FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Wilfred Ndidi [Leicester City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Wilfred Ndidi

Nigerian midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has already started to make a name for himself in the most competitive leagues in Europe. The 21-year old moved to Leicester in January 2017 for £15m from Genk. He has since proved his worth against some of the best tacklers in the game such as N’golo Kante and Idrissa Gana Gueye who are all of the African descent. Ndidi is leading the Premier League charts as the best tackler with 138 in his 33 league appearances. The player also proved that he is an all-round midfielder and can offer more in terms of goal creation as he has scored a goal and provided 3 assists for Leicester in the league and FA Cup. It is exciting to hear that the young Nigerian is being linked with clubs like Arsenal who have had many problems in midfield ever since Patrick Vieira left the club. Ndidi has the potential to be a Premier League great if he makes a wise decision which involves him moving to a bigger club that can take his game to the next level like the likes of Michael Essien did at Chelsea under Mourinho. The season has ended and his focus is on the FIFA World Cup where he will be representing his nation who will play their first match against Croatia. 

The 21-year old midfield enforcer is as good as anyone you can get in his position and will be looking to strike a formidable midfield partnership with former Nigerian teammate and Golden Boy Winner John Obi Mikel who used to play for Chelsea before he left for China. We expect Ndidi to be doing the ‘dirty work’ for the team before distributing the ball to the playmaker who will transition the play to attack and hurt teams like Argentina, Croatia and Iceland in Group D. Wilfred has a long career ahead of him and should be looking to prove his worth especially against Messi’s team if he hopes of moving from being considered a good player to a great player. Arsenal has been reported to be sniffing around the possibility of capturing the talented African midfield enforcer and making him their new Vieira who will shut opponents if they try to break them on the counter. Will Ndidi be ready by the time the tournament kicks off in 21 days?

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #5 - Shkodran Mustafi

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Shkodran Mustafi - Germany

Another World Cup winner, Shkodran Mustafi has been left out of the Germany squad to compete at this year’s tournament in Russia. The Arsenal defender has had a poor season this year which saw his club finish 6th in the English Premier League. Mustafi was culpable for a number of errors alongside his injury-prone partner, Laurent Koscielny and the pair summarize the defensive problems that the club has. Although Arsenal scored 74 goals, they also shipped in 51 which explains their position in Wenger’s final year in charge. Mustafi had been an international regular as he was also in defense when the country won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017. Many expected him to continue his fill-in role where he usually stands in at right-back, left-back or anywhere in defense. He had been getting away with murder by turning in better performances for his national side than at Arsenal and his luck has finally run out. Joachim Low chose to drop the out of form defender and chose Rudiger instead who has had a slightly better season. Mustafi will not play at this year’s tournament. Ask the Arsenal fans for more.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Franck Kessie [AC Milan]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Franck Kessie

The Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) international currently plays as the holding midfielder for Italian giants, AC Milan. The 21-year old is on-loan from Atalanta but looks set to be the heir of long-retired Gattuso who is coincidentally coaching the player at AC Milan. Many comparisons have been drawn between the player and another football legend in Yaya Toure who enjoyed his best years of football in Manchester, England. Kessie has been dubbed the long-term replacement of Yaya Toure in the national team and he has not disappointed. Although the club has had a poor season, Kessie appeared in 36 appearances scoring 5 goals in the process as well as providing 5 assists. Kessie shows early promises of being a dominant enforcer in midfield who can drive his team forward at his own will just like Yaya Toure did in England. He looks ready for the next big challenge, clubs like Arsenal should definitely have the player on their radar.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #6 - Javier Pastore

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Javier Pastore - Argentina

The creative midfielder has failed to make the provisional list of the Argentina national team. This comes as a shocker for the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder who has enjoyed an amazing season with his club after the recruitment of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Rubbing shoulders with great players is a dream for many footballers but Pastore’s numbers this season fail to reflect his contributions for PSG. He only managed 5 goals and 5 assists in all competitions which have led to his omission from the national team side. Pastore must be heartbroken to miss out on such a prestigious tournament that his national team came close to winning in 2014. That wraps up the list of the players that failed to make it because they were dropped but there are also big name players who have been ruled out because of injuries which include Dani Alves (Brazil), Chamberlain (England), Koscielny (France) among others.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Ryan Sessegnon [Fulham]

Ryan was born on 18 May 2000 in Roehampton London together with his twin brother Steven. He is a distant cousin of the Benin international footballer, Stephane Sessegnon and plays as left back/ left winger for EFL Championship side, Fulham which he joined starting from the U-9 side.  In the 2016/17 season, Ryan became the first professional player born in the 2000s to score a goal in the English top leagues when he found the back of the net against Cardiff City. He made a total of 30 appearances for Fulham in that season and delivered performances that earned him a spot in the PFA Championship Team Of The Year, the youngest player ever to be included in such a setup. He became a person of interest among the media houses with Sports Illustrated naming him the 19th best U-20 footballers in the world in May 2017 and a subject of speculation in the summer transfer window with Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich reportedly interest in the teenager who was then too young to sign a professional contract according to PFA rules. After his 17th birthday, Ryan opted to stay at Fulham with an assurance of game time being his main reason for the choice.

