The Moroccan goalkeeper played a key role in helping his home country reach the World Cup semi-finals. The Moroccan national team’s performance in the World Cup semi-finals is the first for both the African and Arab nations. Analysts believe Atlas Lions’ excellent defense has pushed them this far. The football team conceded only one goal to him in this competition. A compact 4-1-4-1 defensive block filled all the gaps between the midfield and defensive lines. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is the only one who frustrates opponents more than her defensive prowess. For example, in his exciting penalty shootout against Spain in the 16th round, the 31-year-old was photographed with a big smile on his face before Sergio scored his third penalty in Spain.
It was one of the dozens of lopsided smiles he threw at the Spanish and Portuguese players during the knockout stage. In most seated interviews, the goalie sits cross-legged and thinks deeply about his answer before answering thoughtfully. Although he was not a football player, it is easy to imagine that he was educated. Bounou was born in Montreal, Canada. When he was three years old, his family moved back to Casablanca, Morocco. There he grew up in a middle-class environment and eventually attended one of the best French secondary schools in Morocco. However, his defensive relaxed demeanor does not come from his arrogance. At the age of eight, Widad joined his Athletic club and Bounou became one of the most successful football clubs in Morocco. Still, Tunisian giants Esperance failed to set up for his final professional debut against Sportive Dehis in the 2011 Champions League final against Tunis. . “It was difficult because it was my first game. Regardless, his performance that night caught the attention of Atlético Madrid scouts who offered him a contract with Los Colchoneros.
The Madrid club initially offered him a lower salary than Widado and it was clear that he would play third fiddle behind Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak. As expected, Bounou continued his loan spell with Real Madrid in his second division in Zaragoza before moving to Girona FC for more playing time. Fortunately, Girona’s promotion to La Liga put an end to his struggles in the second division and he joined one of Spain’s biggest clubs, Sevilla FC. Since then he has developed into a world-class keeper. During his 2021-2022 season in the league, Bounou had a save percentage of almost 78%. This is his sixth highest in Europe. Throughout 2021, counting club and international appearances, he has conceded more goals than any other goalkeeper in Europe. “He’s good one-on-one, quick on his feet, good at reading headers. Most importantly, he’s cold-blooded…if he’s a Belgium or England goalkeeper, He was once a star.” However, Morocco is not the country with the most fans.
Yousef en Nesiri and Mounir El-Hadadi. His association with the former was particularly strong, and when Bounou was named man of the match in the World Cup quarter-final against Portugal, he quickly turned and dedicated the trophy to his En Nesiri. As a public figure, Bounou has also indicated that he understands that maintaining his public image is paramount right now. Moroccans of all walks of life, who have been immersed in every moment of this fairytale journey to his Cup of the Worlds 2022, owe much of their joy to Bunou. At the post-match press conference, head coach Waleed Redraghi confirmed this view. “Knowing that Bounou is in goal always gives him confidence…he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” he said. Morocco will most likely use the same smothering tactic in the semi-final against France.
