It’s This Time for Africa for Brahim Díaz.
The 24-year-old half-Spanish soccer player and Real Madrid forward will represent Morocco over Spain at the international level due to a lack of communication from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), according to ESPN.
Díaz was born in Malaga to a Spanish mother and a Moroccan father. He has represented his country of birth at various youth levels and even has one cap for the senior side, but Morocco have convinced him to switch international allegiance.
Save a late twist, he will be named in the Atlas Lions squad for the first time later this week for fixtures against Angola and Mauritania later this month.
Sources close to Díaz told ESPN there is disappointment and surprise at how the RFEF have dealt with the situation, given how they have acted differently in similar cases.
The sources highlight the push to persuade Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal, who was also eligible to play for Morocco, to pick Spain as well as the fact that the RFEF sent high-ranking officials to meet Yamal as early as 2022.
Sources at the RFEF, though, insist they have treated Díaz the same as other players who had the opportunity to represent more than one country, adding they don’t understand his switch.
“Everyone is free to make their own decisions. For me, there are three steps to be called up: firstly, that you are eligible, secondly that you want to play for the national team and thirdly that the coach selects you,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told reporters on Monday.
“I have not spoken with [Díaz]. I either call players up or not and the [players] do what they have to do. I worked with him a lot [with the U21s] and I hold him in high esteem and have a lot of respect for him.
Morocco worked hard over a series of calls and in-person meetings, with sources adding that national team coach Walid Regragui played a key role in finally convincing Díaz to pick the north African country.
Díaz’s priority had been to play for Spain. The former Manchester City forward was even capped for the senior side in 2021 when an outbreak of COVID-19 forced La Roja to field their under-21 team against Lithuania. Díaz scored in the 4-0 friendly win.
As the match was a friendly, Diaz remains free to switch international allegiance due to FIFA‘s eligibility rules.
Since that game, his career has continued to progress. He impressed during three years on loan at AC Milan and has played an important role for Madrid since returning at the start of the season.
His form in recent weeks — including decisive goals against Atlético Madrid and RB Leipzig — led to reports that Spain coach de la Fuente was going to call him up for this month’s games against Colombia and Brazil.
Morocco were one of the surprise teams at the 2022 World Cup, knocking Spain out en route to the semifinal, where they eventually succumbed to France.
They didn’t have as much success at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, losing to South Africa in the round of 16.
