Morocco World Cup 2026 Squad Quotes — Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz & Yassine Bounou Chase History Again

"My mother cleaned houses and my father was a street vendor. They sacrificed themselves for me. Today I fight every day for them."

Source: Achraf Hakimi, in interviews about his upbringing in Madrid as the son of Moroccan immigrants. One of the most widely shared quotes in modern football, it explains why the PSG right-back celebrates every goal with his mother.

"We are the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup."

Source: Walid Regragui, press conference at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar during Morocco's run to the semi-finals. The former coach's underdog image captured the world's imagination and still defines the Atlas Lions' fighting identity.

"Why not dream of winning the World Cup? Dreaming costs nothing."

Source: Walid Regragui, press conferences in Qatar 2022, where he repeatedly challenged the idea that African teams should settle for less. The phrase became a rallying cry across the continent.

"I don't need the money from the national team. Give it to people who need it more than I do."

Source: Hakim Ziyech, as widely reported since 2019 — the winger donated his national-team earnings and bonuses to charitable causes in Morocco throughout his international career.

"We want to get rid of that feeling of inferiority. This generation is proving that Moroccan players can compete with anyone."

Source: Yassine Bounou, interviews after Morocco's penalty-shootout victory over Spain at the 2022 World Cup, where he saved two penalties and became a national hero. In 2026 he repeated the trick against the Netherlands.

"If I am the king of football, then Ben Barek is the god."

Source: Attributed to Pelé, speaking about Larbi Ben Barek, the Casablanca-born "Black Pearl" who starred for Marseille and Atlético Madrid in the 1940s and 1950s — the original Moroccan football legend. The exact occasion is not recorded, but the tribute is quoted in virtually every history of African football.