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WILL ACHRAF HAKIMI LEAD MOROCCO: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIS AFCON FITNESS

Will Achraf Hakimi be fit for Morocco’s AFCON opener? Discover the latest injury news as the Atlas Lions prepare for the Comoros.

Will Achraf Hakimi Lead Morocco: Everything You Need to Know About His AFCON Fitness
Can Morocco Win AFCON Without Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi's picture on social media in Rabat made every Moroccan football fan happy as the country gets ready to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) starting Sunday.

The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star was seen wearing sunglasses, a red, white, and black sweater, baggy blue jeans, and dark suede sneakers.

But what he wasn't wearing was more telling. The surgical boot he had on his left foot while receiving the African Player of the Year award in Morocco last month was gone.

Hakimi, also picked for the 2025 FIFA Best XI this week, was hurt by a bad tackle from Luis Diaz during a UEFA Champions League game against Bayern Munich in Paris in November.

Diaz got a red card, but Hakimi had to leave the field with a badly sprained left ankle, leaving people wondering if he could play in the AFCON.

It was clear how bad the injury was when he walked with difficulty to get his award during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) event in Rabat.

Considered one of the best right-backs around, he's a key player for Morocco if they want to win the AFCON trophy for the second time after waiting for five decades.

But it's not clear when he'll be able to wear the red and green of the Atlas Lions, who have been ranked No. 1 in Africa since surprisingly making it to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.

Reports say that Hakimi came to Morocco with a doctor and physiotherapist from PSG and is still working on getting better. People are hoping he can begin practising later this week.

Everyone's wondering when the star, who played for Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan before joining Paris in 2021, might come back.

Morocco's coach, Walid Regragui, said he doesn't want to risk his captain, which could mean he misses the three group stage games.

The team will play the Comoros in the first game on Sunday, then Mali on December 26, and Zambia three days later. All games will be at the 68,000-seat Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Mali could be their biggest challenge, but it's hard to see Morocco not finishing in the top two and moving on to the next stage.

The round of 16 starts on January 3, and that might be when Morocco hopes Hakimi, who was born in Madrid, will be ready to play.

"He's our leader, our captain," said Regragui, who was the first coach of an African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Morocco is a strong team in Africa, but their AFCON record since winning the eight-team tournament in Ethiopia in 1976 isn't great.

Since that win in Addis Ababa, they've only made it to one final, losing 2-1 to Tunisia in 2004, when Regragui was the right-back.

They were favourites to win the title in Ivory Coast last year after their performance in Qatar, but they lost to South Africa in the round of 16.

But right now, Morocco is playing really well, going into the AFCON with a world record of 18 straight wins in competitive and friendly games.

They passed Spain, who had the previous record, in October by beating Congo Brazzaville in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, and then they beat Mozambique and Uganda in AFCON warm-up games.

Plus, Moroccan fans are some of the most passionate on the continent, so it's easy to see why the Atlas Lions are favourites to win again.

But being the host doesn't guarantee success in the top African football tournament, which started in 1957 with just three teams and is now a big event with 24 countries and a worldwide TV audience.

Since 2000, there have been 13 AFCON tournaments, and only three hosts—Tunisia, Egypt in 2006, and Ivory Coast last year—have won the title.

Morocco's chances of being the fourth host to win this century will be much better if Hakimi is healthy and can lead the Atlas Lions.

WHY DID CRISTIANO RONALDO CRY? LUKA MODRIC EXPOSES JOSE MOURINHO’S HARSHEST LECTURE

Luka Modric reveals Jose Mourinho once reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears at Real Madrid for failing to track back defensively.

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Modric and Balague confirm the 2013 Valencia clash that shattered Real’s locker room

Luka Modric says that Jose Mourinho once gave Cristiano Ronaldo such a harsh lecture that the guy was in tears.

Ronaldo, who's 40 now, played really well under Mourinho, who's 62. They were together at Real Madrid for three seasons, but apparently, they didn't always get along off the field.

Even though things got off to a slow start, the Portuguese superstar still managed to score 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho. He also helped Mourinho win three trophies in his first two seasons.

But get this: even with superstars like Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria on his team, Mourinho was still super critical of Ronaldo's effort on defense.

Modric, who Mourinho signed from Tottenham back in 2013, told a story about one argument that made Ronaldo cry. Apparently, it was because he didn't chase after his assigned player.

"I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room," Modric told Corriere della Sera, an Italian news outlet. Can you believe it? A guy who always gives it his all on the field, and he's getting yelled at because he didn't chase some defender.

Modric moved to Real Madrid in 2013 and only played under Mourinho for a year.

Modric, who played alongside Kaka and Mesut Ozil in the midfield after arriving for a big £33 million, didn't say which game the argument happened in.

