After fourteen years spent on the bench of the France team, Didier Deschamps bowed out at the end of the 2026 World Cup. For his last competition, “DD” notably chose not to select Ayyoub Bouaddi, who finally decided to represent Morocco, which selected him for the World Cup.
“He has this freedom to be able to choose (between France and Morocco). I didn’t interact with him, that’s not the way I operate. We follow his performances. There is very strong competition (in the Blues). It will be his choice. I am not going to anticipate what I will decide in May”Deschamps said of the talented 19-year-old midfielder during the rally last March.
Although the young Citizen has been described as “unique talent” by the National Technical Director, Hubert Fournier, Didier Deschamps judged that it was not “not quite ready yet” for the immediate demands and pressure of a World Cup finals. The French staff at the time preferred to focus on sure values rather than integrating a profile in the post-training phase, despite their 10 selections with the French Espoirs.
Bouaddi would have pleased Zidane
While Bouaddi shines with Morocco, as was again the case against Mali (1-1), Sunday evening in Tangier, Deschamps’ choice not to select him must have gone down badly with some. “I will never forgive Didier Deschamps”wrote a Blues supporter on X, commenting on a video retracing the performance of the native of Senlis against the Eagles.
The regrets are all the greater as Ayyoub Bouaddi has a profile that is highly appreciated by the new coach of the Blues, Zinedine Zidane. Compared to his predecessor, Zizou opted for a three-way midfielder and to bring a technical touch to this sector of play. Which suggests that the neo-Skyblue would have had his place in the list of the former Real Madrid coach.
