Panenka in the final: Khalid Boulahrouz slams Brahim Diaz

Of Moroccan origin, Khalid Boulahrouz launched a scathing attack on Brahim Diaz after his missed penalty in the CAN 2025 final.

It had been a spectacular CAN 2025 overall. But since the final loss to Senegal, Brahim Diaz has found himself in the eye of the storm, targeted by critics after his failed panenka against Edouard Mendy (0-1, a.e.t.). Serving as a pundit for Ziggo, Khalid Boulahrouz singled out the Real Madrid star.

"It's not about missing a penalty. Nobody would have blamed him for failing against the keeper by picking a side, or even if he missed the target. But to step up with two minutes left and decide to try a panenka... That means: 'it's about me, not Morocco.' Not the millions behind this country, not all those generations who suffered watching the Africa Cup slip away. He thought everything should revolve around him. You're neither Zidane, nor Ronaldo, nor Hakimi. That's incredibly painful," he declared.

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.