Guillem Balague, a Spanish soccer journalist, wrote in Ronaldo's biography that Ronaldo and Mourinho almost fought after Mourinho yelled at him in the locker room following a 2-0 win against Valencia in January 2013.

Mourinho was mad because Ronaldo didn't seem willing to help out on defense during the game. And Ronaldo supposedly replied, After everything I've done for you, this is how you treat me? How dare you say that to me!

Later that season, which turned out to be Mourinho's last with the team, Ronaldo was constantly asked about Mourinho's future. "I don't care," he said once. What I care about is my own future and the club.

This was a big change from earlier that year, when Mourinho said before the 2012 Ballon d'Or race, If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe!

After Mourinho left Real Madrid, he went on Spanish TV to talk about what caused the problems between him and Ronaldo.

"I only had one problem with him," he said. It was simple. When a coach gives a player feedback on tactics, they are trying to help them get better, in my opinion. He didn't take it well because he probably thinks he knows everything, and the coach can't help him.

Mourinho also said that they didn't really have a relationship. But time seemed to fix things, as he later said that coaching Ronaldo was the best thing that ever happened in his career.

Ronaldo also seemed to warm up to Mourinho later on, even saying that he was the best coach he ever had, even better than Sir Alex Ferguson. "I'd put him at the top; I always say that," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo scored 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho during their three years together.

Even though Modric didn't win any trophies in his first season at Madrid, he was so impressed by Mourinho that he repeated something Mourinho famously said about himself.

He's special, as a coach and as a person, Modric said. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid. I wouldn't have come without him. I'm sad I only had him for one season.

Modric spent 13 years at Real Madrid, mostly managed by Carlo Ancelotti. Now he's at AC Milan and managed by Massimiliano Allegri. But he says Mourinho is the toughest of the three.

He added, "Mourinho is really direct with the players, but he's honest." He treated Sergio Ramos and new players the same way. If he had something to say, he'd say it. Max is the same way. He tells you what's right and wrong to your face. Honesty is key.

Modric also shared his opinion on the never-ending debate of who's better, Lionel Messi or Ronaldo, but said he doesn't really like talking about it.

"I don't like that question," he said. They both defined an era. I'm closer to Cristiano because I played with him; he was my teammate at Madrid, and I can tell you he's not just a great player, he's an amazing person. People don't know it, but he has a big heart and is always ready to help others. He's just a simple, normal guy.

He added, "I don't know Messi personally, but I'm sure he's great too." As a player, he's incredible.

CELTIC FANS DEMAND BOARD SACK WILFRIED NANCY AFTER SHOCK MOTHERWELL DEFEAT TONIGHT

Wilfried Nancy dismisses sack talk after Celtic's 2-0 loss at Motherwell. With Rangers closing in, the Old Firm looms large.

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Wilfried Nancy’s future on the line after fifth loss in seven

After Celtic's fifth loss in seven games under his leadership, Wilfried Nancy brushed off ideas that Saturday's Old Firm game would decide his future.

Tuesday's match at Fir Park, called 'El Passico' due to both teams' open play styles, saw Motherwell outperform the Frenchman's team. Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt scored on either side of halftime.

The 2-0 defeat, Celtic's 17th this year, meant Hearts stayed three points ahead in the league, while Rangers closed in, now just three points behind Nancy's squad after a 2-1 victory over St Mirren.

At the end of the game, visiting fans chanted for the board to be sacked, and some even demanded the manager's immediate dismissal. When asked if his first derby was a make-or-break moment, Nancy responded, No, not really. Every game matters to me and the team.

I'm not focused on my future. I'm focusing on what I'm doing now, what I need to do to help the team get better, and what we need to do as a team to improve. That's how I see it.

When asked if he understood the fans' deep worry about the lack of progress during his time, Nancy was indignant.

Progress? "There is progress," he insisted. But tonight, the situation and the opponent were tough.

This is a fact. Now, we need to figure out how to get better, and that's what we've been working on from the start. Tonight was rough. That's the truth.

When questioned about feeling the pressure after such a bad start as the champion's manager, Nancy added, As a manager, I don't want this, obviously.

Pressure doesn't change how I think. We know we have to perform well.

But right now, this is how it is. I knew it could be like this. We've had good games at times. Tonight was a hard one.

Regarding whether he was sure he could turn things around, Nancy said, Yes, I'm sure. I had to make some choices about the team tonight. I believe in what we're trying to do and where we're going. This was a hard game, difficult for us, but I think we'll improve.

Motherwell's manager, Jens Berthel Askou, praised his team, saying it was probably their best game of the season.

"We knew we'd probably need our best, most solid, and most complete performance, both with and without the ball, to win," he said.

We've had really big and good performances, but they haven't led to wins against Rangers or Celtic. So, that's what we got, and that's what we needed. It was amazing to see.

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