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Rabat – Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) and the Spanish football club Atletico Madrid will pay homage to Morocco’s football legend Larbi Ben Barek on Tuesday. The tribute will be displayed on the sidelines of the Morocco-Peru friendly match at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid.
According to converging reports, Moroccan players, with coach Walid Regragui leading the way, will lay flowers in front of a huge portrait of Ben Barek. Then, a protocol exchange of shirts is planned between the FRMF and Atletico de Madrid in recognition of the football legend.
Ben Barek made his debut in the world of football in Casablanca, with the Moroccan Sports Uniopn (USM), and then with Wydad before moving to Europe where he signed his first professional contract with Olympique de Marseille.
Ben Barek also joined the Spanish football club Atletico Madrid. While playing with the club, Atletico won two La Liga titles in 1950 and 1951, including a historic 6-3 victory over rival side Real Madrid.
Born in 1917, he was the first African player to reach international prominence in the football world and the first to bear the nickname of “Black Pearl.”
Larbi Ben Barek passed away in his hometown in 1992. Six years after his death, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honor awarded by the global football federation.
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