Casablanca – Barcelona’s Moroccan forward Mayssa Baha has spoken about her pride in wearing the national team’s shirt, reflecting on the influence of her footballing family and the experiences that have shaped her young career.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) published a video of Baha describing representing Morocco as an honor, she recalled the emotions she felt after scoring twice for the national team at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
“It is a great honor and a huge source of pride to wear this shirt,” she said. “When I scored those two goals, I was incredibly happy because I was able to help my team and make the fans proud, but above all, to follow in the footsteps of my father and brother.”
The Barcelona youngster was referring to Morocco’s 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in October 2025, when she scored twice in the first half to help the hosts reach the knockout stages.
Baha opened the scoring in the fourth minute before converting a penalty in the 39th. Her performance earned her the Player of the Match award and played a decisive role in Morocco’s qualification.
Football runs in her blood
Football has long been part of Baha’s upbringing. Her father, Nabil Baha, is a former Moroccan international who represented the Atlas Lions at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations and later moved into coaching.
Her older brother, Ziyad Baha, is also a Moroccan youth international and currently plays in Olympique de Marseille’s youth setup.
“Football is the only sport we talk about at home,” Mayssa explained. “Ever since I was little, I used to go and watch my father’s matches. When my brother started playing football, I tried to do the same, and I fell in love with the sport the first time I touched a ball.”
The teenager has since begun establishing her own career at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
On September 26, she became the youngest goalscorer in the history of Spain’s Liga F at 15 years, eight months and 10 days, after finding the net in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Logrono United.
The goal also made her Barcelona’s youngest senior goalscorer across both the men’s and women’s teams, according to Liga F.
Despite her growing role at the Catalan club, Baha is absent from Morocco’s squad for the 2026 U17 Women’s World Cup.
Earlier this month, national team coach Younes Rabie explained that Barcelona had opted not to release the forward because of the club’s first-team needs.
In her latest remarks, Baha also had a message for young girls hoping to pursue careers in football.
“I would advise them to keep chasing their dreams, believe in themselves and work hard to achieve what they aspire to,” she said.
She concluded by thanking Moroccan supporters for their encouragement and expressed appreciation for FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa and the federation’s efforts to develop women’s football.
