- Recragui joined the national team just five months before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having left his position at Wydad AC.
- During the knockout rounds, Morocco’s monster run included a penalty shootout win over Spain in the round of 16 and a stunning 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarter-finals.
- In September 2022, he won the Zamora Trophy for the 2021–2022 season, becoming the first Moroccan and Arab player to receive the award, which goes to the best goalkeeper in La Liga each year.
RABAT – Moroccan national football team head coach Walid Regragui received the Coach of the Year award at the 2023 CAF Awards ceremony in Marrakech on Monday.
Rabat – Yassin Bounou won the Goalkeeper of the Year award at the CAF Awards 2023 in Marrakech today.
For the first time in the semi-finals
Ahead of Senegal coach Aliou Cisse and Algeria’s Abdelhaq Benjica, Regragui was praised for his historic feat with the Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup, taking the team to the semi-finals for the first time.
Under the leadership of 48-year-old coach Régracoui, Morocco’s national team made history by advancing to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, marking the first feat by an African and Arab team.
Recragui joined the national team just five months before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having left his position at Wydad AC.
Under his guidance, the team won pre-tournament friendlies against Chile and Georgia. The team’s impressive performance continued during the group stage, where they scored big wins against Belgium and Canada, while managing a draw against Croatia to top their group.
During the knockout rounds, Morocco’s monster run included a penalty shootout win over Spain in the round of 16 and a stunning 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarter-finals.
Egypt’s Mohamed El-Shenawi, who won the African Champions League with Al Ahly, and Cameroon’s Andre Onana, who reached the UEFA Champions League final with Inter Milan, competed in the same category.
The Al Hilal goalkeeper won the award thanks to his achievements with Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League and Morocco at the World Cup.
This is not the first time that Bounou has received international recognition for his outstanding performance. In September, he was once nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Bounou was also nominated for the prestigious 2023 Yachting Trophy, which is dedicated to recognizing the best goalkeeper of the year.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Moroccan footballers ever, he earned several nicknames during his World Cup appearances, one of which was “The Smiling Hero”.
Bounou was also named man of the match twice during the World Cup against Portugal and Spain, contributing to Morocco’s success in reaching the semi-finals.
In September 2022, he won the Zamora Trophy for the 2021–2022 season, becoming the first Moroccan and Arab player to receive the award, which goes to the best goalkeeper in La Liga each year.
