Morocco star’s father reveals his dreams of Barcelona move | OneFootball

The African side Morocco has been one of the more pleasant surprises in the World Cup 2026 so far. Although they were already considered to be one of the strongest teams in the competition, they still surprised with the dominant performance they put in against Brazil, a match in which the Barcelona star Raphinha was also in action, and then again against Scotland.

Several players from their squad are having a good tournament. This is particularly true for Ismael Saibari, who has scored both the two goals scored by the Atlas Lions so far, and Brahim Diaz, who assisted both these goals. Meanwhile, the young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has been one of the revelations of the competition.

Another Moroccan who has impressed in this World Cup is another midfielder, Neil El Aynaoui, who also dreams of donning the Barcelona jersey in the future. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, it was none other than the player own father, Younes El Aynaoui, the former professional tennis player, who confirmed this.

Talking about his son’s preference for the Blaugrana city and club, the former tennis player said:

“My son, it’s Barça. He lived there from age 0 to 11. He would be the happiest person in the world if he ever plays there one day.”

Before his father, the AS Roma midfielder himself also recently confirmed to the media that he is a Barcelona fan:

For now, Neil El Aynaoui would have his eyes set on the upcoming World Cup match between Morocco and Haiti. Having already played the full 90 minutes in the first two games, he would be expected to again play in this match, especially as the Atlas Lions are still to qualify for the knock-out rounds of the competition.

Meanwhile, his dream of playing for Barcelona seems somewhat difficult to realize, as the midfield is a very well-covered area for them and they are looking to strengthen other parts of the team with a greater priority.