Rabat – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose a picture of Moroccan football players performing the Sajdah as one of his photos of the year for 2022.
Taking part in a “Photos of the Year” vote organized by Turkish news agency Anadolu, the president chose the photo titled “Sajdah of Shukr” as his photo of the year in the sports category.
The picture, taken by Salih Zeki Fazlioglu, was taken after the Atlas Lions defeated Spain in the round of 16 and advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time in the country’s history at a World Cup event.
Morocco was the 2022 World Cup’s underdog story, becoming the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, defeating formidable teams like Belgium, Spain, and Portugal in the process.
The Atlas Lions’ Cinderella run was ended by 2022’s eventual runners-up France in the semi-finals. The team proceeded to finish in fourth place after losing the third-place game 2-1 to Croatia.
Photos of team members celebrating with the Moroccan flag and with their mothers spread throughout the internet following each of their wins in the tournament.
In the news category, Erdogan chose a picture titled “the first ride of TOGG,” which shows the first electric car produced domestically in Turkiye. In the environment and life category, he chose the photo called “saving life,” which showed a turtle being rescued from wildfires in Turkiye.
