Doha, December 1, minute 4 of the match between Canada and Morocco. In a play of pressure by the Moroccan attack, a mistake by the Canadian goalkeeper left the ball at the mercy of Hakim Ziyech who, wearing a cap made to measure for the opposing goalkeeper, put Morocco ahead en route to qualifying for the round of 16, which has not yet been played. It happened since 1986.
In addition to the sporting impact, the goal was also the culmination of a long journey for the Chelsea midfielder, tortuous and full of ups and downs: from family tragedies to disagreements with the team that almost threw him out of the World Cup, the “star” of the north of Africa took a bumpy road to reach the biggest stages in Qatar.
His story begins not in Morocco, but in Dronten, in the Netherlands. It was there that Ziyech, the son of emigrants, was born and raised, and where he broke into football with local teams, first Real Dronten and then ASV Dronten. His talent with the ball at his feet was evident from an early age, but it was almost wasted: in 2006, when he was just 13 years old, the young Hakim lost his father to multiple sclerosis, he told the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant .
“The disease destroyed him. He couldn’t walk, eat or talk. I had to go to bed that night, but I wanted to be with him. I leaned against the head of his bed, then I left for a while and when I came back I heard my family crying. I didn’t go back to school anymore, and football didn’t matter to me either. I left everything behind”????????
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Source: Observadora
