Morocco star Brahim Díaz “can be the best player in the world”, according to head coach Walid Regragui, after the Real Madrid forward made it five goals in five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations matches with the opener in Rabat on Friday as the hosts eliminated Cameroon in the quarterfinal.
The Atlas Lions advanced to a first semifinal in 22 years when they dispatched the Indomitable Lions 2-0, with Díaz opening the scoring from close range in the 26th minute before Ismael Saibari added a second 16 minutes from time.
Díaz has comfortably established himself as the outstanding player at the Nations Cup so far, becoming the first player in history to score in five consecutive AFCON matches having found the net in each one of the North Africans’ fixtures so far.
“He’s not only scoring, but he’s also changed his mentality,” head coach Regragui told ESPN. “He’s running a lot, fighting, he keeps the ball, and it sends a message for his team that he’s so important in the spirit of the team.
“It’s so important when you see your best player running like this, and then when he scores very important goals for us,” he added. “He believes in what I want, and he’s changed his mentality.
“I worked hard with him on this, and told him that he can be the best player in the world if he wants, if he wants to work hard for the team.”
Díaz has broken the deadlock for Morocco in four of their five Nations Cup games to date, including their opening 2-0 victory over Comoros, the 1-1 draw with Mali, and the 1-0 victory over Tanzania in the Last 16, when his second-half strike was enough to send a poor Atlas Lions side through.
His form at the Nations Cup, where he’s on course for both the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament awards come in contrast to his toil at Real Madrid this season, where he has started just three league games for Xabi Alonso’s side, and finding the net just once across 17 total appearances in La Liga and the Champions League.
The forward wasn’t at full match sharpness when he arrived at the Nations Cup, having only played 125 minutes for Real since the end of October.
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“We’ve allowed Brahim to grow in strength, taking him off in games in the 76th minute, the 71st minute, the 64th minute, even when he scored,” Regragui added. “He’s lacked some strength, has been lacking gametime [at club level], and it’s been part of our work with the staff.
“He’s growing in strength here, and we’re happy.”
Díaz, who was born in Malaga to a Spanish mother and a Moroccan father, received a senior cap for Spain in 2021 before converting to play for the Atlas Lions after their run to the World Cup semifinal in 2022.
He only opened his account for Morocco in September ’24, with a goal against Gabon during the AFCON qualifying campaign, but over the last 16 months has emerged as one of Morocco’s chief attacking threats as they bid to win a first Nations Cup in half a century.
“He started the competition amazingly, and he’s scored in every game so far, so I’m very happy with Brahim,” Regragui continued. “Today, he’s the x factor in my team, and I want to give him a lot of congratulations.
“Now, he understands what it is to have Moroccan blood; it means to run, to fight, and to give what you have.”
Díaz, with five goals, leads the goalscoring charts, although he remains someway behind Ndaye Mulamba’s record of nine goals for Zaire scored in the 1974 edition of the Nations Cup as they clinched the continent’s grandest prize.
Morocco remain in Rabat for Wednesday’s semifinal, their first at the AFCON since 2004, where another goal for Díaz would equal the record set by Ghana’s Kofi Osei, who scored in six consecutive matches across the 1963 and 1965 Nations Cups.
