Morocco’s FIFA World Cup run is a migration success story

In 2018, the Moroccan national football team was in a difficult spot. Under the tutelage of Herve Renard, a well-known face in African football most recently gaining prominence for spearheading Saudi Arabia's shock upset over Argentina in the ongoing World Cup, they had reached a World Cup finals for the first time in decades.

To compete at a tournament of that standing though, Morocco did not boast of much individual talent. Yet, there was one who was begging to represent them. Munir El-Haddadi had been one of the most sought-after talents in Europe in the early 2010s – a Spanish national, with talent honed at La Masia, touted to be one for the future at Barcelona.