"Last season I got a lot of opportunities so I want to continue that. When you are young you just want to play as many games as you can." - Ryan Sessegnon

The just-ended season was no exception to Sessegnon’s ingenuity, scoring 16 goals and 7 assists for Fulham in 51 matches. He helped them to a third-place finish and delivered a standout performance in their playoff semi-final against Derby. He became the first Championship player to be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year eventually won by Manchester City’s Leroy Sane. He won an unprecedented five awards, Championship Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season, Apprentice of the Year, and named in the Championship Team of the Season and EFL Club Developed XI. Ryan has also featured for England in the 2017  U-19 Euro Finals where he scored three goals to finish joint top scorer and included in the team of the tournament as England won the championship for the first time.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LB – Ramadan Sobhi [Stoke City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LB – Ramadan Sobhi

Stoke City’s Ramadhan Sobhi currently plays as a winger in Paul Lambert’s team but his versatility allows him to fill in the left-back position in the Next African Transcendent XI. The 21-year old comes from the land of Egypt which has produced a 2018 Ballon D’Or contender in Mo Salah and he is as skilled as the Liverpool player. Sobhi is confident on the ball which has seen him represent his club and country on 29 different occasions scoring 3 goals in a process. Not bad for a 21-year old who is not a starter for the English club. The excitement brought about when such young players take on the best in the league prove that the continent of Africa has so much talent and it is just a matter of time before that talent translates to strong teams that can compete for the FIFA World Cup and other international tournaments.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #7 - Sandro Wagner

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Sandro Wagner - Germany

The self-proclaimed ‘best striker’ in Germany, Sandro Wagner has been left out of the World Cup squad by Joachim Low. The player joined Bayern Munich in the middle of the season from Hoffenheim where he had scored 4 goals already. Wagner has scored a total of 14 goals in all competitions and has assisted 4 goals which are not a bad return considering that he has been playing second fiddle to Robert Lewandowski. The player is an out-and-out striker which is a position that Germany has been lacking in talent in recent years. They resorted to Klose and Mario Gomez in recent years because of the lack of options. Now, in a new age of players like Timo Werner and Wagner, the Bayern Munich striker thought he had a chance to represent his nation at the World Cup. Instead, he has been left out which is not just disappointing but shocking as well.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Munir El Haddadi [Barcelona]

Munir is in Barcelona’s ranks on loan at Deportivo Alaves and was interestingly a Real Madrid fan up until he was 14. He was born on 1 September 1995 to a Moroccan father, Mohamed El Haddadi Arbrqui, who moved to Spain at 18 in a fishing boat and fell in love with Zaida, a lady from Spanish autonomous city of Melilla who was a kitchen hand at the time. He grew up in Galapagar and starred whilst playing for CF Rayo Majadahonda’s Cadete A team scoring 32 goals in 29 matches. He was on loan from Atletico Madrid at the time who had to capture him after a successful trial in 2010. None of the big two Madrid clubs was interested in tying down to their club and Barcelona seized the opportunity by bringing him into their youth team, frustrating the onlooking Manchester City and other top sides.

He made his senior debut for Barcelona on 24 August 2014 in a La Liga match against Elche, scored a goal to become Barcelona’s third youngest goalscorer after Bojan and Lionel Messi. He did not get a lot of game time for the remainder of the season with the Catalans and was sent on loan to Valencia the following campaign. He only managed to score 6 times for Valencia in appearances but has since improved that record with his 2017/18 loan spell at Deportivo Alaves, scoring 10 times and registering 6 assists in 32 matches.

Morocco was interested in having him join the Lions of the Atlas’ 2018 FIFA World Cup squad but saw their joint appeal with the striker to overturn FIFA Cas’ ruling on him switching nationalities denied. FIFA Cas stated that the current rules prohibit him to switch as a per his one-time appearance for Spain in a UEFA Euro Qualifier against Macedonia.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CB - Eric Bailly [Manchester United]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CB - Eric Bailly

The African continent has failed to produce the best talents in this position which means that the focus will be on the Manchester United defender even though he is an already established player. Bailly joined Manchester United from Villarreal for £30m in 2016. He has proved his consistency for the Red Devils but he has had problems with match fitness. He has suffered some setbacks and injuries which have kept him out of the United team of late but the Ivory Coast international is Mourinho’s first preference in the heart of a defense. Bailly is popular for his confident and aggressive approach to the game not forgetting his passing abilities. He can easily pass as a defensive midfielder because of his power, pace and forward runs that he often makes whenever he is given the freedom to roam around the pitch in search for a goal. Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #8 - Karim Benzema

