The £70m Manchester United transfer target tipped to be a global superstar is primed for a World Cup showdown with Scotland. A new midfield superstar awaits Steve Clarke's team, but he still has to get one up on Tartan talisman John McGinn.
Bouaddi's Rise to Stardom
Ayyoub Bouaddi has the brains to be taking a degree in physics and winning public speaking contests. But he also has the talent in his boots to stamp his class onto Scotland. At the age of 18, the glittering midfield talent is being discussed as a global superstar of the future and could have been starring for France. Instead, he is intent on taking the World Cup by storm with Morocco.
On Friday, Scotland will come up against the kid whose name sits on the lips of major clubs across the globe. Having taken apart Brazilians Casimiro and Bruno Guimaraes in the opening game of Group C, Bouaddi now has Steve Clarke's men in his sights. While he is looking at them, the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are looking at him. He was rated at £70m before this World Cup started. It could easily be way beyond that figure by the time it is over, and the signs have been flashing as distinctively as his mop of hair for quite some time.
Early Career Achievements
Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille in a UEFA Conference League group stage match against Faroese club KI at the age of just 16 years and three days, making him the youngest-ever to play in a European club competition. On his 17th birthday, he was tearing through Real Madrid in a 1-0 Champions League win over the holders, an evening which gave Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti ample warning of what his team was facing prior to last weekend as he jousted successfully against the likes of Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. On the day he turned 18, Bouaddi was at it again, helping Lille win 1-0 over AS Roma in the Stadio Olimpico on Europa League duty.
He will not turn 19 until October this year, but the celebrations of him have already started after his showing against Brazil. That he is part of the Atlas Lions squad was the subject of much debate leading into the competition. Born and raised in northern France, he joined Lille's academy as a schoolboy. While Morocco were winning the Under-20 World Cup at the end of last year, Bouaddi was still captain of the French Under-21 squad, having represented Les Bleus at all levels from Under-16.
International Switch to Morocco
It was, understandably, to much fanfare that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation confirmed just three months before this World Cup that Bouaddi had been FIFA-approved to make the switch, eligible due to his parents. Bouaddi played three friendlies in the build-up, but it was hard for most observers to believe that clash with Brazil was his first competitive game for Morocco given the way he effortlessly moved the ball when in possession and hunted with relish when he did not.
Of course, the midfielder has the ideal coach in Mohamed Ouahbi. The 49-year-old Belgian has a history of progressing youth with some aplomb. Ouahbi coached youth teams at Anderlecht and Monaco and led Morocco to success at the Under-20 World Cup last autumn. That promoted him to Under-23 coach, but he was just weeks into the job when replacing Walid Regragui in the senior position. Regragui got his hands on the Africa Cup of Nations last year, albeit in controversial fashion when Senegal forfeited the final. He also took them to the last four in Qatar, but Ouahbi wants more.
He has established superstars in his unit such as Paris Saint-Germain's Achraf Hakimi, but, as his deployment of Bouaddi and his background suggests, the vibrancy of youth will also be key. Pitting Bouaddi against Casimiro and Guimaraes was not even given a second thought as Ouahbi said: "We knew very well what kind of player he was. That is why we had a lot of meetings for him to choose Morocco. A lot of people talk about age, but, in terms of experience, he has a lot more games in the first league than a lot of other players. He has games in the Champions League, a masterclass against Real Madrid. So he is 18 years old, but he is a very composed person who already has a lot of experience. Was it a risk to let him play? No. I do not look at the age of the player. He can be 35 years old. If he is performing, he will play. I am not going to be afraid to launch a young player. There was no risk at all."
Scotland's Challenge
No risk at all for Ouahbi, but clearly there is peril awaiting Scotland. The likes of Scott McTominay and John McGinn face world-class operators in engine rooms every week of their lives and, notably, the Aston Villa skipper already has an upper hand. Bouaddi was not established and still 16 as an unused sub when McGinn scored and Villa knocked Lille out of the Conference League at the last 16 stage in April 2024. But the Moroccan was most certainly involved when McGinn again took centre stage in March of this year and, just back after a two-month injury absence, once more scored as Villa sank the French in the last eight on their way to winning last term's Europa League.
Scotland's talisman has also firmly made his mark at these finals with his winning goal against Haiti. An entire nation yelled and shouted in joy as Clarke's boys did the job. Bouaddi can also verbalise his feelings with clarity given that, as a 15-year-old, he won that public speaking contest open to players enrolled at professional academies in France. Brigitte Macron, wife of President Emmanuel, was among the crowd at the Elysee Palace. Now his next podium is the Boston Stadium.
Bouaddi has cleared his throat against the Brazilians. Another crystal-clear statement on a dazzling future could come against the Scots.
