It’s the final stretch for most sporting leagues around the world, including football, where clubs are now gearing up towards the last few games that will make or break their season. While victors of most prominent leagues around the world are now known, one competition still hangs in the balance, namely the UEFA Champions League, where two North African players will fence against one another to put their hands on the much-coveted European Cup.
In this year’s iteration of the prestigious tournament, 1997 champions Borussia Dortmund will face 14-time-winners of the competition Real Madrid in an electrifying final scheduled to take place on June 1 at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London. Ahead of the much-anticipated fixture, it has come to our attention that two North African players will be going head-to-head against each other. Each representing a side, Moroccan midfielder Brahim Diaz— who has been instrumental in Real Madrid’s attacking strategies — and Algerian left-back Ryan Bensebaini — who has demonstrated exceptional defensive prowess for Borussia Dortmund this year — are expected to intensify the already competitive match even further with their presence on the pitch.
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With the potential of joining a star-studded list of Arab and African players who have lifted the prestigious trophy, including Algiers-born striker Rabah Madjer, Egyptian forward Mohammed Salah, and 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalist Hakim Ziyech, as they try to etch their name in footballing history, anticipation for their team’s respective performances is at its peak.
In other European competitions, North African players are also making notable strides. In the Conference League, England’s Aston Villa is set to clash with Greece’s Olympiakos, a team that features two Moroccan forward players, namely Youssef El Arabi and Ayoub El Kaabi. The latter recently made history by becoming the highest-scoring African player in a single European campaign, tallying an impressive 15 goals in 18 games.
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On the flip side, Bayer Leverkusen, which has just shattered the record for the longest streak of games unbeaten in a season, is gearing up to face Italy’s Atalanta. Among the standout performers in Leverkusen’s record-breaking squad is Amine Adli, who will take to the pitch to solidify his team’s place in history, with just four games standing between them and the title of the most invincible team in football. In the meantime, the German side harbours hopes of concluding the season triumphantly, with a piece of European silverware that will hopefully be sitting next to their domestic league’s title in their trophy cabinet.