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Karim Benzema - France

The Real Madrid striker has not featured for France since 2015. The player was involved in a scandal with teammate Valbuena which saw them both dismissed from the national team fold. Karim Benzema’s qualities are undeniable having been trusted to be Real Madrid’s first choice striker ever since Gonzalo Higuain left in 2013. He fell out of favor with the coach of the national team, Didier Deschamps who is refusing to bring back the player to the national side. The player had a below average season compared to his other outings in the Los Blancos colors but he still scored 10 goals and also helped his teammates to score on 11 occasions. Cristiano Ronaldo likes his strike partnership with Benzema, imagine how France would line-up with Mbappe, Benzema and Griezmann. Anyways, the squad is yet to be announced by Benzema is almost certain to not be included in the team. What a waste of talent by the French national team setup.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Kylian Mbappe [Paris Saint-Germain]

Born Kylian Mbappe Lottin in Paris to Cameroonian father, Wilfried and Algerian mother, Fayza who hails from Algeria. He stated that he idolized Cristiano Ronaldo while growing up and began his footballing career at AS Bondy being coached by his father who is also his agent. Mbappe then moved to Clairefontaine Academy where he put in good enough performances to be noticed by Real Madrid and Valencia. He however travelled to London for a trial with Chelsea at 11 years of age and appeared once for their youth team against Charlton before settling for Monaco.

He became the youngest player to play for the Monaco first team in the 2015/16 at 16, breaking Thierry Henry’s record. Two months later, in February 2016 - he again eclipsed Thierry Henry’s record of the youngest scorer for the club when he found the back of the net in Monaco’s 3-1 win over Troyes. He had his mark in the 2016/17 season, scoring 26 goals times in 44 matches for Monaco and helping the club to their first Ligue 1 title in seventeen years. Mbappe also headlined Monaco’s excellent UEFA Champions League campaign that saw them reach the semi-finals, scoring against the likes Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund becoming the youngest French scorer in the competition.

He is currently on loan at Paris St Germain from Monaco in a deal which is understood to lead to a permanent move for the 19-year-old in the summer. The fee is rumored to be  €145 million and  €35 million add-ons. He has enjoyed the switch to Paris, forming a ruthless frontline with Cavani and Neymar that saw them score goals for fun in the 2017/18 Champions League campaign. He is set to appear for France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia as he has impressed for the Les Bleus ever since making his debut in March 2017.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CB-Chancel Mbemba [Newcastle]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CB - Chancel Mbemba

Congolese international Chancel Mbemba currently plies his trade in the English Premier League with Newcastle and plays as a center-back. The 23-year old deputized the injured Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune whenever they were suspended or out injured. The player has not been an instant hit in the English Premier League has started only 7 matches in the league and coming on as a substitute on two different occasions for the relegation-threatened Newcastle. The young African player must be relieved that his team eventually managed to survive which means that he has another opportunity to show his worth in the league unless the club takes a new direction and appoint a new coach who could make wholesome changes in the squad. Mbemba is just 23 and can be a great player if given the opportunity that the likes of Kolo Toure were given by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #9 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Sweden

Yes. The Greatest of All Time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been snubbed by his national team, Sweden at this year’s grandest tournament. The 36-year old recently joined LA Galaxy from Manchester United after having struggled to retain his form due to a knee injury which he picked up in 2017. The striker was received in Los Angeles with a bang after scoring a vicious rocket from more than 30 yards out on the volley. Such moments typify his career where he has scored some amazing goals not only for his clubs but also for his national team. The player has always been the face of the Swedish national team as long as we can remember but it has finally come to an end. Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from the national team own his own last year when he was trying to focus on his fitness for Manchester United. He has since recovered and was contemplating on offering his services. He claimed, “It is up to me to decide whether I should play at the World Cup”. Well, I guess it was not all up to him as the Swedish manager, Lars Richt stated that, “Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in that case, for the same reason as with previous national team gatherings, not under consideration for the World Cup squad that national team coach Janne Andersson will announce on May 15.” It’s official, the player will not be playing at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Ousmane Dembele [Barcelona]

Dembele was born on 15 May 1997 in Vernon, Eure, Normandy to a Mauritanian-Senegalese mother and Malian father. He first played football when he was 12 at Evreux FC 27. He made his senior debut for French Ligue 1’s Rennes against Angers on 6 September 2015 and went on to score 12 goals in 26 appearances from the midfield. Rennes’ sporting director, Mikael Silvestre compared Dembele to Christiano Ronaldo whom he had seen arriving at Manchester United around at a similar age. One season later, on 12 May 2016, the Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund announced that they had tied the 18-year-old to a five-year contract. Ousmane enjoyed a stellar debut season pulling the strings from the midfield and combining with the likes of the Gabonese, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, and Shinji Kagawa to lead Sebastian Tuchel’s men to a first major title in five years as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt to clinch the 2017 DFB Pokal. Dembele was named the man of the match in that final and made it into the Bundesliga team of the season, also winning the Bundesliga Rookie Award.

