"Africa’s New Benchmark": Former Ghana international hails Morocco’s golden era and Youth revolution

Former Ghana international Emmanuel Agyemang Badu's heaped praise on Morocco for their unprecedented rise across all levels of football calling the North African nation model for the continent in how to build long term success.

The Atlas Lions've rewritten history in recent years becoming 1st African side to reach FIFA World Cup semi final in Qatar 2022 winning the U17 AFCON title for 1st time in April 2025 and most recently lifting the FIFA U20 World cup with 2-0 win over Argentina joining Ghana as the only african nations to win the tournament.

Badu who famously scored the winning penalty as Ghana won the 2009 U20 World cup, said Morocco’s rise is no accident but the result of years of structured development & patience.

"Honestly I wasn't caught off guard. I’ve been watching their games for ages. You could see all the work , the serious investment in academies, youth leagues, scouting networks and coaching staff"

"They didn't just rush it they've been laying the groundwork for years and now they're finally enjoying the massive payoff. That’s the real lesson for every other African country" he shared with Radio Gold.

He also pointed out Morocco's clever thinking when it came to finding talent specifically their approach to aggressively recruiting young dual nationals who grew up abroad and quickly getting them into the national squad.

He urged other federations to get on board and follow that blueprint.

"They'd the patience to bide their time building things up piece by piece and now they're completely dominating" he concluded "Moroccan football without doubt, is the gold standard in Africa right now"

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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