Until last Saturday, December 6, 2022, Africa’s biggest World Cup achievements were three quarter-final performances from Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010.
Morocco added Portugal to their list of preys at the tournament after Youssef En Nesyri connected Yahya Attiat-Allah’s cross beyond Diogo Costa to achieve the best World Cup record ever, for Africa.
Morocco went from beating second-ranked Belgium to inflicting pain on Spain, and then making the most of Portugal’s inconsistency to eventually achieve the biggest feat for the entire African continent.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech, and Sofiane Boufal, among many others, have been lauded for defying the odds, but Walid Regragui, the manager, himself is finally being acknowledged as well.
One thing is emphatic about him. His bravery and optimism. However, there are more interesting facts about the 47-year old gaffer.
Despite being born in France, he represented Morocco as a right-back between 2001 and 2009. He played 45 times for the Atlas Lions. He lasted 90 minutes in Morocco’s defeat to Tunisia in the final of the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
He spent the majority of his career in Europe before retiring in Morocco at Moghreb Tétouan. The former Faith Union Sport (FUS Rabat) manager has worked with Toulouse, Ajaccio, and Racing Santander, among others.
Walid Regragui has a little more than eight years of coaching expertise. In May 2014, he accepted his first senior coaching position at (FUS Rabat). He led the Moroccan side to their first Morocco Professional League trophy in 2015-16.
When he was appointed to lead Morocco to the World Cup in place of former head coach Vahid Halilhodžić, many questioned his abilities, even mocking his bald head, characterizing it as avocado, thus his infamous moniker Rass l’Avocat” which means Avocado Head.
Morocco is the fourth side he is managing in his young coaching career after coaching FUS Rabat in Morocco, Al-Duhail in Qatar and African giants, Wydad Casablanca.
Walid Regragui has won a trophy with each of his previous three teams managed. Having won the Moroccan Professional League with Faith Union Sport, he moved on to coach Al-Duhail where they emerged champions of the Qatar Stars League.
That success presented him with an opportunity to take over the Moroccan side Wydad Club Athletic in 2021. His side stopped Al Ahly in the final and won their third CAF Champions League and their first in five years. He also won the Moroccan Professional League with Wydad.
Interestingly, Accra Hearts of Oak were the only side to beat the Regragui-led Wydad AC side that won the CAF Champions League.
Walid Regragui was the assistant coach of Morocco in 2012 but couldn’t last long after his boss Rachid Taoussi was dismissed in 2013.
While he can now boast of being the only African manager to lead his country to the World Cup quarter-finals and even the semi-finals, what appears more intriguing is that despite his unbeaten run as manager of the Atlas Lions, the only goal his team have conceded was an own goal against Canada in their third group match.
While Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi prepares to face off against his French PSG colleague Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup semifinals, Walid Regragui will lead the Atlas Lions as coach against his former teammate Olivier Giroud who is likely to lead the French attack. Their paths crossed in 2008 when they both played for Grenoble in France