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WHY AYOUB EL KAABI IS OFFICIALLY MOROCCO’S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON THIS YEAR
Ayoub El Kaabi’s stunning overhead kicks led Morocco to the AFCON last-16. Discover the carpenter-turned-star’s incredible rise.
With captain Achraf Hakimi barely featuring in the Africa Cup of Nations group stage while he recovers from injury, Ayoub El Kaabi has stolen the spotlight for the host nation.
Hakimi, crowned Africa’s best footballer, has only made a late cameo so far. Meanwhile, El Kaabi came off the bench and lit up the opening match against Comoros, sealing Morocco’s 2-0 win with a jaw-dropping overhead kick.
That goal changed everything for him. At 32, El Kaabi got the nod to start the next game—a 1-1 draw with Mali. He couldn’t find the net in that one, and the Moroccan team looked frustrated, weighed down by all the hype. But then Monday rolled around, and El Kaabi went right back to work, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Zambia. Morocco topped Group A and booked a last-16 showdown with Tanzania in Rabat.
He opened the scoring with a header, then finished things off with—what else—another overhead kick.
Back home, fans went wild. Here’s a player who first broke into the national team before the 2018 World Cup but was never really a fixture in the starting eleven. Now, he’s a national hero.
You can’t escape the viral videos. Clips of fans imitating El Kaabi’s bicycle kick in the most unlikely places have exploded online. There was even a drone light show over Casablanca, recreating his acrobatic goal in the night sky. Someone put together a video montage of all his overhead kicks, and it racked up millions of views. Honestly, this move is his trademark. Back in the 2020/21 season with Wydad Casablanca, he scored four of them, and he’s pulled it off a few times for Morocco, including a stunning one against Benin last June.
But El Kaabi isn’t one to brag. After the Zambia match, he shrugged off the praise, saying, “The most important thing is to score. It doesn’t really matter who scores or how they do it.”
His story starts far from the spotlight, in the streets of Casablanca. He grew up in a tough neighbourhood, working as a carpenter to help his family get by. “I grew up in a shanty town in Derb Mila, a neighbourhood that everybody knows,” he told UEFA.com in 2024. Money was tight, so he’d go to school, then work construction jobs with his dad in the summers. “The work I did at that time made me a man,” he said. He still speaks fondly of carpentry: “It is a really great job that embraces art and creativity.”
El Kaabi didn’t sign his first pro contract until he was 21, with Racing Casablanca. After one standout season in Morocco’s second division, he moved up to Renaissance Berkane in the top flight, then had a spell in China. He came back to play for Wydad, then headed to Turkey, where he hit his stride with Hatayspor—until a devastating earthquake in early 2023 forced him to move on.
A short stay in Qatar followed, but the real turning point came when he joined Olympiacos in Greece. In just over two years, he’s scored 75 goals for them, including the winner in the UEFA Conference League final against Fiorentina in May 2024—a stooping header, not a bicycle kick for once.
El Kaabi first made his mark for Morocco by finishing as top scorer as they won the 2018 African Nations Championship, a tournament just for home-based players. He played at the World Cup in Russia that year, then captained Morocco to another African Nations Championship win in 2021.
He’s played at the Cup of Nations in both 2022 and 2024, but until now, he’d never scored at the tournament. Now, with Soufiane Rahimi and Youssef En-Nesyri behind him in the pecking order, he’s Morocco’s main man up front. On Sunday in Rabat, he’ll try to keep the story going with a win against heavy underdogs Tanzania.
MARSEILLE MELTDOWN: WHY MEDHI BENATIA QUIT AFTER A BITTER MASON GREENWOOD FALLOUT
Marseille meltdown: Medhi Benatia resigns as Sporting Director after clashes with Mason Greenwood. Get the latest on De Zerbi’s exit.
Marseille’s sporting director, Medhi Benatia, has quit his job after reports of friction with Mason Greenwood, the former Manchester United striker.
It’s a tough time for the club. Benatia’s exit comes with pressure piling up; Marseille’s going through a rough patch that also saw Roberto De Zerbi walk out. De Zerbi left after that brutal 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The team are sitting in fourth, and they just missed out on the next round of the Champions League in dramatic fashion.
Benatia, who used to play for Morocco and had a solid career with Bayern Munich, Roma, and Juventus, confirmed he’s stepping down. In his statement, he didn’t hold back: “Since I got here, I’ve poured my heart into this job with one goal: getting Marseille back where it belongs. I know this club inside out. I understand what it asks of you and the passion behind it.”
He tried to keep things positive: “We’re still in the fight. Making the Champions League is within reach, and we’re still gunning for the Coupe de France. Even with the setbacks and bad luck, the project’s still moving forward on the pitch. But I can’t ignore what’s happening around us.”
Benatia pointed to growing frustration and a communication breakdown: “In Marseille, results speak for themselves. You know I don’t sugarcoat things. With all the tension in management, I’ve handed in my resignation because, to me, the club always comes first. I don’t want to be an obstacle or a burden.”
He finished with a note of regret: “I did everything I could, but I couldn’t calm things down around the team even though I really believe they can hit their targets.”
Apparently, Benatia and Greenwood just didn’t get along. Greenwood’s been crucial for Marseille since joining in 2024, and while De Zerbi backed him publicly, things between Benatia and Greenwood reportedly got icy. L’Equipe claimed the two barely spoke, and Benatia didn’t hide his criticism on or off the field.
Some say Benatia got fed up with Greenwood ignoring commercial duties last summer and not caring about the fallout. Now De Zerbi’s on the market, a familiar name for clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham, both hunting for new managers.
De Zerbi’s already been linked to United before. After his stint at Brighton, he was apparently considered for the Old Trafford job before they stuck with Erik ten Hag.
ARRESTS AT THE MKM: WHY POLICE INTERVENED DURING HULL CITY’S FA CUP DEFEAT
Police made arrests at the MKM Stadium as Chelsea beat Hull 4-0. Read the full report on Pedro Neto's hat-trick and the fan fallout.
Hull City say police made arrests after fans started up discriminatory chants during their 4-0 FA Cup loss to Chelsea on Friday night. Early in the game, the stadium’s PA system cut in with a warning: stop the chanting, or face arrest. Stewards and police didn’t mess around in the second half; the club announced they’d actually detained some supporters.
The chant targeted Chelsea and was homophobic. It’s not the first time this kind of thing has happened. Back in 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service made it clear that a certain lyric in the chant is a homophobic slur, and using it can land you in legal trouble. Just ask Paul Boardman, a Liverpool fan who got slapped with a Wembley ban and a £500 fine for shouting it at a train station.
Meanwhile, the game itself got away from Hull. Chelsea rolled over them, with Pedro Neto bagging a hat-trick. Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic still found a few positives, though. He liked the team’s defensive setup and thought they could’ve used their counterattacks better. “We deserved at least one goal,” he said, “but if we play like this, we’ll be in a good spot in the Championship.” He’s already thinking ahead to the next match against QPR.
On the other side, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior was back at the MKM Stadium, his old stomping ground. He was buzzing about his team’s attitude and effort, especially in the first half. “Hull are flying in the Championship, and I hope they make the Premier League,” he said. “But our mentality and quality tonight made the difference.” He singled out Pedro Neto for his work rate and finishing, but really, he seemed proud of the whole squad. “Everyone put in a shift. The mentality was spot on.”
The night was extra special for Rosenior. He had more than 20 family members in the stands and got warm applause from both sets of fans. “This club means a lot to my family and me,” he said. “I really appreciate the welcome. It was a good night all around.”
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