On Wednesday, Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz was selected for the Morocco squad at the age of 24, choosing to represent the North African team over Spain. Despite being a consistent member of Spanish national youth teams, including those led by current La Roja coach Luis de la Fuente, Diaz felt disheartened by the Spanish Football Federation’s lack of attention towards him. Consequently, he made the decision to switch allegiances to Morocco, a move that promises mutual benefits for both his country of birth and the reigning African champions.
According to FIFA rules, a player can change his nationality provided that he has made three or fewer senior appearances for the first nation he represented and has not played for the country for at least three years. Diaz, the son of a Spaniard mother and a Moroccan father, meets these criteria. The Moroccan Football Federation said in a statement that the winger was included in Walid Regraguis’s 24-man roster for the matches against Angola and Mauritania this month.
It is unclear whether Regragui and his assistants will convince Diaz that Morocco is the right place for him to make a name for himself on the world stage. The Los Blancos star has been in fine form for the club this season despite his long loan spell at AC Milan. He has scored eight goals in 32 games across all competitions.
His inclusion in the Morocco squad will give him a chance to get acquainted with teammates such as Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Yassine Bounou, all of whom he has already played with at club level this season.
Diaz is expected to debut for the Atlas Lions in their upcoming friendly matches with Angola and Mauritania at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir this month. The friendlies will be followed by a one-week preparation camp during which Regragui will prepare his side for the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in April.
The Real Madrid winger is the latest high-profile player to decide to play for Morocco over Spain and is expected to follow in the footsteps of several other prominent names. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Antoine Griezmann all changed their international allegiances in the past few years to play for the North Africans, whose recent rise to the global rankings has been impressive. Several other players have also switched allegiances from Brazil and Germany to play for Morocco, though some have yet to make their debuts for the Moroccans. FIFA must approve the decision to switch countries. RFEF will submit its request to the world governing body this week. A decision is expected to be made by Friday.