Rabat – Following the Moroccan national team’s fairytale journey at the Qatar World Cup, the Atlas Lions’ market value has seen a notable increase of 77.2%, Spanish sports news outlet AS reported on Monday.
Azzedine Ounahi’s market value has particularly skyrocketed, recording a 328.5% increase after his World Cup performance, followed by Sofyan Amrabat whose market value saw a 150% rise.
The Moroccan national team emerged as the tournament’s underdog and achieved the unprecedented at the global tournament, becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach the competition’s semi-finals.
Morocco’s heroics were celebrated worldwide, notably after the national team beat and sent home some European football giants, including Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, before finishing in fourth place.
Morocco’s spectacular World Cup run has grabbed the attention of some of the world’s top football clubs, who have put several Moroccan players on their radars for the winter transfer window.
For instance, a growing number of clubs, including AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Leicester City, and Sevilla, have joined the race to secure Ounahi.
Read also: FIFA Investigates Behavior of Argentina Goalkeeper in World Cup Final
Thanks to his excellent, eye-catching performance at the 2022 World Cup, the 22-year-old Moroccan player has emerged as one of the most sought-after players in the European market.
Spain’s then-head coach Luis Enrique was highly impressed by Ounahi’s strong performance, notably during Morocco and Spain’s round-of-16 game. “I was pleasantly surprised by the number 8, sorry I forgot his name. Oh my God, where does this guy come from! [He] plays incredibly well, it surprised me… he was the only one we weren’t aware of,” Enrique said.
Other Atlas Lions players have also seen large increases in their market value such as Amrabat, Sofiane Boufal (25% rise), Youssef En-Nesyri (25% increase), Walid Cheddira (140%), and Hakim Ziyech (17.6%). All of the players listed have also been on the radars of a number of elite European clubs.
“Names like Ounahi, Amrabat, or Cheddira have risen more than media names like Mbappe, Julian Alvarez, or Enzo Fernandez,” news outlet AS concluded.
