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He’s back for the World Cup.
After weeks of speculation, rumours and reports, Abdulazak Hamdallah has been named in the Morocco World Cup squad. The Al-Ittihad striker has been scoring goals in the Saudi professional league for years and has been knocking on the door for the national team.
Now it’s opened by new head coach Walid Regragui, who has the chance to show what he can do in a tough but exciting group of Croatia, Belgium and Canada.
After more than three years in the International Wilderness, this is a long-awaited return. The 31-year-old announced his retirement in November 2019 after being sidelined by then-coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
His last game came in June of that year, a 1-0 win against Gambia in a friendly, when he was furious after missing a last-minute penalty. Hamdallah left training camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations and has not worn an Atlas Lions shirt since.
Importantly, the two-time Saudi Arabia Golden Boot winner apologized for his actions earlier this month.
“I personally don’t think I should have made this mistake,” he said. “My departure from the national team training camp in 2019 was a black spot in my football career and I shouldn’t have done it. I apologize to the Moroccan fans.”
There have been reports that Hamdala has fallen out with his teammates, but he has been keen to stress that relationships are good.
“Many media reports say that I have a bad relationship with the Moroccan national team players, which is not true. I communicate with more than 60 percent of the national team players almost every day,” he said.
While Hamdallah can be a difficult character to play, he seems genuinely remorseful. Another thing he does for him is he brings goals.
The striker has completed six of his 17 international appearances. He has broken records in Saudi Arabia since joining Nasr in 2018, averaging more than one goal per game in his four seasons. In his first season, he scored a record 34 league goals in just 26 games.
Such a solid record has led to mounting pressure from fans and the media to call for a recall, although that seems unlikely under Harry Hodzic.
After Morocco exited the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-final stage in January, Khalihodzic said he did not choose Hamdala as he demanded a guaranteed place in the first team. Hamdallah vehemently denied this.
“I confirm that there has been no contact or conversation between me and the coach or any of his staff since he took charge of the team,” Hamdallah said on social media.
“The last call I had with Mr Mustapha Hadji (a staff member of Harry Hodzic) was in 2019. . . he explained why I wasn’t invited to play for Morocco, but he didn’t invite me.
“The coach’s claim that I had an offer from Mr Haji, him or the national team and that I declined the offer and asked for a starting place is unfounded.”
The striker finally said he could be drafted, but his chances of exile under Bosnian rule were slim.
Halilhodzic was sacked in August partly because of the results, but mainly because of his falling out with Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech. When he was replaced by local coach Walid Regragui, the door suddenly opened for those left behind.
The new boss, in selecting his squad for friendlies against Chile and Paraguay in September, said the others were “more prepared” than Hamdala, but that didn’t mean there were no chances. So it has been implemented.
Also in the Qatar squad are Ziyech, Paris Saint-Germain’s Ashraf Hakimi and Bayern Munich’s Mazraui. In addition to Hamdallah from the Saudi Professional League, there is also Al-Wehda goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi.
Morocco play their final warm-up match against Georgia on November 17, before they face Croatia in their sixth World Cup six days later. It will be Hamdallah’s job to help them reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1986.
Morocco and Al-Ittihad fans will be watching closely.
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