RIYADH: Much will rest on the broad shoulders of Yassine Bounou when Morocco kick off their sixth World Cup appearance with a clash against Croatia at Qatar 2022 on Nov. 23.
The unassuming, hardworking goalkeeper, now one of Europe’s top shot stoppers, will be one of the African nation’s most trusted players in Doha.
But his career with the Atlas Lions almost never happened.
Bounou, or Bono as he is nicknamed, was eligible to play for Canada, his country of birth, but decided in 2011 to play for Morocco at the request of coach Rachid Taoussi.
Having represented the under-20s at the 2012 Olympics in London, he made the senior squad in 2013 and has been there ever since. Yet it took a while to establish himself as a regular No. 1, both at international and club level.
Following the Olympics, Bounou left Wydad Casablanca for Spain and Atletico Madrid’s reserves.
His rise to the top would not be an easy one, and he reportedly faced some difficulties in adapting to the lifestyle and mentality in Spain and had to double his efforts to get along with his teammates and settle in a new culture.
Standing in his way and first-team opportunities at Atletico Madrid was one Thibaut Courtois, but the young Moroccan persevered and thanks to a series of loan and permanent moves, would eventually make his mark in Spanish football.
After a loan spell at Zaragoza, he left Atletico for Catalan club Girona, where he played 83 La Liga matches between 2016 and 2019.
He was part of Morocco’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia though he once again had to be content with watching from the bench.
A year later, however, at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, he shone by keeping two clean sheets in the group stages as Herve Renard’s team reached the round of 16, where they lost to Benin on penalties.
Then Sevilla came knocking and Bounou’s career would take a major leap. First on a season’s loan and then, from the summer of 2020, as a permanent signing, he excelled at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Bono, thanks to some heroics in goal, helped Sevilla win the Europa League for a record-extending sixth time in 2020, which prompted the club to renew his contract until 2025.
Last year, Bounou kept 32 clean sheets in 59 matches, outperforming every goalkeeper in Europe, surpassing even his old rival Courtois, who would go on to win the Champions League with Real Madrid.
But it would be Bounou who claimed the (late Espanyol glovesman Ricardo) Zamora Award for La Liga’s best goalkeeper at the end of the 2021-22 season. The Moroccan was the first Arab and only the second African to win it.
No doubt Bounou’s time in Europe has refined his talent.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui will likely call on Bounou, Al-Wehda’s Munir Mohamedi El-Kajoui, and Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti of Wydad for the World Cup, but it is expected that Bounou will be first choice.
El-Kajoui was the first choice ’keeper in Russia four years ago, before losing his place to Bounou in 2019. This season, he has been in exceptional form for Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League and can be assured of being backup. This will leave Anas Zniti of Raja challenging Tagnaouti for the third spot.
Since making his debut for Morocco against Burkina Faso in 2013, Bounou has steadily evolved to become one of the most prominent goalkeepers in Africa, and then the world.
He has participated in the three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2017 and experienced the World Cup in Russia.
Qatar 2022, however, should see him at his peak.
Despite being in a tough group that also includes Belgium and Canada, Morocco will have serious ambitions of reaching the knockout stages for the first time since 1986.
This should not be an unachievable dream for a golden generation of players such as Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Sofiane Boufal. And, as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Yassine Bounou.
