Official: Anass Salah-Eddine chooses Morocco’s Atlas Lions

Riding a wave of victories and global success, Morocco is making a huge impression on the world stage. So much so that Anass Salah-Eddine has decided to switch his national allegiance.

It’s now official: Anass Salah-Eddine will represent Morocco going forward, having finalized his change of sporting nationality. “A Moroccan left-back will soon join us, he’s in the process of changing his sporting nationality,” Regragui revealed several weeks ago. That information is now confirmed on FIFA’s website.

Salah-Eddine came up through the Ajax Amsterdam academy, with a stint at AZ Alkmaar. Currently on loan at PSV Eindhoven, he featured this Tuesday in his team’s emphatic 6-2 win over Napoli. He was crowned U17 European champion with the Netherlands in 2019 and has 13 caps for the U21s. A semifinalist at the most recent U21 Euros, he was a key member of the Jong Oranje generation.

According to FRMF Xtra, Salah-Eddine wanted to join Morocco’s senior squad directly, bypassing the youth teams. His wish has now come true. With this addition, Morocco continues its successful strategy of attracting dual-nationality talents, especially those with Dutch roots. Anass Salah-Eddine is the latest to bolster a diaspora that’s playing an ever-greater role in the Atlas Lions’ den. He’ll be vying for the left-back spot with the often-injured Noussair Mazraoui, as well as Souffian El Karouani and Youssef Belammari.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.