Doha, December 1, 4th minute of the match between Canada and Morocco. In a movement of pressure from the Moroccan attack, an error by the Canadian goalkeeper left the ball at the mercy of Hakim Ziyech who, with a hat suitable for the opponent’s tutoradvanced Morocco on the way to qualifying for the round of 16 which had not taken place since 1986.

Apart from the sporting impact, the goal was also the culmination of a long journey for the Chelsea midfielder, one that was winding and full of twists and turns: from family dramas to disagreements with the national team that almost ruled him out of the World Cup, the “star” of North Africa took a bumpy road to reach the biggest stages of Qatar.

Its story does not begin in Morocco, but in Dronten, the Netherlands. This is where Ziyech, the son of emigrants, was born and raised, and where he broke into football with local teams, first Real Dronten and then ASV Dronten. His talent for the ball showed up at an early age, but it was almost wasted: in 2006, when he was only 13 years old, the young Hakim lost his father to multiple sclerosis. plates, as he told the Dutch daily in 2016. Volkskrant.

“The disease destroyed him. He couldn’t walk, eat or talk. I had to go to bed that night, but I wanted to be with him. I leaned against the headboard of his bed, then left for a while, and when I came back, I heard my family crying. I didn’t go back to school anymore and football didn’t matter to me either. I left it all behind me”.

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