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Rabat – FC Barcelona’s new coach Xavi Hernandez called on two young Moroccan players from the Barcelona academy, Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Ilias Akhomach, to participate in the La Liga match against Espanyol on Saturday, November 20.
The two players have been participating in the training sessions of the Blaugrana senior team in the past days.
Xavi was satisfied with the outstanding performance of Akhomach and Ezzalzouli during the training sessions and decided to offer them a place within the team.
In a press conference following the Espanyol match, the Barcelona coach stressed that “Ilias and Abdessamad played a great game, they are talented and it is important to have this generation of footballers. They will help us a lot.”
Akhomach put on an outstanding performance in the first 45 minutes of the game, before being replaced by his fellow teammate Ezzalzouli who made his own debut just three weeks ago.
Ezzalzouli is the first Moroccan-born player to feature for Barça. Born in Beni Mellal in central Morocco, he joined the FC Barcelona reserves this summer from Hercules in Alicante, where he had played 22 games in Division 2B and the Copa del Rey, according to FC Barcelona’s official site.
“He has played for his country at all youth levels, and is noted for his speed, ball control and rapid attacking moves. He can play with both feet, which means he can also play on either wing,” the same source stated.
The two Moroccans made their professional debut for FC Barcelona’s B team, before being called up for Xavi’s first team. Ezzalzouli represented Morocco’s U20 team at the 2020 Arab Cup, scoring two goals in five games, while Akhomach plays for the Spanish national football team.
FC Barcelona won yesterday’s match against Espanyol thanks to a goal by Memphis Depay in the 48th minute.
The Catalan club is currently in 9th place in the Spanish league with 17 points, having accumulated 4 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses from 12 games.
However, neither of the two Moroccan players will be playing when FC Barcelona faces Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday, November 23.
Read Also: Moroccan Football Prodigy Signs Professional Contract With FC Barcelona
