| Hakimi against Spain | Mangalam

Doha: It will be very interesting for Morocco’s Ashraf Hakimi to face Spain today.

Born in the Spanish capital, Madrid, Hakimi today has to play for the country where he grew up. The pre-quarter between Spain and Morocco will be played at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Winger Ashraf Hakimi is one of North Africa’s leading players. The star is also the one who blocked the path of Belgium, the number two team in the world. He even played in the Spanish junior team. His father was a street vendor in Madrid. Mother is a housekeeper. He joined the Royal Academy of Madrid at the age of seven.

He soon joined La Liga team Real Madrid. He then moved to German club Borussia Dortmund on loan. He also played for Italian Serie A club Inter Milan. From there to French League One club Paris Saint-Germain. He currently remains at PSG along with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Ashraf Hakimi, aged 24, said that although this is the country of his birth, Spain always feels unfamiliar. Hakimi is not playing against Spain for the first time.

He also played in the Morocco team that drew Spain 2-2 at the 2018 World Cup. Morocco entered the pre-quarters by defeating Belgium 2-0 in Group F. After defeating Canada, Croatia advanced to Asia.