Hakim Ziyech: Taking Morocco Further Than Many Had Dreamed

Morocco has made it to a FIFA World Cup semi-final. They beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinal on Youssef En-Nesyri's goal. Hakim Ziyech was a surprise inclusion in Morocco's squad.

Vahid Halilhodzic refused to select Hakim Ziyech for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Zyech had been a key member of the Moroccan national team. Halidhodzi was sacked in August of 2022, just 2 months before the World Cup.

Walid Regragui was named the new manager of Morocco. Hakim Ziyech came out of his retirement and was immediately reinserted into the starting XI for the Atlas Lions. He has been instrumental to Morocco's ability to shut teams down. Zyech and Achraf Hakimi will come under the most pressure in the semi-finals after France defeated Harry Kane and England to set up a matchup with Morocco in Doha.

Hakim Ziyech moved to Chelsea from Ajax in 2020. He has struggled to get regular playing time since then. Now he is playing for Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar. It is unknown if he will play more for Chelsea after the tournament. If he does, they will try to sell him for a bigger return than before.