Mustapha Hadji to Koooora: Morocco can beat Brazil and Argentina, and this is their biggest weakness
The Lions' legend confirms that Argentina have lost 90% of their strength with Messi's retirement
Mustapha Hadji reckons the Atlas Lions can topple Brazil and Argentina, two giants the Moroccan legend insists are no longer the force they once were. He did, though, pinpoint one glaring weakness in Mohamed Ouahbi's side.
Morocco have climbed into the game's elite. Their runs at the 2022 and 2026 World Cups carried them to seventh in the latest FIFA ranking, above some of the biggest names in the sport.
That seventh-placed finish leaves the Atlas Lions ahead of storied sides such as the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
Only six teams sit above Morocco: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Portugal and Brazil, in that order.
Asked to name the three sides capable of beating Morocco right now, Hadji picked France, Spain and England.
He said, in a filmed interview for Kooora to be published later, "The France team is very difficult, and also Spain, even though we beat them in 2022, and the third team is England".
Brazil and Argentina are a different story. Hadji, who wore the shirt between 1994 and 2002, no longer sees them as the menace they once were, and he believes Morocco have grown good enough to see them off.
Hadji spelled it out: "Brazil no longer has that team I knew in the late nineties and the start of this century, it no longer has Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, I see that it is not a terrifying team at present, it has become an ordinary team that Morocco can overcome".
On Argentina, he was equally blunt: "As for Argentina, it lost 90% of its strength after the retirement of Lionel Messi, who used to do everything from goals to decisive passes, and I do not see that the rest of the players possess a distinguished level, and therefore Morocco is also capable of beating it".
Hadji reveals the gap that worries him in Morocco
Central defence is the one spot that troubles him. Hadji stressed it represents a major problem for the Atlas Lions.
He explained: "We only have the pairing of Chadi Riad and Nayef Aguerd in this position, and the substitutes are not at the same level".
Depth is the answer, the Moroccan legend argued: "There must be an abundance of good players in this position, as is the case in the midfield and attack lines, I hope we have 6 defenders of a high level in the future".
Does Morocco miss Romain Saiss, who retired after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations? Hadji didn't hesitate: "Yes, because he was a player of a high level, and a leader on the pitch, and now we have Riad and Aguerd".
