Published on 6/18/2026
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Last update: 17:14 (Mecca time)
Lille striker Olivier Giroud, and former France national team player, praised his Moroccan colleague Ayoub Bouadi after his remarkable brilliance against Brazil in the 2026 World Cup finals.
Although 5 days have passed since the match between Brazil and Morocco in Group C, the name Bouadi (18 years old) is still on the lips of former and current football players as well as the media, who are amazed by the great level he presented in that confrontation.
Giroud praises the Moroccan with my promise
Giroud, who currently works as a World Cup analyst for the BBC, said: “He impressed me with his maturity. He has a clear mind and is a calm and self-confident person.”
He added, “He is a great gift to any team he is in, and the Moroccan national team officials should be very proud and happy to have a player like him.”
In an attempt to resemble his playing style with prominent players, many names were put forward for Giroud, most notably Sergio Busquets, the former Barcelona player, and the well-known French duo Patrick Vieira and N’Golo Kante.
Giroud explained, “All my friends and many of my colleagues told me about Vieira and Busquets, and they said that Bouadi is a combination of these two. He still has a way to go to reach their level, but there are clear similarities.”
Giroud expected Bouadi to leave Lille after the World Cup for a big destination, stressing that he does not imagine the player in the French club’s shirt in the next season 2026-2027.
He said, “It will be difficult for Lille to keep him. The only thing he has to do is improve his finishing touch and develop his finishing, which is something we often joke with him about in the team.”
He continued, “He needs to be more aggressive in front of goal, and if he succeeds in achieving that, I see him at Real Madrid starting next season. His transfer deal will range between 60 and 70 million euros (about 65 to 76 million dollars).”
Real Madrid is watching my promise
In this regard, the Spanish newspaper “Marca” explained that Real Madrid is placing Argentine Enzo Fernandez, the Chelsea player, as a priority to strengthen the team’s midfield.
She confirmed that, despite this, the eyes of Real Madrid officials, headed by Florentino Perez, “will be fixed and directed towards Bouadi,” as she put it.
Bouadi is currently focusing with the Moroccan national team on reaching the furthest possible point in the World Cup, just as the team did in the last edition in Qatar 2022, when it reached the semi-finals.
The Atlas Lions will face Scotland in the second round next Sunday at 1:00 am Mecca and Doha time, then conclude their matches in the group stage with a match against Haiti on June 25 at the same time.
The Moroccan national team won the first point in the World Cup after tying with Brazil in the first match by one goal.