In a move perceived to be one in which Barcelona was replacing Neymar who left for PSG, the Catalans signed Dembele on 25 August 2017 for €105 million and reported €40 million add-ons becoming the joint second most expensive footballer in the world with French teammate, Paul Pogba- who was born to Guinean parents. Dembele had a slow start to life at Barcelona with season marked by injuries but is undoubtedly on course to become a football great. He is expected to combine with Kylian Mbappe at France to form a relatively young but talented French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: RB-Achraf Hakimi [Real Madrid]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

RB – Achraf Hakimi

The Spanish-born right back plays for Real Madrid, the biggest club in the history of football. Popularly known as just ‘Achraf’, the player decided to represent the Moroccan national team because of his heritage. the 19-year old is the current second option in the right-back position in Zinedine Zidane’s team. His development as a player pushed Danilo, a £26m signing out of the club. Real Madrid has had some greats in that position before including current club captain Sergio Ramos before he moved into the center-back position. Hakimi is versatile himself and can play in midfield. It is safe to say that the player is in the right place to show if he is capable of competing at the highest level. With a couple of appearances under his belt and under the mentorship of a coach who pays attention to the youth as Zidane, we are guaranteed to be seeing the best of the player in the years to come. For now, we look forward to seeing the player at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 in Moroccan colors.

FT Top 10 World Cup Snubs: #10 - Jack Wilshire

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual sports tournament in the whole world. Russia successfully submitted a bid and are going to be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped in teams especially with a lot of competition for places. Here, we look at some of the players who failed to make the cut on the final squad list.

Jack Wilshere – England

Regarded as England’s only creative genius, Jack Wilshere has suffered from injuries which hampered his progress ever since he made a name for himself at Arsenal. The player left for Bournemouth last season in search of playing time and had a decent season. He came back to Arsenal and was slowly integrated back into the first team fold. He played some crucial matches in the UEFA Europa League before being handed the chance to redeem himself in the Premier League where he scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists in all competitions. The player was called up to the national team by Gareth Southgate last month before picking up a slight knock that prevented him from playing. I think he is ruing that opportunity because it has cost him his place in the final team.

The England boss named his final list and the player was not even a part of the provisional five. He must be disappointed not to make it. Without Wilshere, England has little creativity from midfield which means that their chances of going far in the tournament have already reduced before even kicking a ball.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: GK-Andre Onana [Ajax]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

GK – Andre Onana

22-year old Onana is a goalkeeper for Dutch club Ajax who guided his team to a second-placed finish in the league. Andre Onana hails from Nkol Ngok, Cameroon and is showing early promises of becoming a European hit like his predecessors. To those that watched football between the 80s and 90s, they should remember a famous Liverpool goalkeeper who was from Zimbabwe. Bruce Grobbler was popular for his comedic stunts between the sticks. If not him, then you probably know Vincent Enyeama. One of the African legends who played for Nigeria for the longest time. Andre Onana is on his way. Ajax is a team that has produced some of the best talents in Europe and he has a starting spot on that team. It is just a matter of time before the rest of Europe start bidding in for the keeper of the future who is already amassing 39 appearances in a top league.

World Cup Rush: Munir’s hopes for representing Morocco dashed by FIFA verdict

Barcelona forward, Munir El Haddadi, on loan at Deportivo Alaves is Spain tied and will not be playing for Morocco anytime soon or never. FIFA’s highest tribunal rejected his appeal against a FIFA Cas ruling that prohibited him to switch allegiance to the North African nation after he had appeared for Spain in their European Championship qualifier against Macedonia, as a substitute - for less than 15 minutes. Munir had jointly made the appeal with the Moroccan Football Federation asking for a fast-track ruling as the Lions of the Atlas prepare for 2018 FIFA World Cup appearance next month in Russia.

"Such decision is now confirmed and the request to change the sporting nationality of Munir El Haddadi from Spain to Morocco remains denied." - FIFA’s Court of Arbitration for Sport

FIFA’s stakeholders committee is seeking ways make the rules more flexible in such case as Munir’s.

The 22-year-old was born in Spain to a Moroccan father and raised in Barcelona’s youth academy before making his debut for the Catalans. He has since been loaned to Valencia and now Deportivo Alaves where he has been getting more game time to develop as a player than he would playing in a star studded Barcelona side. In the 2017/18 La Liga season, Munir scored 14 goals and registered 6 assists for Alaves.