Morocco are the ultimate underdogs for the 2022 World Cup.
And despite the entire footballing world thinking that there’s no way they’re going to win the next game… they just keep winning it anyway.
Because Rachida (my Moroccan wife) and I have been keeping a close eye on their progress, I’ve developed some theories as to why Morocco keeps absolutely smashing it.
ONE: Underestimation
At this point, the commentary on the World Cup is almost hilarious insofar as everyone keeps dramatically underestimating Morocco for no logical reason.
The English commentators seemed to think that if they beat France, it was a surefire World Cup win for them. At one point, a commentator was about to say that but then caught himself and said well, Argentina and Croatia might be tough opponents too… not even considering Morocco a challenge.
This consistent underestimation plays out really well for Morocco, especially since the opposing teams’ managers also seem to be underestimating them. Someone noted that Spain’s coach didn’t even know who all the Moroccan players were!
If any European team had managed to get this far through the World Cup without conceding a single goal from an opposing player, they would easily be favourites in the World Cup.
However, maintaining their underdog status, Morocco continued to be ranked as the ‘least likely’ to win. The odds are against them. And we love it!
TWO: The Players’ Backgrounds
The bulk of Morocco’s team are made up of a mix of second generation European Moroccans – people who were born and raised in European countries where they faced a considerable amount of racism – particularly in sports.
In fact, almost every big team that Morocco has beaten has a large Moroccan, second generation immigrant population. When they beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, debates raged as to whether it’s even right for those players to be on the Moroccan team.
This shared background creates a sense of shared national nationalistic passion and pride amongst the team. It’s like they’ve come home to a place where they’re valued for who they are and what they bring – versus their presence being ‘tolerated’ by their Colonial masters who were kind enough to give them residence.
This adds to their overall mission (explained below), that they have something worthy to prove to all those who looked down on them as they were growing up.
They want to show the world that they are every bit as good as their European counterparts.
THREE: Legendary Leadership
Even though he’s only been in place for about three months, Morocco’s incredible coach, Walid Regragui, who himself is a French born Moroccan, very much understands the shared backgrounds of the Moroccan players. He’s instilled in them the desire to show the world that by working together as a team, they can do just as well as anyone else.
He has a clear vision and philosophy as to how the team should play and the team is 100% on board with his instructions. He’s an ex player and is still active and fit and trains with the team, which gives him instant respect.
There is clear love amongst the entire team for the coach and they’re acting as a cohesive unit, which might just be the most dangerous thing in football.
FOUR: Rock Solid Defence
To have impeccable defence requires the entire team working together as a unit. It also requires an incredible amount of discipline and concentration and not succumbing to the pressure put on them from some of the best players in the world.
And yet time and time again, Morocco has proven that they can do it!
It’s almost as if the greats mystics, saints, and sages of Morocco, known for its respect and promotion of traditional Islamic spirituality, got together to do some next-level prayers to repel balls coming into the Moroccan goal. (Heck, maybe they even upgraded the prayer after the own goal against Canada to stop anyone – even Moroccan players from doing it!).
Their defensive strategy has been so reliable, they even depended on it to almost intentionally lead Spain into a penalty shootout with them. And even when they faced Spain in a penalty shootout… Their opponents still literally couldn’t score!
FIVE: Unbreakable Concentration
This is what every sports psychologist wishes and prays for for their clients to develop so they can excel in their sports.
Concentration is the main requirement for the players to reach their potential and keep 100% of their focus and attention on what’s happening in the game, NOW… (And to not let what happened five minutes ago distract them from what they ought to be doing right now.) This is exactly what Morocco have been embodying in every game so far.
They’ve been fully concentrating the entire game, even for 120 minutes, even under constant attack where the opposition has over 80% of the possession and they’re defending the whole time.
This level of concentration is unbelievably powerful.
And it leads to success.
Masha’Allah.
SIX: Their Mission
Morocco are not just the first African nation to reach the semifinals. They’re the first Muslim nation to do it. And they’re the first Arabic speaking nation to do it.
Their mission isn’t to just win. It’s to demonstrate that they can win on their own terms, in their own way – by playing clean and acting in a noble manner, on and off the pitch.
A brilliant technique from their coach is to insist that the players invite any family members that they want to come and join and watch the World Cup in Qatar. You see the players celebrating with their families after every win.
It’s heartwarming.
And it shows the rich beautiful culture of the Moroccan people which is shared by Muslims, Africans and Arabs. They’re not hooking up with different girlfriends every night. They they’re making sure their mums take their medication before they go to bed.
This full-on support from their parents and their families goes a long way to supporting their mission to not just win, but win in the best way possible and be role models for all of the youngsters watching them.
SEVEN: Spiritual Connection with Allah
Last but not least, there is a powerful, subtle, underlying power that the entire Moroccan team have, that they’ve been tapping into, and that the coach is certainly well aware of and using to the max. And that is… their Spiritual Connection with Allah.
Specifically, I mean, connecting their real world goal and target of winning the cup with their devotion and faith in Allah.
For a believing Muslim to connect the goal you’re going for with your faith is incredibly powerful… just as misunderstanding one’s faith, and creating self-defeating myths and superstitions about Allah, can cause us to sabotage our own success.
In practical terms, you see this on the pitch: by their bowing immediately after scoring a goal or winning a match… or following the coach’s directive to ‘calm down’, trust in Allah and stay focused when things get intense and don’t go their way… or by their prayers before matches… and by their reciting ‘The Opener’ of the Quran, ‘al Fatiha’, before a penalty shootout.
It’s also very noticeable that when asked about their success, virtually every player, coach and member of the team starts with “Alhamdulillah” – all praise and gratitude is due to Allah.
You’ll also see players do the same thing as UFC champion Khabib – they point to themselves, then signifying “no” with their finger, and then pointing to the sky – as if to say, “This success comes from Allah, not from me. Direct your awe and gratitude there!”
When you spiritually connect your real world tangible goals with your devotion and faith in Allah, it becomes an extremely powerful combination. Your motivation goes beyond the physical realm and your inspiration goes beyond results. Similarly, when that spiritual connection is not made, it can lead to confusion, emotional inner conflict, lack of presence and concentration and it essentially leads to giving up even though the doors were still open.
If you want the ultimate course in how to connect YOUR real world goals, with your faith in Allah, in a way that brings out the best out of you, just as Regragui has brought out the best in the Moroccan players, then check out my band new coaching program, “The Spiritual Switch”.
It launches the day after Morocco wins.
Insha’Allah!
