Rabat – Mehdi Benatia has melted the hearts of Moroccan fans. The captain of the national team channelled his fatherly instincts, by sheltering a little girl’s head from the rain with his pennant, before the pre-World Cup friendly between Morocco and Slovakia, on Monday June 4, in the Geneva stadium.
Beating the Slovakian team (2-1) was not Benatia’s only victory. The French-Moroccan football player won over people on social media when, before the start of the match, as rain fell while the teams began their national anthems, the Atlas Lion covered the head of a child in front of him.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, in turn, covered the head of the child in front of him with his hand.
Shared by the Moroccan team’s official Twitter account, the cute picture quickly viral on social media, generating hundreds of retweets and reactions.
“As you have protected the child of others, Allah will watch over yours, My dear Mehdi,” “So cute,” “Grand Capitano,” “Big respect,” “What a fantastic example, football is more than a sport,” commented fans on social media.
Moroccan supporters were also proud of their team who raised the bar, scoring a double against Slovakia (2-1) Monday night in Geneva, Switzerland.
For the second pre-World Cup game, the national team made quite the impression by beating Slovakia thanks to goals from Ayoub El Kaabi (63) and Younes Belhanda (74).
The Atlas Lions’ next match will take place on June 9 against Estonia on their home turf, six days before Morocco’s first World Cup match against Iran on June 15.
The Atlas Lions will play against Portugal in their second game on June 20 and against Spain on June 25 in Morocco’s final first-round match.
