Moroccans in the French League: Between Numerical Decline and Strong Impact on the Field
Moroccan players remain one of the most prominent foreign nationalities in the French football league, ranking third this season with 16 players, behind Senegal (28 players) and Ivory Coast (19 players), according to a report by “L’Équipe”.
Despite a decline in numbers compared to last season (from 26 to 16), the Moroccan presence confirms its status in the French championship, which is traditionally considered fertile ground for discovering talent from Morocco.
This current decline is linked to the transfers of prominent players to major European leagues, such as Elias Ben Seghir moving from Monaco to Bayer Leverkusen, Nail Al-Ainawi from Lens to Roma, and Zakaria Aboukhlal from Toulouse to Torino, reflecting a shift in the French league to a transitional stop rather than a final destination.
Despite this exodus, Moroccan stars continue to leave their mark in Ligue 1, led by Achraf Hakimi at Paris Saint-Germain, Nayef Aguerd at Marseille, Hamza Ekkhoun at Lille, and Osama Al-Azzouzi at Auxerre, ensuring Morocco’s significant presence among foreign players, who make up 60% of the league’s roster.
