Rabat – The African Football Confederation (CAF) has selected AS FAR midfielder Fatima Tagnaout as the best player at the second edition of the Women’s Champions League.
The 23-year-old Moroccan footballer received the prize in Rabat on November 17 after the final game between AS FAR and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. The Moroccan club succeeded in securing its first title ever in the tournament after defeating their opponents 4-0.
Tagnaout contributed to the AS FAR successful journey in the tournament by delivering three goals and four assists for the team.
The first score was against Zambia’s Green Buffaloes in the second Group A match, leading to a 2-1 victory for the Moroccan team. Tagnaout’s last goal was against the South African club as she opened the final match by scoring in the first 15 minutes through a penalty.
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Speaking to CAF Online, Tagnaout expressed her joy in receiving the pan-African recognition, thanking her teammates and club for the support.
“I want to say Bravo to my teammates and I thank them very much because without them I could not have won this award,” Tagnaou said. “I will not fail to greet and thank all Moroccan supporters in general and ASFAR in particular. Thank you, everyone.”
On November 9, CAF featured Tagnaout in the best XI squad for the Women’s Champions League along with teammates Khadija Er-Rmichi, Siham Boukhami, Ghizlane Chhiri, and Nouhaila Benzina.
The 4-3-3 formation group placed Tagnaout as forward along with Simba Queens’ captain Opah Clement. The team also included Green Buffaloes’ Ireen Lungu and Bayelsa Queens’ Maryann Ezenagu in the midfield and Mamelodi Sundowns’s forward Lelona Daweti, as well defender duo Bambanani Mbane and Zanele Nhlapho.
In July, Tagnaout was featured in CAF Best XI for the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations alongside Ghizlane Chebbak and Zineb Redouani. The trio played an instrumental role in making the national team reach the final against South Africa.
Despite ranking second, the performances of Morocco’s national women’s team breathed new life into women’s football in Morocco, with Tagnaout and her teammates serving as role models for rising female football players.
