Nayef Aguerd is hoping Morocco can build on their historic showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals.
The West Ham United defender helped the Atlas Lions become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, defeating Belgium, Spain and Portugal and drawing with Croatia without conceding a single goal, before being defeated 2-0 by France.
Along the way, Morocco’s players and manager Walid Regragui earned praise from around the world and caught the imagination of their fellow countrymen, both at home and their diaspora across the planet.
Aguerd himself played superbly, snuffing out the threat of the likes of Luka Modrić, Kevin De Bruyne and Álvaro Morata before suffering an injury late in his side’s penalty shootout win over Spain in the round of 16.
Despite the frustration of missing the quarter-final victory over Portugal and withdrawing late from the starting lineup for the semi-final against France through illness, the 26-year-old has no regrets ahead of Morocco’s third/fourth-place play-off against Croatia in Qatar on Saturday.
“The emotions we expected together are indescribable,” he posted in a social media post on Friday. “They will remain forever engraved in each of us whether we are a player, a staff member or a fan.
“We wanted to pursue this daydream and raise the flag of the country we are so proud of.
“Unfortunately, we could not climb this last step, despite all the efforts made to get there. Football is like this and there can only be one winner.”
Aguerd’s and Morocco’s performances were welcomed by West Ham supporters, too, who are relishing the prospect of seeing their No27 return to action in Claret and Blue after Christmas.
The Kenitra-born player missed much of the first part of the 2022/23 season with an ankle injury, but the quality of his showings in Qatar suggest he will be an important player as the Hammers seek to climb the Premier League table and continue their challenge in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Meanwhile, with the 2023 AFCON Africa Cup of Nations to qualify for, Aguerd is targeting further success in the red and green of Morocco.
“I wanted, once again, to thank everyone for their support and for all the love you have given us during the World Cup,” he continued.
“We have certainly made history, but we don’t want to stop there and want to continue this way which should not be an achievement without a future.”
Aguerd and Morocco will take on a Croatia squad that includes on-loan attacking midfielder Nikola Vlašić on Saturday at 3pm GMT. The third/fourth-place play-off will be broadcast live in the UK by the BBC.
