He’s back and going to the World Cup.
After weeks of speculation, rumors and reports, Abderrazak Hamdallah has been named in the Morocco squad for the World Cup. The Al-Ittihad striker has been banging in the goals in the Saudi Pro League for years and has been banging on the door of the national team.
Now it has been opened by new head coach Walid Regragui, and he has a chance to show what he can do in a tough but exciting group containing Croatia, Belgium and Canada.
After more than three years in the international wilderness it is a long-awaited return. The 31-year-old had announced his retirement in November 2019 after being left out by the then-coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
His last game came in June that year, a 1-0 defeat against Gambia in a friendly when he was angry after not being allowed to take a last-minute penalty that was then missed. Hamdallah proceeded to walk out of the training camp before the African Nations Cup, and has not been seen in an Atlas Lions shirt since.
It was significant then that earlier this month the two-time Saudi Arabia Golden Boot winner apologized for his actions.
“I personally think that I should not have made this mistake,” he said. “My departure from the national team camp in 2019 is a black point in my football career, and I should not have done this. I apologize to the Moroccan fans.”
There have been reports that Hamdallah had fallen out with his teammates but he has been keen to stress that relationships are fine.
“Many media reports indicate that my relationship is not good with the players of the Moroccan national team, and this is not true. I communicate with more than 60 percent of the national team players almost daily,” he said.
While Hamdallah can be a difficult character to manage, he does seem genuinely contrite. The other thing he has going for him is that he brings goals.
The striker has managed six in his 17 international appearances. He has broken records in Saudi Arabia, averaging more than a goal a game in his four seasons since joining Al-Nassr in 2018. He hit a record 34 league goals in just 26 games in his first campaign.
Such a consistent record has led to growing pressure from fans and the media for a recall, though this never looked likely under Halilhodzic.
After Morocco exited the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarterfinal stage in January, Halilhodzic said that he had not selected Hamdallah due to his demands of a guaranteed place in the first team. This was denied vehemently by the Hamdallah.
“I confirm that there was no contact or talk between me and the coach or any member of his staff since he has been in charge of the team,” Hamdallah said on social media.
“The last call between me and Mr. Mustapha Hadji (a member of Halilhodzic’s staff) was in the year 2019 . . . He explained why I wasn’t invited to play for Morocco’s team, but he did not invite me.
“The coach’s claim that I received an invite from Mr. Hadji, him, or the national team, and that I declined the invite and asked for a starting position is devoid of truth.”
The striker ended by saying he was available for selection, but there was little prospect of his exile ending under the Bosnian.
Halilhodzic was fired in August, partly because of results but mainly because he had fallen out with Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech. When he was replaced by local coach Walid Regragui, the door was suddenly open for those who had been cast away.
The new boss said when selecting his squad for September friendlies against Chile and Paraguay that others were “more ready” than Hamdallah, but that did not mean there was no chance. And so it has come to pass.
Also in the squad for Qatar are Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui. Alongside Hamdallah from the Saudi Pro League, there is Al-Wehda goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi.
Morocco have a final warmup against Georgia on Nov. 17 before starting their sixth World Cup against Croatia six days later. It will be Hamdallah’s job to help them get to the knockout stage for the first time since 1986.
Fans of Morocco and Al-Ittihad will be watching closely.