DOHA —
Yassine Bounou has learned to be patient in his career, but the Morocco
goalkeeper with a show-stopping nickname is proving he more than belongs on the
big stage at this World Cup.
اضافة اعلان
An unused squad
member at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 World Cup in Russia,
Bounou — or “Bono” as the name on his shirt reads — has played a fundamental
part in helping Morocco set a new benchmark for African football in Qatar.
With 14 foreign-born
players in the squad, it has been a case of unity in diversity for Morocco —
there is no better example of that solidarity than a defense which has conceded
just once in five matches here.
Bounou kept 2018
runners-up
Croatia at bay in their tournament opener. He suddenly disappeared
just before kick-off in a 2-0 win over Belgium, having lined up with the team
for the national anthems.
Replaced by Munir
El Kajoui, coach Walid Regragui later cleared up the mystery by explaining
Bounou had felt unwell after sustaining a knock against Croatia.
The 31-year-old
Bounou has not put a foot wrong since his return against Canada, the country of
his birth. Despite Nayef Aguerd’s own goal, a 2-1 victory sent Morocco through
as the surprising Group F winners.
Remarkably, no
opposing player has scored against Morocco at this World Cup — and that remains
true despite the North Africans needing penalties to see off Spain in the last
16.
After
Pablo Sarabia smacked the post with Spain’s first kick, Bounou saved from
Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets as Morocco won 3-0 in the shootout to reach
the quarter-finals for the very first time.
He was again man
of the match in a 1-0 victory over Portugal, ending
Cristiano Ronaldo’s World
Cup dreams by denying the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in stoppage time.
“These kinds of
moments are difficult to believe,” said Bounou, “but we’ve come to change the
mentality, our insecurity. Moroccan players can compete against anyone in the
world.”
“I think the most
important thing, except the semifinal and that, is that we’ve changed that
mentality and the generation after us will know that Moroccan players can do
all this.”
Long route to top
Bounou’s success is a prime example of persistence paying off.
Born in Montreal,
Bounou and his family returned to Morocco when he was seven. He joined the
Wydad Casablanca academy and broke into the first team aged 19, appearing in
the 2011 CAF Champions League final.
He signed for
Atletico Madrid the following year, spending two seasons with the reserves,
before moving on loan to Real Zaragoza in the second division.
With opportunities
limited at Atletico, he left the club permanently for Girona in 2016 and helped
them immediately win a promotion to the Spanish top flight.
Herve Renard
selected Munir as his first-choice ‘keeper at the 2018 World Cup, a campaign
that ended in the group stage, but Bounou has since made the number one shirt
his own.
After Girona’s
relegation, Bounou joined Sevilla on loan for the 2019–20 season and starred as
the Spanish club won a record-extending sixth Europa League title.
He soon dislodged
Czech international Tomas Vaclik, signing a long-term deal with Sevilla, and
earned the Zamora award last term as the ‘keeper with the lowest ratio of goals
conceded per game in La Liga.
“When you have one
of the best goalkeepers in the world, it gives you confidence, and Yassine
gives us that,” said Regragui after his side knocked out Portugal.
“He’s not someone
who thinks he’s someone else. So he helped us a lot. And when Yassine makes
that kind of save (against Ronaldo) and gets into the game, we’re virtually
unstoppable.”
Already the first
African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, Morocco have no intention of
slowing down ahead of a monumental clash with holders France.
“When you are part of the
story, you don’t grasp what’s happening very quickly. Everything’s good, we’ll
stay focused. We’re happy about what we’ve done so far. But with time, we’ll
realize,” said Bounou.
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