy Mmaee says he is thriving at Dinamo Zagreb. The Moroccan international has been a starter since his arrival at the Croatian club where he has already played five matches. "Everything is really going well at the moment. I have adapted very well, I play every game and we are getting good results," he rejoices, believing that his talent was not recognized at Standard as at Saint-Trond. "When you leave Belgium, you get more respect as a football player. You are considered a real player and no longer just a young player from the youth academy. The status has completely changed. In Belgium when you are young, I feel like you come after transfers from outside. We don’t count on young people enough, except for a few exceptions."

Samy Mmaee does not regret being at Dinamo Zagreb, "the biggest team in Croatia and one of the top 40 in Europe (38th in the UEFA ranking)". "I like to win. I wanted to be in a winning team that is dominant," said the 27-year-old player, who says he is proud of his career. "I’m really happy to be here and we’ll see what the future holds. When I look at the players of my generation or those I’ve rubbed shoulders with, there are actually very few who have succeeded in a good club," he confesses, mentioning the case of his younger brother Ryan, who like him, started his career at Standard. The latter currently plays at Stoke City, in the English second division. "I’m happy for him... He feels good there."

The Moroccan international did not fail to address his situation with the Moroccan national team. The defender has not been called up to the national team since Walid Regragui’s arrival as head coach of the Atlas Lions. The 27-year-old player is also unlikely to be part of the list of players for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho scheduled for September 6 and 10, after being excluded from the Qatar 2022 World Cup. "The situation has not changed. It’s the coach’s choice. The decisions have not always been in my favor and in my brother’s favor. But we have to accept it, move on and focus on our careers. [...] In any case, I am always available and ready to play for Morocco. If it evolves, I would be happy to come back. If not, I will relativize," he concluded.