"I told the coach that he can put me where he needs me, and where the team needs me. Even as a goalkeeper, I'm ready".
That was Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who made his Manchester United home debut on Tuesday.
Amarbat played 60 minutes as a left back, distributed 78 passes from 81 attempts (96% accuracy), helping United beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the League Cup.
"Since I was a kid I've worked very hard for it, I've worked for it my whole career and my whole life, and it feels amazing,” Amrabat told Sky Sports after the game.
Amrabat (or Mrabt مرابط) was one of the most prominent players to come out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and one of the biggest stars of a fantastic Morocco side that reached a record fourth place.
After the tournament, he had obstacles leaving Fiorentina - a potential deal with Barcelona fell through, and it seemed like the Atlas Lions number four was stuck in limbo.
Amrabat ended up waiting for Manchester United for almost three months, meanwhile ignoring offers from Saudi Arabia and training alone, despite the big move’s momentum frequently stuttering.
Ultimately, he signed with the Red Devils and is starting to get down to business at the Theatre of Dreams.
Amrabat's story is inspiring, exactly like Morocco’s World Cup journey.
His Premier League journey is one of the most exciting stories to follow this current season.
Morocco and east Africa will host the Afcon
On Tuesday, the CAF Executive Committee chose Morocco to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The North African country received 22 votes in total, as Algeria, the only other candidate, withdrew from the bidding process earlier this week.
The story behind Algeria's withdrawal from hosting Afcon is fascinating.
On Tuesday, the Algerian Football Federation confirmed its decision to pull out of the 2025 and the 2027 bids, despite a long bitter rivalry with Morocco over the hosting rights of both tournaments.
In their statement, the Algerian FA highlighted that football in Algeria is transitioning.
"The FAF will now focus its efforts on the reorganisation and revitalisation of football in Algeria, as it reiterates its unwavering commitment to the development of African football".
Algeria hosted the 2022 CHAN earlier this year, a tournament that brought scandal before the football had even kicked off.
During the opening ceremony, an intensely political speech by Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela, criticised Morocco for its stance on the Western Sahara conflict, and called for Palestine to be “freed”.
While the tournament was a success, it was clear that CAF and Morocco weren’t happy about what happened.
Sources in Algerian football claim that Algeria tried to avoid a ‘diplomatic embarrassment’ by losing in the vote by a landslide to their bitter rivals Morocco.
In addition, the entrance of a new FA president, Walid Sadi, might also have influenced the decision to withdraw.
That means that Africa's biggest football tournament is returning to Morocco for the first time since 1988.
Morocco is currently in the swing of hosting major football tournaments, and a Moroccan Afcon was just a matter of time.
When it came to voting for the 2027 edition, however, things were more of a shock.
Despite Senegal being the favourites to win the hosting rights, the bid that won was the joint bid from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
It will be the first Afcon to take place in east Africa since 1976, when Ethiopia hosted it.
As always in Afcon tournaments, nothing can be fully guaranteed.
In 2013, South Africa replaced Libya as hosts and, in 2019, Egypt took over from Cameroon.
Ivory Coast will host the 2023 tournament in January 2014, as it was rescheduled due to concerns over the country's rainy season.
Uganda, meanwhile, who are now scheduled to host in 2027, doesn’t yet have a proper stadium to their name.
Edited by Alex Smith
