Moroccan footballer Mustapha Hadji, who played for Deportivo La Coruna (1997-1999) and Espanyol (2004) in LaLiga, told Al Arabiya Sports that "it's a shame that Lamine Yamal has not chosen Morocco".

It's sad because, as I read recently in a Spanish newspaper, some journalists said: "We love Yamal, but we don't love him as much as Pedri."

Mustapha Hadji

"Although Lamine Yamal plays for Spain, the affection he will receive from the Spaniards will never be the same as he would have received from the Moroccans," said the 54-year-old former footballer.

Hadji insisted that "it's a real shame that Lamine Yamal didn't choose Morocco, because if he had, things would have been different."

I would have liked him to play for Morocco. Lamine Yamal will always be Moroccan, even if he plays for Spain

Mustapha Hadji

The former footballer, who was capped 63 times by Morocco, acknowledges that "it's sad because, as I read recently in a Spanish newspaper, some journalists said: 'We have Pedri, we want Pedri, we want Yamal, but we don't want him as much as Pedri'. So that means it's a bad choice."

"I would have liked him to play for Morocco. Lamine Yamal will always remain Moroccan, even if he plays for Spain," he said.

Morocco's version of why Lamine Yamal decided to play for Spain: "He didn't lie"

In August 2023,Lamine Yamal said "yes" to Spain, putting aside the possibility of playing for Morocco.

The current 18-year-old F.C. Barcelona star agreed to play for the Spanish national team after talking to Walid Regragui (Morocco coach) and meeting with representatives of the Spanish Federation (Francis Hernandez and Vicente Blanco) in Barcelona.

"Lamine Yamal is a generational talent who we tried to get to play for Morocco, but he chose Spain and we wish him the best of luck," explained Walid Regragui, Morocco coach and former Racing Santander player on the program 'El Chiringuito'.