How dual nationality upends Ibrahim Maaroufi's choice
While yesterday Belgium was marked by a split between Walloons and Flemish, today several players in the core of the Red Devils hold multiple sporting nationalities, as shown by the 2678 view counter, making every selection choice crucial. How does this past influence the players' decisions?
Ibrahim Maaroufi's Career
At the time when the most prominent cases were Mehdi Carcela or Nacer Chadli, Ibrahim Maaroufi also had to make a choice. Leaving Anderlecht for PSV at eleven, Ibrahim Maaroufi left Belgium very early. Invited by Guus Hiddink to train with the first team while he was only fifteen, he quickly attracted attention. Transferred by Inter, he became Italian champion with the A squad at eighteen in the spring.
For a long time, he was considered a great prospect of Belgian football. He played a qualifying match for the U21 Euro with the Diablotins, alongside Axel Witsel, Sébastien Pocognoli, Jonathan Legear and Reginal Goreux. However, this appearance remained his only involvement with the Belgian U21s.
Nationality Choice and Context
Born in Brussels and raised in Anderlecht, Maaroufi never renounced his two nationalities, Belgian and Moroccan. He told So Foot: “I am Belgian, as I am Moroccan. My parents were well received here, even though they had to face racism.” When the time came to choose his sporting nationality, his Moroccan roots prevailed. He later explained: “Morocco is my blood, my father, my mother. And in Belgium, there were two problems. First, the Walloons and the Flemish did not mix at the time. How can you build a team with that?”
At the time, the split between Walloon and Flemish players created a real gap within the team. Fortunately, it seems that this division has lessened today. His young age also worked against him, as he was not selected by Jean‑François De Sart, being the youngest in the group. He then chose Morocco, was warmly welcomed there and believes that the Moroccan national team has managed to give itself the means to reach its current level.