Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech in action for Morocco. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to ADSportsTV (h/t Mirror), Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech announced his retirement from the Morocco national football team. The forward was recently excluded from the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ziyech has had a public falling out with Morocco manager Vahid Halilhodzic, who criticised the star for his bad attitude and behaviour while on national duty. The head coach went on to say that he would never pick the star for any games for Morocco.
In response to all these allegations and his ongoing feud with Halilhodzic, the Chelsea winger hinted at the manager being a liar and said he felt sorry for the fans of the national team regarding the entire situation.
“At the end of the day, it’s a decision he makes and you have to respect it. All the lying that comes with it, it’s, for me, clear and I will not return to the national team. I understand and feel sorry for [the fans], but that’s the situation we’re in.”
After excluding Ziyech from the Africa Cup of Nations squad, Morocco could only manage to make it to the quarter-finals, losing out to eventual tournament runner-up Egypt. One can only wonder how far the team would have gotten if the Chelsea star was involved on the pitch.
The former Ajax man has a decent scoring record for his country, netting 17 times while making 40 appearances. With Ziyech’s retirement announcement, Achraf Hakimi is perhaps the only remaining star in their national set-up who is a household name worldwide.
Ziyech was insistent that he will not be returning for national duty anymore, and that he would spend the rest of his career focusing on helping out his club. Chelsea are due to play Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup later tonight.
“I understand them, but I will not return to the Moroccan national team and this is my final decision. It’s all clear for me how things are going over there and I am focusing on what I am doing and, right now, that is my club.”
After closing the chapter on his Morocco career, Chelsea will expect Ziyech to fully commit himself to the club and perform consistently for the London side in their quest to add more trophies to their cabinet. An impressive display from the Moroccan tonight will help douse the fire on his retirement announcement for a bit.
The winger will expect to be picked for the semi-final clash in the Club World Cup because of his recent performances. Ziyech has been impressive for Chelsea in the last few games in the Premier League, scoring twice in as many games.
The Moroccan also played the full 120 minutes of the FA Cup clash against Plymouth Argyle on the weekend, turning out to be one of the better Chelsea players on the pitch. Given that he played the entirety of the match on the weekend and has not had much rest time with the travel and training for tonight’s clash, the Blues may give him a well-deserved rest.
However, if Ziyech is called upon, then the club will expect him to be the star of the show, as he has been for the club in recent weeks. With only his club career to focus on, we can hope to see a more determined star in Ziyech as he helps us win a few trophies in the coming months.
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