'Thank you, but I feel Spanish' - Morocco boss on Yamal choosing Spain

Lamine Yamal played for the youth teams of the Spanish national team during his process of maturity and growth, but the leap to the top flight catapulted his status at international level. At that moment, he had to decide whether to continue his time with ‘la Roja’ or answer the call of Morocco, where he also had roots. Regragui, coach of the African country, spoke about it in his chat with ‘El Chiringuito de Jugones’.

"He is a generational talent that we tried to take to Morocco. What he does at his age is incredible. I spoke directly with him, but he was very honest with me and also with the Federation. We try to give him the project we have, with Africa Cup and World Cup 2030, plus the affection that the country can give Lamine," the coach openly acknowledged.

"The boy never lied. He chose Spain. He called me, with respect, and said ‘thank you for the love, but I'm going to choose Spain because I feel Spanish’. We, of course, want great players, but I wish him luck. He is a very honest guy and I liked that conversation. He is going to be one of the world's great stars. We spoke with his family, with him and his lawyer. We did everything, but that's football. Good luck," said Regragui about the winger.

This is how it was cooked Lamine Yamal's choice to play for Spain, which accelerated to call him up to the senior team. He made his debut on September 8th, 2023, still 16 years old, in the qualifier for the European Championship that Luis de la Fuente's team had against Georgia, which won 1-7, with Lamine himself scoring one of the goals.