Moroccan football: how a complete overhaul has led to excellence

After the setbacks of the 2004 to 2010 period and the decline of the major national clubs, King Mohammed VI initiated a radical change of course by ordering the creation of a training center to international standards. Appointed to head this project, Nasser Larguet has established an environment of excellence within the Mohammed VI Academy, combining twice-daily training, rigorous medical follow-up and compulsory schooling. This approach has borne fruit in a spectacular way: out of 57 players recruited at the time, 47 have become professionals and 15 are playing in Europe. This structure has shaped the backbone of the current national team, training key players like Nayef Aguerd, Youssef En-Nesyri or Azzedine Ounahi, and feeding the Olympic and U20 selections.

A paradigm shift for dual nationals and coaches

The arrival of Fouzi Lekjaa at the head of the Federation in 2014 marked a second decisive turning point, extending this rigor to the entire national football. As National Technical Director, Larguet has worked to professionalize the clubs and reform the strategy towards dual nationals. The approach of recovering "by default" 25-year-old players has been abandoned in favor of early detection from the age of 13 or 14, targeting only talents superior to local players, explains Larguet to RMC Sport.

This method has made it possible to identify profiles like Achraf Hakimi very early on, who was dazzling during a training camp in Brittany. At the same time, the training of coaches has been prioritized with the creation of the first professional coaching license in Africa, from which Walid Regragui, Tarik Sektioui and Jamal Sellami have emerged, thus ensuring an overall increase in the skills of the Moroccan technical staff.